Princess Annemarie of Bourbon-Parma, Duchess of Parma and Piacenza (née Gualthérie van Weezel; born 18 December 1977) is a Dutch consultant, former journalist, and a member of the

House of Bourbon-Parma The House of Bourbon-Parma () is a cadet branch of the Spanish royal family, whose members once ruled as King of Etruria and as Duke of Parma and Piacenza, Duke of Guastalla, Guastalla, and Duke of Lucca, Lucca. The House descended from the Fre ...

and the

Dutch royal family The monarchy of the Netherlands is governed by the country's charter and constitution, roughly a third of which explains the mechanics of succession, accession, and abdication; the roles and duties of the monarch; the formalities of communica ...

. She worked as a television journalist, specializing in European politics, for the Dutch station ''

NOS Journaal NOS Journaal is the umbrella name for the news broadcasts of the Dutch public broadcaster NOS on radio and television. The division of the NOS responsible for gathering and broadcasting the news is known as ''NOS Nieuws'', and is based at the Med ...

''. In 2011, she authored the book ''De smaak van macht'', which focused on the lives of five former Dutch prime ministers. In 2019, Annemarie left journalism and became the first woman to make partner at the consulting firm Ward Howell International. She is the wife of Prince Carlos, Duke of Parma, the

pretender A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term may often be used to either refer to a descendant of a deposed monarchy or a claim that is not legitimat ...

to the defunct throne of the extinct

Duchy of Parma and Piacenza The Duchy of Parma and Piacenza (, ) was an Italian state created in 1545 and located in northern Italy, in the current region of Emilia-Romagna. Originally a realm of the Farnese family after Pope Paul III made it a hereditary duchy for his so ...

and the

Carlist Carlism (; ; ; ) is a Traditionalism (Spain), Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty, one descended from Infante Carlos María Isidro of Spain, Don Carlos, ...

claimant to the

Spanish throne The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish monarchy is constitu ...

. As such, Annemarie is considered the Spanish queen by Carlists. She is the Countess of Molina in her own right, having been bestowed with the title by her father-in-law,

Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma and Piacenza (8 April 1930 – 18 August 2010) was the head of the ducal House of Bourbon-Parma from 1977 until his death. Carlos Hugo was a Carlist claimant to the throne of Spain and sought to change the political dir ...

, in 2010. Per a 1996 royal decree issued by

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix was born during the reign of her maternal gra ...

, upon her marriage she became entitled to the style and title ''

Her Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Kings and their female consorts, as well as queens regnant, are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of add ...

'' Princess Annemarie de Bourbon de Parme in the Netherlands as a member of the extended royal family.

Early life and family

Annemarie was born on 18 December 1977 in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

to Hans Gualthérie van Weezel and Gerarda Gezina Jolande "Ank" de Visser. She has an elder brother and a younger sister. Her father is a

Christian Democratic Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well ...

politician and diplomat who has served in the

House of Representatives of the Netherlands The House of Representatives ( , literally "Second Chamber of the States General", or simply ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of the Netherlands, the States General of the Netherlands, States General, the other one ...

, as a member of the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body (directorial system) and a symbolic collective head of state, that defines the overall political direction and general priorities of the European Union (EU). It is composed of the he ...

. He also served as the Dutch Ambassador to Luxembourg. Her grandfather, Jan Gualthérie de Weezel was the head of The Hague police and a member of the

Dutch Resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Through her great-grandmother, Cecilia Louise Boissevain, she is a descendent of the patrician Boissevain family. Annemarie is also a great-great-great-granddaughter of

George Nugent, 1st Marquess of Westmeath George Thomas John Nugent, 1st Marquess of Westmeath (17 July 1785 – 5 May 1871), styled Lord Delvin between 1792 and 1814 and known as The Earl of Westmeath between 1814 and 1821, was an Anglo-Irish peer. Background Nugent was born in Clo ...

, through his illegitimate daughter Cecilia Henrietta Catherine Nugent.

Education and career

Annemarie attended

Gymnasium Haganum The Gymnasium Haganum is one of the oldest Public school (government funded), public schools in the Netherlands, located in the city of The Hague. First mentioned in 1327, the school is currently housed in a monumental Renaissance Revival architec ...

from 1990 to 1992, before transferring to the Lycée international des Pontonniers in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, obtaining a French baccalaureate in 1995. She studied corporate communication at

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

in the United States from 1995 to 1996 before completing law school at

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...

in 2002. She also completed a master's degree in media studies at the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; , abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen, Netherlands. Founded in 1614, th ...

in 2003 and studied law at the

Sydney Law School Sydney Law School (informally Sydney Law or SLS) is the law school at the University of Sydney, Australia, Australia's oldest university. Sydney Law School began a full program of legal instruction in 1890 following the appointment of its first d ...

and Chinese business law at

East China University of Political Science and Law East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL; ) is a public university in Shanghai, China, founded in 1952. It has three campuses, one in Songjiang University Town in Songjiang District, one in Changning District, and the other in Pu ...

. After completing her studies, she worked as a parliamentary journalist in The Hague and in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

for ''

''. She specialized in European politics and authored a book about five former Prime Ministers of the Netherlands in 2011 titled ''De smaak van macht''. In her book, she interviewed Piet de Jong,

Dries van Agt Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt (; 2 February 1931 – 5 February 2024) was a Dutch politician, jurist and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 19 December 1977 until 4 November 1982. He was a prominent leader o ...

Ruud Lubbers Rudolphus Franciscus Marie "Ruud" Lubbers (; 7 May 1939 – 14 February 2018) was a Dutch politician, diplomat and businessman who served as prime minister of the Netherlands from 1982 to 1994, and as United Nations High Commissioner for Refug ...

Wim Kok Willem Kok (; 29 September 1938 – 20 October 2018) was a Dutch politician and trade union leader who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 August 1994 until 22 July 2002.Jan Peter Balkenende Jan Pieter Balkenende Jr. ( ; born 7 May 1956), commonly known as Jan Peter Balkenende, is a Dutch jurist and politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 to 14 October 20 ...

about their time in office. In June 2019, Annemarie left her job as a journalist and began working as a recruiter for the consulting firm Ward Howell International in Amsterdam in October 2019. She became the first woman partner at Ward Howell International in 2019. She advises companies on diversity and inclusion, as well as female leadership. Annemarie is a member of the Leading Executives Advancing Diversity Network.

Personal life

On 7 October 2009 the

announced Annemarie's engagement to Carlos, then Crown Prince of Parma, the son of

and

Princess Irene of the Netherlands Princess Irene of the Netherlands (Irene Emma Elisabeth; born 5 August 1939) is the second child of Juliana of the Netherlands, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Prince Bernhard. In 1964, she converted to ...

. The civil marriage took place on 12 June 2010 in

Wijk bij Duurstede Wijk bij Duurstede () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. Population centres *Cothen *Langbroek *Wijk bij Duurstede Topography ''Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Wijk bij Du ...

. The church wedding was to have taken place in

La Cambre Abbey La Cambre Abbey (, ) or Ter Kameren Abbey () is a former Cistercian abbey in the City of Brussels, Belgium. It is located in the Maelbeek valley between the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos and the Ixelles Ponds. The abbey church is a Cathol ...

on 28 August 2010, but was postponed due to the illness of the prince's father. In a final announcement about his deteriorating health, the Duke of Parma conferred Carlos as the next Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma and bestowed Annemarie with the title ''Contessa di Molina'' (Countess of Molina). The couple married in a Catholic ceremony at La Cambre Abbey on 20 November 2010. The wedding was attended by Máxima, Princess of Orange,

Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born 27 April 1967) is King of the Netherlands since 30 April 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht during the reign of his maternal grandmother, Queen Juliana, as the eldest ch ...

Queen Beatrix Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix was born during the reign of her maternal gr ...

Prince Jean of Luxembourg Prince Jean of Luxembourg (given names: ''Jean Félix Marie Guillaume''; born 15 May 1957), the second son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. He is the twin brother of Princess Margaretha. He fre ...

, and

Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza '' Dom'' Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza (, born 15 May 1945), commonly known simply as Dom Duarte, is the current Duke of Braganza and a claimant to the defunct Portuguese throne, as the head of the House of Braganza. The Miguelist Braganzas, to w ...

. According to a 1996 decree issued by Queen Beatrix, Annemarie and her husband are part of the

Dutch nobility The Dutch nobility is a small elite social class consisting of individuals or families recognised as nobility, noble, and with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The existence of nobility was established in the Con ...

and are entitled to the princely Bourbon-Parme title with the style ''

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Kings and their female consorts, as well as queens regnant, are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of a ...

'' in The Netherlands as members of the extended royal family. Annemarie and Carlos have three children: * Princess Luisa Irene Constance Anna Maria of Bourbon-Parma, Marchioness of Castell'Arquato (

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

: Prinses Luisa Irene de Bourbon de Parme; born 9 May 2012,

). * Princess Cecilia Maria Johanna Beatrix of Bourbon-Parma, Countess of Berceto (

: Prinses Cecilia Maria de Bourbon de Parme; born 17 October 2013,

). * Prince Carlos Enrique Leonard of Bourbon-Parma, Hereditary Prince of Parma and Piacenza, Prince of Piacenza (

: Prins Carlos Enrique de Bourbon de Parme; born 24 April 2016,

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Annemarie, Duchess of Parma 1977 births Living people 21st-century Dutch journalists Boissevain family Duchesses of Parma Dutch consultants Dutch people of British descent Dutch political journalists Princesses of the Netherlands Dutch Roman Catholics Italian nobility Journalists from The Hague Nobility from The Hague Princesses by marriage Princesses of Bourbon-Parma Spanish countesses University of Groningen alumni Utrecht University alumni 21st-century Dutch women journalists