Princess Margriet of the Netherlands


Princess Margriet of the Netherlands 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 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, Märtha, Crown Princess of Norway, and Martine Roell.
Princess Margriet has continued to visit Canada over the years in an official capacity, as recently as 2017 and 2022.

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. 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. He married Marilène Angela van den Broek on 30 May 1998. They have three children:
  • * Anastasia Margriet Joséphine van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven,.
  • * Lucas Maurits Pieter Henri van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven,.
  • * Felicia Juliana Bénedicte Barbara van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven,.
  • Prince Bernhard Lucas Emmanuel of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven. He married Annette Sekrève on 8 July 2000. They have three children:
  • * Isabella Lily Juliana van Vollenhoven,.
  • * Samuel Bernhard Louis van Vollenhoven,.
  • * Benjamin Pieter Floris van Vollenhoven,.
  • Prince Pieter-Christiaan Michiel of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven,. He married Anita Theodora van Eijk on 27 August 2005. They have two children:
  • * Emma Francisca Catharina van Vollenhoven,.
  • * Pieter Anton Maurits Erik van Vollenhoven,.
  • Prince Floris Frederik Martijn of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven,. He married Aimée Leonie Allegonde Marie Söhngen on 20 October 2005. They have three children:
  • * Magali Margriet Eleonoor van Vollenhoven,.
  • * Eliane Sophia Carolina van Vollenhoven,.
  • * Willem-Jan Johannes Pieter Floris van Vollenhoven,.
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