Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (Margriet Francisca; born 19 January 1943) is the third daughter of

Queen Juliana Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Duke ...

and

Prince Bernhard Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (later Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands; 29 June 1911 – 1 December 2004) was Prince of the Netherlands from 6 September 1948 to 30 April 1980 as the husband of Queen Juliana. They had four daughters to ...

. As an aunt of the reigning monarch,

King Willem-Alexander 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 ...

, she is a member of the

Dutch Royal House In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the monarchy of the Netherlands 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. The ...

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 List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Duke ...

and

Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (later Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands; 29 June 1911 – 1 December 2004) was Prince consort of the Netherlands, Prince of the Netherlands from 6 September 1948 to 30 April 1980 as the husband of Queen J ...

. 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 a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...

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, making her the longest-reigning monarch in Dutch history, as ...

. The Dutch royal family went into exile when the Netherlands was occupied by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

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 is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. The maternity ward of the hospital was temporarily declared to be

extraterritorial In international law, extraterritoriality or exterritoriality 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 jurisdict ...

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'' ( or , ), meaning 'right of soil', 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 contrast to ''jus sanguinis'' ('right of blood') ass ...

''. Instead, the child would only inherit Dutch citizenship from her mother under the principle of ''

jus sanguinis ( or , ), meaning 'right of blood', is a principle of nationality law by which nationality is determined or acquired by the nationality of one or both parents. Children at birth may be nationals of a particular state if either or both of thei ...

'', 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 coming into force, came into force on 1 January 1985. Regulations apply to ...

. 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), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, Queen Mary ( Queen dowager of the United Kingdom), Märtha, Crown Princess of Norway, and Martine Roell (

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

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 (Ontario), Avon River within Perth County, Ontario, Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2021 Canadian census, 2021 population of 33,232 in a land area of . Stratford is the County seat, s ...

and

Goderich, Ontario Goderich ( or ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by John Galt and William "Tiger" Dunlop of the Canada Company in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after ...

) and 2022 (

After the war

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands 1964

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 ( ) is a palace formerly belonging to the Dutch royal family. It consists of a central block and two wings. Although named after the village of Soestdijk, which is largely in the municipality of Soest, Soestdijk Palace is just ...

Baarn Baarn () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, near Hilversum in the province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The municipality of Baarn The municipality of Baarn consists of the following towns: Baarn, Eembrugge, Lage Vuursche. T ...

, where the family had lived before the war. While she was studying at

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

, Princess Margriet met her future husband,

Pieter van Vollenhoven Pieter van Vollenhoven Jr. (born 30 April 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 ( ) 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 ...

, 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 adjec ...

'', titles that would not be held by their descendants. Together, they had four sons: * Prince ''Maurits'' Willem Pieter Hendrik of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (born on 17 April 1968,

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

). He married ''Marilène'' (Marie-Helène) Angela van den Broek (born on 4 February 1970,

Dieren Dieren () is a town in the eastern Netherlands. It is located in Rheden, Gelderland, between Zutphen and Arnhem, on the bank of the IJssel. Dieren was a separate municipality until 1818, when it became a part of Rheden. The Gazelle bicycle fa ...

Rheden Rheden () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. Population centres Population of the seven villages on 1 January 2024 Topography ''Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Rheden, Ju ...

) on 30 May 1998. They have three children: ** Anastasia (''Anna'') Margriet Joséphine van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven, (born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

on 15 April 2001). ** ''Lucas'' Maurits Pieter Henri van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven, (born in

on 26 October 2002). ** ''Felicia'' Juliana Bénedicte Barbara van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven, (born in

on 31 May 2005). * Prince ''Bernhard'' Lucas Emmanuel of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (born on 25 December 1969,

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

). He married ''Annette'' Sekrève (born on 18 April 1972,

) on 8 July 2000. They have three children: ** ''Isabella'' Lily Juliana van Vollenhoven, (born in

on 14 May 2002). ** ''Samuel'' Bernhard Louis van Vollenhoven, (born in

on 25 May 2004). ** ''Benjamin'' Pieter Floris van Vollenhoven, (born in

on 12 March 2008). * Prince ''Pieter-Christiaan'' Michiel of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, (born on 22 March 1972,

). He married ''Anita'' Theodora van Eijk (born on 27 October 1969,

Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

) on 27 August 2005. They have two children: ** ''Emma'' Francisca Catharina van Vollenhoven, (born in

on 28 November 2006). ** ''Pieter'' Anton Maurits Erik van Vollenhoven, (born in

on 19 November 2008). * Prince ''Floris'' Frederik Martijn of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, (born on 10 April 1975,

). He married ''Aimée'' Leonie Allegonde Marie Söhngen (born on 18 October 1977,

, Netherlands) on 20 October 2005. They have three children: ** ''Magali'' Margriet Eleonoor van Vollenhoven, (born in

on 9 October 2007). ** ''Eliane'' Sophia Carolina van Vollenhoven, (born in

on 5 July 2009). ** ''Willem-Jan'' Johannes Pieter Floris van Vollenhoven, (born in

on 1 July 2013). The Princess and her husband took up residence in the right wing of

Het Loo Palace 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 designed by Jacob Roman ...

Apeldoorn Apeldoorn (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland in the centre of the Netherlands. The municipality of Apeldoorn, including the villages of Beekbergen, Loenen (Apeldoorn), Loenen, Ugchelen and Hoenderloo ...

. In 1975 the family moved to their present home,

Het Loo 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 built between 1684 an ...

, which they had built on the Palace grounds.

Interests and activities

Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands in Ottawa-2-2

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 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 force ...

, 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; ) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nin ...

Titles and styles

* 19 January 1943 – 10 January 1967: ''

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 Margriet of the

, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of

Lippe-Biesterfeld The House of Lippe-Biesterfeld was a comital and later princely 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 t ...

* 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 (, ) is a Dutch honours system, Dutch order of chivalry founded by William I of the Netherlands on 29 September 1815. The Order of the Netherlands Lion wa ...

* (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 () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

* : Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) 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. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...

* : Grand Cross of the Order of National Merit * : 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 (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

* : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

* : 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 Apr ...

* : Grand Cordon of the

Supreme Order of the Renaissance The Supreme Order of the Renaissance (,) is the second-most senior order of merit in the Kingdom of Jordan. History The order was instituted in 1917 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. According to correspondence between the British For ...

* : Grand Cross of the

Order of Adolphe of Nassau The Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolph of Nassau () is an order of merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for meritorious service to the Grand Duke, the Grand-Ducal House and Luxembourg. It was founded in 1858 as a chivalric order of th ...

* : Grand Cross of the

Order of the Oak Crown The Order of the Oak Crown (, , ) is an order (honour), order of the Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. History The Order of the Oak Crown was established in 1841 by William II of the Netherlands, Grand Duke William II, who was also King o ...

*: 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 () forms part of the Mexican Honors System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933, by President Abelardo L. Rodríguez as a reward to ...

* 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 (; 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 II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

* : Grand Cross of the Order of Christ *

Socialist Republic of Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania (, RSR) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist One-party state, one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989 (see Revolutions of 1989). From 1947 to 1965, the state was ...

: 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 Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

* : 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''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order o ...

* :

Honorary Fellow Honorary titles (professor, president, 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 ...

of the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...

* : 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 o ...

Ancestry

Notes

References

External links

Biography 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 1943 births Living people People from Ottawa House of Orange-Nassau Princesses of Orange-Nassau Dutch people of German descent Dutch people of Russian descent 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 Cross of the Legion of Honour 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 Recipients of Supreme Order of the Renaissance (Jordan) Leiden University alumni Daughters of queens regnant Canada–Netherlands relations Dutch expatriates in Canada