The Dutch Royal Family is one of the largest royal families in Europe; however, not all family members are in the Royal House. For this who’s who of the Dutch Royal Family, we are looking at the members of the Royal House.
King Willem-Alexander
©RVD – Gemmy Woud-Binnendijk
Born on 27 April 1967, King Willem-Alexander is the eldest child of Princess (formerly Queen) Beatrix and Prince Claus. He became the heir apparent, Prince of Orange, to the Dutch throne when he was 13 years old after his grandmother, Juliana, abdicated in favour of his mother. The King was educated in the Netherlands and at the United World College in Wales. In preparation for his future role as monarch, he trained in the Armed Forces. He has a master’s degree in history from Leiden University and is a trained pilot. On the latter, he used to fly for the airline KLM. Willem-Alexander married Argentine Máxima Zorreguieta in 2002. They have three daughters. He became King of the Netherlands upon his mother’s abdication in 2013.
Queen Máxima
© RVD – Martijn Beekman
Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti was born in Buenoa Aires, Argentina, on 17 May 1971 to Jorge Zorreguieta (former Secretary of Agriculture under General Jorge Rafael Videla’s dictatorship) and María del Carmen Cerruti. She attended the bilingual Northlands School in Argentina before studying at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. She later obtained a master’s degree in the United States and worked for various banks in the United States and Belgium. She met Prince Willem-Alexander in Spain and they married in 2002. There was controversy surrounding their marriage due to her father’s role in the dictatorship of Argentina during the “Dirty War.” It was determined he was not directly involved but had to have been aware it was taking place. As such, he was not invited to their wedding. Máxima was granted Dutch citizenship after their engagement was announced in 2001. She and Willem-Alexander have three daughters: Princesses Amalia, Alexia and Ariane. She became the Queen consort of the Netherlands upon Queen Beatrix’s abdication in 2013. Máxima is also the UN Secretary General’s Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.
Princess Amalia
©RVD
Princess Catharina-Amalia was born on 7 December 2003 to King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima as their first child. Commonly called Amalia, she became the heir to the throne and assumed the title Princess of Orange upon her grandmother, Queen Beatrix’s abdication in 2013. She has been educated in the Netherlands and is currently studying Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at the University of Amsterdam. Amalia faced threats from a criminal organisation in 2023 and lived in Spain for a time due to security risks, but as of 2024, she has returned to the Netherlands to study.
Princess Alexia
Photo by Royal News
Princess Alexia was born on 26 June 2005 as the second daughter of the King and Queen. She was educated in the Netherlands and at the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales alongside Princess Leonor of Spain. Alexia has not yet announced her university plans. She is second in line to the throne.
Princess Ariane
Photo: RVD
Born on 10 April 2007, Ariane is the third child of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. Until 2023, the Princess was educated in the Netherlands but is currently undergoing courses at the United World College Adriatic in Italy. Like her sisters, she attends a handful of royal events – like the King’s Day celebrations each April in honour of her father. She is third in line to the throne behind her sisters.
Princess Beatrix
©RVD – Gemmy Woud-Binnendijk
Princess Beatrix was born as the eldest daughter of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard on 31 January 1938. After the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, she spent exile in Canada with her family. They returned to the Netherlands in 1945 and three years later, her mother became Queen Juliana. Beatrix married the German Claus von Amsberg in 1966, and they had three sons: King Willem-Alexander, Prince Friso (d. 2013) and Prince Constantijn. Beatrix reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until 2013. She abdicated following Dutch tradition in favour of her son, Willem-Alexander. From that point forward, she became Princess Beatrix. She still occasionally undertakes royal duties.
Prince Constantijn
© RVD – Jeroen van der Meyde
Constantijn is the third and youngest son of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus. He was born on 11 October 1969 and studied law at university. The Prince married Laurentien Brinkhorst in 2001, and they have three children: Countess Eloise, Count Claus and Countess Leonore. Constantijn primarily has worked as an independent advisor on corporate innovation. He attends occasional events on behalf of his brother and currently ranks fourth in the line of succession.
Princess Laurentien
© RVD – Martijn Beekman
Petra ‘Laurentien’ Brinkhorst was born on 25 May 1966 to the former Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs and his wife. She has an older brother and was educated in the Netherlands, Japan, the UK and the US. Laurentien married Prince Constantijn, the youngest son of Queen Beatrix, in 2001. They have three children. Laurentien undertakes some royal duties on behalf of the King.
Princess Margriet
© RVD – Martijn Beekman
Princess Margriet was born while her family was in exile in Canada during World War II. On the day of her birth, 19 January 1943, the maternity ward in Ottawa was made extraterritorial by the Canadian government, allowing Margriet to be born only as a Dutch citizen. She counts former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of her godfathers. The family returned to the Netherlands in 1945. Margriet met her future husband, Pieter, while at Leiden University and their engagement was announced in 1965. They married in 1967 and have four sons: Princes Maurits, Bernhard, Pieter-Christiaan and Floris. Margriet is eighth and last in the line of succession.
Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven
© RVD – Martijn Beekman
Pieter was born on 30 April 1939 in Schiedam, Netherlands, as the second son of Pieter and Jacoba van Vollenhoven. He obtained a law degree from the University of Leiden in 1965. Pieter married Princess Margriet, the third daughter of Queen Juliana in 1967, and he became the first non-noble member to join the Dutch Royal Family. Pieter and Margriet have four children. He has worked as a professor and member of the Dutch Safety Board. He occasionally undertakes royal duties on behalf of King Willem-Alexander.
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