Dutch Royal Successors

After the rule of Kings William I, William II and William III in the 19th century, Queen Wilhelmina, grandmother of Queen Beatrix, was the first female to ascend the throne in 1898.

Wilhelmina played a key role during the Second World War when she was in exile in London. Her speeches broadcast from Great Britain on the illegal channel, Radio Orange, served to encourage many Dutch citizens at the time, and in due course she became known as 'the Mother of the Fatherland'.

After a 50-year reign, Wilhelmina was succeeded by her daughter, Juliana, in 1948, who ruled until 1980 when her daughter, Queen Beatrix, was inaugurated in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam.

The eldest son of Queen Beatrix is Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, the Prince of Orange, who married the Argentinian Máxima Zorreguieta in 2002. In December 2003 their first child and heiress to the throne, Princess Catharina-Amalia, was born. Princess Amalia has two sisters, Princess Alexia (born June 2005) and Princess Ariane (born April 2007).

The Dutch royal family has also experienced less joyful events in recent years, with Queen Beatrix losing her husband, Prince Claus, as well as both her parents, Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard, within a short space of time. In keeping with tradition, they were all interred in the royal burial vaults in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

More information: The Dutch Royal House.