King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander: biography

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

Willem-Alexander Klaus Georg Ferdinand is one of the youngest contemporary monarchs in Europe. His persona invariably attracts interest, not only because he is crowned, but also because he is not afraid to be himself and lives the same life as all ordinary people.

Childhood

Willem-Alexander was born on April 27, 1967 in the small Dutch city of Utrecht. He was traditionally baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church, the German prince von Bismarck and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark became godparents. The future ruler spent his childhood in royal residences. The life of the royal offspring was not as sweet as one might think. From childhood, he was taught the rules of palace etiquette, taught several foreign languages, horseback riding and various state tricks.

Family and lineage

Willem-Alexander belongs to the royal dynasty of Orange. She ascended the throne as a result of the revolution in 1815. The first king of the Netherlands was not born into a monarchical family. His father was the governor of Holland, and his mother was the crown princess of Prussia. Willem I strenuouslyfought for the throne, waged many wars, but it was under him that Belgium gained independence. However, the throne of the Netherlands remained with the Orange.

In 1890, Wilhelmina ascended it and marked the beginning of a long female era in the kingdom. From the point of view of genealogy, she no longer belonged to the Orange family, but the relationship to him on the maternal side allowed her to inherit the throne.

Willem-Alexander became the first heir to the crown in a long time. Before him, three queens managed to spend many years on the throne. His mother - Queen Beatrix - wore the crown for 33 years, until she voluntarily handed over the reins of power to her son. Her subjects loved her very much. Beatrix actively participated in the political life of the country, she contributed in every possible way to the well-being of her citizens and became a symbol of the unity of the nation. The Queen's birthday has always been very magnificently and sincerely celebrated by all the inhabitants of the Netherlands. Beatrix is the great-granddaughter of the Russian Emperor Paul the First. The Queen and her husband Klaus had three sons: Willem-Alexander, Friso and Konstantin, and today she has seven granddaughters and one grandson. After her renunciation, she leads the life of an ordinary person, walks dogs and even volunteers at a dog shelter.

Education

The King of the Netherlands received an excellent education. Primary school, high school in Barn, high school in The Hague, college in Wales - in 12 years, Willem was able to graduate from several excellent educational institutions, becoming a bachelor of international relations. In 1985 he went to serve in the army of the Netherlands. His service is in the form of internships.in various branches of the military and military departments of the country, as well as in the form of training at the royal naval school, so he was prepared for the role of head of state. Upon graduation, he was promoted to the rank of Aide-de-Camp to the Queen. Later, his military career was quite successful. In 2005, he received the rank of brigadier general of the royal troops, but before coming to the throne he was solemnly demobilized from the armed forces, since the king cannot be a member of the army, but he has the right to wear a uniform with signs of belonging to royal power. Then Willem-Alexander graduated from the Faculty of History at the University of Leiden and received an additional speci alty in hydraulic engineering.

Life of a Prince

When Willem-Alexander was 18 years old, he received a seat in the State Council. The future king of the Netherlands was most interested in organizing the sports sector in the country, and also de alt with the problems of the water industry. He was elected a member of the World Water Organization, which deals with the conservation of the world's water resources. In 2006, Willem-Alexander becomes Vice-Chairman of the UN Advisory Council on Water and Sanitation. He also served as Chairman of the Historical Collections Foundation of the House of Orange-Nassau, was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Kreller-Muller Museum, a member of the Olympic Committee.

While still being a prince, Willem-Alexander often represented the country at official meetings at the highest level. But his life was not completely devoted to public affairs. ATIn his youth, the name of the prince often flashed in the tabloids, which were happy to talk about his noisy parties and great love for beer. Journalists even gave him a comic nickname "Prince Pilsner". Everything was able to change his future wife.

Marriage

In 1999, the prince in Spain, at the Seville Spring Fair, meets a beautiful employee of an investment bank, Maxima. The young man introduced himself simply as Alexander, and for some time she did not know about the origin of the gentleman. Maxima comes from the family of a major Argentine politician who was seen collaborating with the junta. The yellow press savored this fact a lot and with pleasure, as well as the fact that Maxima was not of royal blood. Historians, however, found in her genealogical tree King of Portugal Alfonso II.

In 2001, the couple announced their engagement, by which time Maxima already spoke Dutch well. The bride received Dutch citizenship, and in 2002 the prince was married. Before that, he had to convince his mother and the government of the seriousness of his feelings for Maxim. Queen Beatrix was wary of the origin of the bride, but, having got to know her better, took her side. The father of the bride did not come to the wedding, so as not to put new relatives in an awkward position, and this removed all questions from the press. In honor of the celebration, a commemorative medal was issued.

Royal duties

January 28, 2013 Queen Beatrixaddressed her people with a statement about the abdication of the royal throne and the transfer of power to her eldest son. And on April 30, 2013, Willem-Alexander ascended the Dutch throne. Unlike his mother, he interferes less in the politics of the country, but is actively involved in the performance of representative and public duties. However, Willem-Alexander remains the head of state, he meets weekly with the prime minister, speaks at cabinet meetings and in parliament.

Quite quickly, the ruler was able to win the love of his subjects, which was greatly facilitated by Queen Maxima. Every year, the birthday of the King of the Netherlands becomes a national holiday and an occasion for great celebration. Queen Maxima is also actively fulfilling her duties, she is a member of many public foundations and organizations, and stimulates many undertakings. Including the royal couple in her face openly supports supporters of gay communities, which is a rarity in royal families around the world.

Public activity

After ascending the throne, Willem was forced to leave many public organizations, such as the IOC and the Water Resources Fund. But the king of the Netherlands is actively involved in charitable projects, continues to work on the boards of trustees of many educational and sports foundations.

The King has visited Russia more than once, including as a representative of the state and various public organizations, such as the IOC.

For his social activities, Willem repeatedlyreceived various awards. He is the owner of the Orders of the Golden Lion of Nassau, the Netherlands Lion, the Military Order of Wilhelm, and has also received prizes and awards from foreign countries more than once.

Private life

The King and Queen of the Netherlands today are the real favorites of the inhabitants of the country. The couple had three daughters: Princess Catarina-Amalia Beatriz Carmen Victoria, future heir to the throne, Princess Alexia Juliana Marcela Lorentin and Princess Ariana Wilhelmina Maxima Ines. The couple has been living since their wedding day at the Eickenhorst estate in Wassenaar, and also periodically spends time at the residence in The Hague.

Hobbies

From his youth, the King of the Netherlands was fond of aviation, since 1989 he has the right to drive civil and military aircraft. It has flown with the African Foundation for Medicine and Education in Kenya and still makes the required number of flights each year to keep its pilot license. Willem speaks four languages, travels a lot and leads a fairly open life.