Revision as of 01:26, 13 May 2021
Princess of The Netherlands
| Princess Margriet | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Princess Margriet (2005) | |||||
| Born | (1943-01-19) 19 January 1943 (age 81) Ottawa Civic Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | ||||
| Spouse |
Pieter van Vollenhoven
(m. 1967) | ||||
| Issue | |||||
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| House | Orange-Nassau | ||||
| Father | Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld | ||||
| Mother | Juliana of the Netherlands | ||||
| Religion | Protestant Church in the Netherlands | ||||
| Dutch royal family |
| House of Orange-Nassau |
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Extended familyPrincess Irene
Princess Margriet *
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| * Member of the Dutch royal house |
Princess Margriet Francisca of the Netherlands (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.
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.
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. This ensured that the newborn would not be born in Canada, and not be a Canadian citizen 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).
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.
It was while she was studying at Leiden University that 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. 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 children: Princes Maurits (born 17 April 1968), Bernhard (born 25 December 1969), Pieter-Christiaan (born 22 March 1972), and Floris (born 10 April 1975).
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.
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
- 10 January 1967 – present: Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Mrs Van Vollenhoven
Honours
See also: List of honours of the Dutch Royal Family by countryNational 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
Finland: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
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
Ivory Coast: Grand Cross of the Order of the Ivory Coast
Japan: Grand Cordon (Paulonia) of the Order of the Precious Crown
Jordan: Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance
Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau- Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown
- 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
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
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 of the College of William & Mary
Venezuela: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Liberator
Ancestry
See also: Dutch monarchs family tree| Ancestors of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands |
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References
- Current line of succession Archived 25 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine – Official website of the Dutch Royal House
- Princess Margriet Archived 12 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. koninklijkhuis.nl
- "Proclamation". Canada Gazette. 26 December 1942. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
- Second World War – 1943: Netherlands' Princess Margriet born in Ottawa. cbc.ca
- The Gift of Tulips. canadascapital.gc.ca
- Orange Wedding 1967 (video). britishpathe.com
- "Honorary Board". IPC.
- Royal decree of 8 Januari 1937: Besluit betreffende den naam, te dragen door de kinderen van Hare Koninklijke Hoogheid Prinses JULIANA. angelfire.com
- State visit of Chile to Netherlands
- http://www.anp-archief.nl/page/2202482/nl
- S.A.R. Margriet Francisca Principessa dei Paesi Bassi. Quirinale.it. 23 October 1973
- http://www.who2.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/rainiaalabdullah-16.jpg
- Getty Images, State visit of Luxembourg to Netherlands, 2006
- www.geheugenvannederland.nl
- Group Photo of the members of the Nepalese and Dutch Royal Family during the state visit
- http://c7.alamy.com/comp/GYXNMD/dutch-queen-beatrix-r-spanish-king-juan-carlos-and-his-wife-queen-GYXNMD.jpg
- Boletín Oficial del Estado
- William & Mary,
External links
- Royal House of the Netherlands (Dutch)
- CBC Archives – A look at Princess Margriet's birth in Ottawa (from 1992).
| Princess Margriet of the Netherlands House of Orange-NassauCadet branch of the House of NassauBorn: 19 January 1943 | ||
| Lines of succession | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byCountess Leonore of Orange Nassau |
Line of succession to the Dutch throne 8th position |
Last in line |
| Dutch princesses | |
|---|---|
| Generations are numbered by descent from William I, the first king of the Netherlands. | |
| 1st generation | |
| 2nd generation | |
| 3rd generation | |
| 4th generation | |
| 5th generation | |
| 6th generation | |
| 7th generation | |
| also Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
also Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld title granted by Royal Decree to descendants of Princess Irene | |
- Dutch people of German descent
- 1943 births
- Living people
- People from Ottawa
- House of Orange-Nassau
- Princesses of Orange-Nassau
- Protestant Church Christians from the Netherlands
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
- Grand Cordons of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star
- Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star
- Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- Grand Cordons of the Order of the Precious Crown
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the House of Orange
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
- Leiden University alumni