Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

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.^[1]

Quick Facts Born, Spouse ...

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.

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Birth and Canada

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Margriet was born to Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Her mother was heir presumptive to Queen Wilhelmina.^[2]

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.^[3]^[4]^{[failed verification]} 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).^[5]

Princess Margriet has continued to visit Canada over the years in an official capacity, as recently as 2017 (Stratford, Ontario and Goderich, Ontario) and 2022 (Ottawa).

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After the war

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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.^[6] 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:
- Isabella Lily Juliana van Vollenhoven, (born in Amsterdam on 14 May 2002).
- Samuel Bernhard Louis van Vollenhoven, (born in Amsterdam on 25 May 2004).
- Benjamin Pieter Floris van Vollenhoven, (born in Amsterdam on 12 March 2008).
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:
- Emma Francisca Catharina van Vollenhoven, (born in Amsterdam on 28 November 2006).
- Pieter Anton Maurits Erik van Vollenhoven, (born in The Hague on 19 November 2008).
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:
- Magali Margriet Eleonoor van Vollenhoven, (born in Amsterdam on 9 October 2007).
- Eliane Sophia Carolina van Vollenhoven, (born in Amsterdam on 5 July 2009).
- Willem-Jan Johannes Pieter Floris van Vollenhoven, (born in Amsterdam on 1 July 2013).

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.

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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.^[7]

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^[8]
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 [nl] (7 January 1962)
Royal Wedding Medal 1966 [nl] (10 March 1966)
Queen Beatrix Investiture Medal [nl] (30 April 1980)
Royal Wedding Medal 2002 [nl] (2 February 2002)
King Willem-Alexander Investiture Medal [nl] (30 April 2013)