Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
| Princess Margriet | |
|---|---|
| Margriet in 2019
Margriet in 2019
| |
| Born | 19 January 1943 Ottawa Civic Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada[1] |
| Spouse | Pieter van Vollenhoven (m. 1967) |
| Issue | Prince Maurits Prince Bernhard Prince Pieter-Christiaan Prince Floris |
| Names Margriet Francisca van Oranje-Nassau, van Lippe-Biesterfeld | |
| House | Orange-Nassau (official) Lippe (agnatic) |
| Father | Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld |
| Mother | Juliana of the Netherlands |
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Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (Margriet Francisca; born 19 January 1943) is the third daughter of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard. As an aunt of the reigning monarch, King Willem-Alexander, she is a member of the Dutch Royal House and currently eighth and last in the line of succession to the throne.[2]
Princess Margriet has often represented the monarch at official or semi-official events. Some of these functions have taken her back to Canada, the country where she was born de facto, and to events organised by the Dutch merchant navy of which she is a patron.
Birth and Canada
Margriet was born to Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Her mother was heir presumptive to Queen Wilhelmina.[3]
The Dutch royal family went into exile when the Netherlands was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1940, and went to live in Canada. Margriet was born in Ottawa Civic Hospital, Ottawa. The maternity ward of the hospital was temporarily declared to be extraterritorial by the Canadian government.[4][5] This ensured that the newborn would not be born in Canada, and not be a British subject under the rule of jus soli. Instead, the child would only inherit Dutch citizenship from her mother under the principle of jus sanguinis, which is followed in Dutch nationality law. Thus, the child would be eligible to succeed to the throne of the Netherlands. This would have applied if the child had been male, and therefore heir apparent to Juliana, or if her two older sisters died without eligible children.
It is a common misconception that the Canadian government declared the maternity ward to be Dutch territory. That was not necessary, as Canada follows jus soli, while the Netherlands follows jus sanguinis. It was sufficient for Canada to disclaim the territory temporarily.
Princess Margriet was named after the marguerite, the flower worn during the war as a symbol of the resistance to Nazi Germany. She was christened at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Ottawa, on 29 June 1943. Her godparents included US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Queen Mary (Queen dowager of the United Kingdom), Märtha, Crown Princess of Norway, and Martine Roell (lady-in-waiting to Princess Juliana in Canada).[6]
Princess Margriet has continued to visit Canada over the years in an official capacity, as recently as 2017 (Stratford, Ontario and Goderich, Ontario) and 2026 (Ottawa).
After the war
It was not until August 1945, when the Netherlands had been liberated, that Princess Margriet first set foot on Dutch soil. Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard returned to Soestdijk Palace in Baarn, where the family had lived before the war.
While she was studying at Leiden University, Princess Margriet met her future husband, Pieter van Vollenhoven. Their engagement was announced on 10 March 1965, and they were married on 10 January 1967 in The Hague, in the St. James Church.[7] It was decreed that any children from the marriage would be titled Prince/Princess of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, with the style of Highness, titles that would not be held by their descendants. Together, they had four sons:
- Prince Maurits Willem Pieter Hendrik of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (born on 17 April 1968, Utrecht, Netherlands). He married Marilène (Marie-Helène) Angela van den Broek (born on 4 February 1970, Dieren, Rheden, Netherlands) on 30 May 1998. They have three children:
- Anastasia (Anna) Margriet Joséphine van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven, (born in Amsterdam on 15 April 2001).
- Lucas Maurits Pieter Henri van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven, (born in Amsterdam on 26 October 2002).
- Felicia Juliana Bénedicte Barbara van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven, (born in Amsterdam on 31 May 2005).
- Prince Bernhard Lucas Emmanuel of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (born on 25 December 1969, Nijmegen, Netherlands). He married Annette Sekrève (born on 18 April 1972, The Hague, Netherlands) on 8 July 2000. They have three children:
- Prince Pieter-Christiaan Michiel of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, (born on 22 March 1972, Nijmegen, Netherlands). He married Anita Theodora van Eijk (born on 27 October 1969, Neuchâtel, Switzerland) on 27 August 2005. They have two children:
- Prince Floris Frederik Martijn of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, (born on 10 April 1975, Nijmegen, Netherlands). He married Aimée Leonie Allegonde Marie Söhngen (born on 18 October 1977, Amsterdam, Netherlands) on 20 October 2005. They have three children:
The Princess and her husband took up residence in the right wing of Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn. In 1975 the family moved to their present home, Het Loo, which they had built on the Palace grounds.
Interests and activities
Princess Margriet is particularly interested in health care and cultural causes. From 1987 to 2011 she was vice-president of the Dutch Red Cross, who set up the Princess Margriet Fund in her honour. She is a member of the board of the International Federation of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
From 1984 to 2007, Princess Margriet was president of the European Cultural Foundation, who set up the Princess Margriet Award for Cultural Diversity in acknowledgement of her work.
She is a member of the honorary board of the International Paralympic Committee.[8]
Titles and styles
- 19 January 1943 – 10 January 1967: Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld[9]
- 10 January 1967 – present: Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Mrs Van Vollenhoven
National honours
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
- Royal Silver Wedding Medal of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard, 1962 (7 January 1962)
- Royal Wedding Medal 1966 (10 March 1966)
- Queen Beatrix Investiture Medal (30 April 1980)
- Royal Wedding Medal 2002 (2 February 2002)
- King Willem-Alexander Investiture Medal (30 April 2013)
Foreign honours
- Belgium: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
- Cameroon: Grand Cordon of Order of Merit
- Chile: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit[10]
- Finland: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland[11]
- France: Grand Cross of the Order of National Merit
- Germany: Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic[12]
- Ivory Coast: Grand Cross of the Order of the Ivory Coast
- Japan: Grand Cordon (Paulownia) of the Order of the Precious Crown
- Jordan: Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance[13]
- Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau[14]
- Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown[15]
- Luxembourg: Commemorative Medal of the marriage of TRH Prince Henri and Princess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
- Mexico: Grand Cross of the Order of the Aztec Eagle
- Nepalese Royal Family: Member 1st Class of the Order of the Three Divine Powers[16]
- Norway: Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav
- Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Christ
- Socialist Republic of Romania: Grand Cross of the Order of 23 August
- Senegal: Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion
- Spain: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic[17][18]
- Suriname: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Yellow Star
- Sweden: Member Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star
- United States: Honorary Fellow[19] of the College of William & Mary
- Venezuela: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Liberator
Ancestry
- Ancestors of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
- 8. Ernest, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld
- 4. Prince Bernhard of Lippe
- 9. Countess Karoline von Wartensleben
- 2. Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld
- 10. Baron Aschwin von Sierstorpff-Cramm
- 5. Armgard von Cramm
- 11. Baroness Hedwig von Sierstorpff-Driburg
- 1. Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
- 12. Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
- 6. Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
- 13. Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
- 3. Juliana of the Netherlands
- 14. William III of the Netherlands
- 7. Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
- 15. Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
References
- Back to citation Princess Margriet was born in an area temporarily declared extraterritorial for the moment of her birth by Canada.
- Back to citation Current line of succession Archived 25 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine – Official website of the Dutch Royal House
- Back to citation Princess Margriet Archived 12 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. koninklijkhuis.nl
- Back to citation "Proclamation". Canada Gazette. Vol. 76, no. 232, Extra. 26 December 1942. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- Back to citation "1943: Netherlands' Princess Margriet born in Ottawa". CBC. 23 January 1992. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- Back to citation The Gift of Tulips. canadascapital.gc.ca
- Back to citation Orange Wedding 1967 (video). britishpathe.com
- Back to citation "Honorary Board". IPC.
- Back to citation Royal decree of 8 Januari 1937: Besluit betreffende den naam, te dragen door de kinderen van Hare Koninklijke Hoogheid Prinses JULIANA. angelfire.com
- Back to citation State visit of Chile to Netherlands
- Back to citation "ANP Historisch Archief Community – Amsterdam, 24 oktober 1972". anp-archief.nl. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- Back to citation S.A.R. Margriet Francisca Principessa dei Paesi Bassi. Quirinale.it. 23 October 1973
- Back to citation "Photo (front row, l to r): Pieter van Vollenhoven, Princess Margriet, Queen Rania, King Abdullah II and Queen Beatrix". Who2. 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- Back to citation Getty Images, State visit of Luxembourg to Netherlands, 2006
- Back to citation www.geheugenvannederland.nl
- Back to citation Group Photo of the members of the Nepalese and Dutch Royal Family during the state visit
- Back to citation "Photo: (standing, in black) Pieter van Vollenhoven and Princess Margriet; (front row, l to r): King Willem-Alexander, Queen Sophia, King Juan Carlos I, Princess Beatrix". Alamy. 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- Back to citation Boletín Oficial del Estado
- Back to citation "Honorary Degree Recipients - William & Mary History". College of William & Mary. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
External links
- Biography on the website of the Royal House of the Netherlands
- CBC Archives – A look at Princess Margriet's birth in Ottawa (from 1992).
| Princess Margriet of the Netherlands House of Orange-Nassau Cadet branch of the House of Nassau Born: 19 January 1943 | ||
| Lines of succession | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Countess Leonore of Orange Nassau |
Line of succession to the Dutch throne 8th position |
Last in line |