Princess Margriet Francisca of the Netherlands (born 19 January 1943) is the third daughter of
Queen Juliana
Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980.
Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. S ...
and
Prince Bernhard
, house = Lippe
, father = Prince Bernhard of Lippe
, mother = Armgard von Cramm
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Count Bernhard of Biesterfeld
, birth_place = Jena, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Germany
, death_date = ...
. As an aunt of the reigning monarch,
King Willem-Alexander
Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013.
Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess Beatr ...
, she is a member of the
Dutch Royal House In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the monarchy is a constitutional office and is controlled by the Constitution of the Netherlands. A distinction is made between members of the royal family and members of the royal house.
Membership
According t ...
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
Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980.
Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. S ...
and
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld
, house = Lippe
, father = Prince Bernhard of Lippe
, mother = Armgard von Cramm
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Count Bernhard of Biesterfeld
, birth_place = Jena, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Germany
, death_date = ...
. Her mother was
heir presumptive
An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question.
...
to
Queen Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World Wa ...
.
The Dutch royal family went into exile when the Netherlands was occupied by
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
in 1940, and went to live in Canada. Margriet was born in
Ottawa Civic Hospital
The Ottawa Civic Hospital is one of three main campuses of The Ottawa Hospital – along with the General and Riverside campuses. With 549 beds (including the Heart Institute), the Civic Campus has the region's only adult-care trauma centre, servin ...
,
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
. The maternity ward of the hospital was temporarily declared to be
extraterritorial
In international law, extraterritoriality is the state of being exempted from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations.
Historically, this primarily applied to individuals, as jurisdiction was usually cla ...
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
''Jus soli'' ( , , ; meaning "right of soil"), commonly referred to as birthright citizenship, is the right of anyone born in the territory of a state to nationality or citizenship.
''Jus soli'' was part of the English common law, in contras ...
''. Instead the child would only inherit Dutch citizenship from her mother under the principle of ''
jus sanguinis
( , , ; 'right of blood') is a principle of nationality law by which citizenship is determined or acquired by the nationality or ethnicity of one or both parents. Children at birth may be citizens of a particular state if either or both of t ...
'', which is followed in
Dutch nationality law
Dutch nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds Dutch nationality. The primary law governing these requirements is the Dutch Nationality Act, which came into force on 1 January 1985. Regulations apply to the entire Kingdom o ...
. 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
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
,
Queen Mary (
Queen dowager of the United Kingdom),
Märtha, Crown Princess of Norway, and Martine Roell (
lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
to Princess Juliana in Canada).
Princess Margriet has continued to visit Canada over the years in an official capacity, as recently as 2017 (
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River within Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2016 population of 31,465 in a land area of . Stratford is the seat of Perth County, which was settled by English, Irish, Scottish and German i ...
and
Goderich, Ontario
Goderich ( or ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County, Ontario, Huron County. The town was founded by John Galt (novelist), John Galt and William "Tiger" Dunlop of the Canada Company in 1827. First ...
) and 2022 (
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
).
After the war
![Princess Margriet of the Netherlands 1964](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Princess_Margriet_of_the_Netherlands_1964.jpg)
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
Soestdijk Palace ( nl, Paleis Soestdijk ) is a palace formerly belonging to the House of Orange-Nassau, Dutch Royal Family. It consists of a central block and two wings.
Although named after the village of Soestdijk, which is largely in the munic ...
in
Baarn
Baarn () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, near Hilversum in the province of Utrecht.
The municipality of Baarn
The municipality of Baarn consists of the following towns: Baarn, Eembrugge, Lage Vuursche.
The town of Baarn
Ba ...
, where the family had lived before the war.
It was while she was studying at
Leiden University
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...
that Princess Margriet met her future husband,
Pieter van Vollenhoven
Pieter van Vollenhoven Jr. (born April 30, 1939) is the husband of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and a member, by marriage, of the Dutch Royal House.
Early life and career
Van Vollenhoven was born in Schiedam, he is the second son of Pi ...
. Their engagement was announced on 10 March 1965, and they were married on 10 January 1967 in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
, 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
Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adjecti ...
'', titles that would not be held by their descendants. Together, they had four children: Princes
Maurits Maurits is the Dutch equivalent of the masculine given name Maurice. People with the name include:
Royalty
* Prince Maurice of Nassau, (1567–1625), military leader of the Dutch Republic, son of William I of Orange
* Count John Maurice of Nassau, ...
(born 17 April 1968),
Bernhard
Bernhard is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
*Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar (1604–1639), Duke of Saxe-Weimar
*Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen (1901–1984), head of the House of Saxe-Meiningen 1946 ...
(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
Het Loo Palace ( nl, Paleis Het Loo , meaning "The Lea") is a palace in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, built by the House of Orange-Nassau.
History
The symmetrical Dutch Baroque building was designed by Jacob Roman and Johan van Swieten and was bui ...
in
Apeldoorn
Apeldoorn (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland in the centre of the Netherlands. It is located about 60 km east of Utrecht, 60 km west of Enschede, 25 km north of Arnhem and 35 km south of Zwolle. The ...
. In 1975 the family moved to their present home,
Het Loo
Het Loo Palace ( nl, Paleis Het Loo , meaning "The wikt:lea#English, Lea") is a palace in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, built by the House of Orange-Nassau.
History
The symmetry, symmetrical Dutch Baroque architecture, Dutch Baroque building was desi ...
, which they had built on the Palace grounds.
Interests and activities
![Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands in Ottawa-2-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Her_Royal_Highness_Princess_Margriet_of_the_Netherlands_in_Ottawa-2-2.jpg)
Princess Margriet is particularly interested in health care and cultural causes. From 1987 to 2011 she was vice-president of the Dutch
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
, 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
The European Cultural Foundation (ECF) is a Netherlands-based independent cultural foundation. Its mission is to “make a tangible impact on civil society, citizen initiatives, public opinion and policy proposals to combat the fragmenting forces ...
, 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
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and fun ...
.
Titles and styles
* 19 January 1943 – 10 January 1967: ''
Her Royal Highness'' Princess Margriet of the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, Princess of
Orange-Nassau, Princess of
Lippe-Biesterfeld
The House of Lippe-Biesterfeld was a comital cadet line of the House of Lippe (a German dynasty reigning from 1413 until 1918, of comital and, from 1789, of princely rank).
The comital branch of Lippe-Biesterfeld ascended the throne of the Princ ...
* 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
The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...
* (7 January 1962)
* (10 March 1966)
* (30 April 1980)
* (2 February 2002)
* (30 April 2013)
Foreign honours
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of the Crown
* : Grand Cordon of
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of the White Rose of Finland
The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of National Merit
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...
* : Grand Cross 1st Class of the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
* : Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
The highest-ranking ...
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of the Ivory Coast
* : Grand Cordon (Paulownia) of the
Order of the Precious Crown
The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Ap ...
* : Grand Cordon of the
Supreme Order of the Renaissance
The Supreme Order of the Renaissance (, "Medal of the Nahda") is the second knighthood order of the Kingdom of Jordan.
History
The order was instituted in 1917 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. According to correspondence between the ...
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of Adolphe of Nassau
The Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolph of Nassau (french: Ordre de Mérite civil et militaire d’Adolphe de Nassau) is an order of merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for meritorious service to the Grand Duke, the Grand-Ducal House ...
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of the Oak Crown
The Order of the Oak Crown (french: Ordre de la Couronne de chêne, german: Eichenlaubkronenorden, lb, Eechelaafkrounenuerden) is an order of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
History
The Order of the Oak Crown was established in 1841 by Grand ...
*: Commemorative Medal of the marriage of TRH Prince Henri and Princess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of the Aztec Eagle
The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle ( es, Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honours System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners in the country.
History
It was created by decree on December 29, 193 ...
*
Nepalese Royal Family: Member 1st Class of the
Order of the Three Divine Powers
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of Saint Olav
The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav I ...
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of Christ
*
Socialist Republic of Romania
The Socialist Republic of Romania ( ro, Republica Socialistă România, RSR) was a Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989. From 1947 to 1965, the state was known as the Romanian People ...
: Grand Cross of the Order of 23 August
* : Grand Cross of the
Order of the Lion
* : Dame Grand Cross of the
Order of Isabella the Catholic
The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...
* : Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Yellow Star
* : Member Grand Cross of the
Royal Order of the Polar Star
The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim.
The Order of the ...
* :
Honorary Fellow
Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...
William & Mary
/ref> of the College of William & Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...
* : Grand Cordon of the Order of the Liberator
The Order of the Liberator was the highest distinction of Venezuela and was appointed for services to the country, outstanding merit and benefits made to the community. For Venezuelans the order ranks first in the order of precedence from other or ...
Ancestry
References
External links
Niography on the website of the Royal House of the Netherlands
CBC Archives
– A look at Princess Margriet's birth in Ottawa (from 1992).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margriet Of The Netherlands
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
Daughters of monarchs