Monarchy of the Netherlands

Dutch royal family
The King * The Queen * The Princess of Orange * Princess Alexia * Princess Ariane * Princess Beatrix * Princess Mabel Countess Luana Countess Zaria Prince Constantijn * Princess Laurentien * Countess Eloise Count Claus-Casimir Countess Leonore
Extended royal family Princess Irene Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma Princess Annemarie of Bourbon-Parma Princess Margarita of Bourbon-Parma Mr Tjalling ten Cate Prince Jaime of Bourbon-Parma Princess Viktória of Bourbon-Parma Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma Mr Albert Brenninkmeijer Princess Margriet * Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven * Prince Maurits Princess Marilène Prince Bernhard Princess Annette Prince Pieter-Christiaan Princess Anita Prince Floris Princess Aimée Mr Bernardo Guillermo Mrs Eva Guillermo Mr Nicolás Guillermo Miss Juliana Guillermo
* Member of the Dutch royal house

As with most monarchies, the Netherlands cannot be without a monarch – the constitution of the Netherlands does not recognize a situation in which there is no monarch. This is because there must be a head of state in order for the government to function, i.e. there must be someone who carries out the tasks of the constitutional role of the King/Queen. For this reason the new monarch assumes the role the moment the previous monarch ceases to hold the throne. The only exception is if there is no heir at all, in which case the Council of State assumes the role of the monarch pending the appointment of a monarch or regent.[Cons 10]

The monarch is expected to execute their duties and responsibilities for the good of the nation. The monarch must therefore swear to uphold the constitution and execute the office faithfully. The monarch must be sworn in as soon as possible after assuming the throne during a joint session of the States-General held in Amsterdam. Article 32 of the Dutch constitution describes a swearing-in in "the capital Amsterdam", which incidentally is the only phrase in the constitution that names Amsterdam as the capital of the Kingdom.[Cons 11] The ceremony is called the inauguration (inhuldiging).

The Dutch monarch is not crowned; the monarch's swearing of the oath constitutes acceptance of the throne. Also note that this ceremony does not equal accession to the throne as this would imply a vacancy of the throne between monarchs which is not allowed. The monarch ascends immediately after the previous monarch ceases to reign. The swearing-in only constitutes acceptance in public.

The monarch's reign can end in two ways:

Death

(William II, William III)

Abdication

The monarch willingly steps down. (William I, Wilhelmina, Juliana, Beatrix)

Both these events cause the regular mechanisms of succession to go into effect.[Cons 12] While the constitution mentions neither possibility explicitly, it does describe what happens after the monarch dies or abdicates. Abdication is a prerogative of the monarch, but it is also irreversible—the person abdicating cannot return to the throne, nor can a child born to a former monarch after an abdication has occurred have a claim to the throne.[Cons 12]

The abdicated monarch is legally a Prince or Princess of the Netherlands as well as Prince or Princess of Orange-Nassau. After his or her death, legally the deceased monarch (abdicated or not) has no titles. However, after death, the abdicated monarch is traditionally referred to as king or queen again. For example, Queen Juliana became queen on 4 September 1948 and princess again on 30 April 1980 following her abdication, but has been referred to as Queen Juliana since her death on 20 March 2004.

There are two ways in which the monarch, without ceasing to be monarch, can be stripped of his or her royal authority:

Voluntary suspension of royal authority

The monarch temporarily ceases execution of his or her office.

Removal from royal authority

The government strips the monarch of his or her royal authority, as he or she is deemed unfit for their tasks.

These cases are both temporary (even if the monarch dies while not executing his office it still counts as temporary) and are described in detail in the constitution. A monarch can temporarily cease to reign for any reason. This can be at his own request or because the Council of Ministers deems the monarch unfit for office.[Cons 13][Cons 14] Although there can be any reason for the monarch to cede royal authority or be removed from it, both monarch and council are deemed to act responsibly and not leave the execution of the office vacant unnecessarily. Both cases are intended to deal with emergency situations such as physical or mental inability to execute the office of monarch.

In both cases an act of the joint States-General is needed to strip the monarch of authority. In the case of the monarch ceding royal authority, the required act is a law. In case of removal, it is a declaration by the States-General. Formally, both require the normal procedure for passing a new law in the Netherlands.[Cons 13][Cons 14] The former case is signed into law by the monarch himself, the latter is not, so technically it is not a law (this is allowed explicitly in the constitution, since the monarch who is being stripped of his authority will probably not agree to signing the act of his removal, and—in the case of the States-General removing a monarch who has become unfit due to mental or physical incapacitation—may not be able to).

Since neither ceding nor removal is permanent, neither triggers succession. Instead the States-General appoint a regent. This must be the heir apparent if he or she is old enough.[Cons 5] In order for the monarch to resume his duties, a law (which is signed by the regent) must be passed to that effect. The monarch resumes the throne the moment the law of his return is made public.[Cons 13][Cons 14]

The monarch has several functions in addition to the duties and responsibilities described in previous sections. Some of these are (partly) constitutional; others are more traditional in nature.

Although the constitution does not say so, the monarch is the head of state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. As such, the monarch is the face of the kingdom toward the world: ambassadors of the Netherlands are emissaries of the monarch, foreign ambassadors represent foreign heads of state to the monarch. And even though head-of-government responsibility lies with the Prime Minister, it is the monarch that makes state visits to foreign heads of state as representative of the Netherlands. It is also the monarch whose face is shown on Dutch stamps and Dutch euro coins.

Constitutionally, the monarch is the head of the Dutch Council of State.[Cons 28] The council is a constitutional body of the Netherlands that serves two purposes. First, it is an advisory council to the government which advises on the desirability, practicability and constitutionality of new proposals of law. Second, it is the Supreme court for the Netherlands in matters of administrative law.[Cons 29] The position of the monarch as constitutional head of this Council means two things for the constitutional position of the monarch:[ext 9]

1. The monarch is constitutionally and directly involved with practically all aspects of lawmaking except approval by the States-General (which is representative of the electorate). From inception of the law through proposal to the States to finally signing into law, the monarch is involved. This involvement is derived from the days when the monarch was an absolute ruler and really made law. Originally, with the creation of the first constitutions, the monarchs strove to maintain power by maximum involvement with all aspects of lawmaking. Over time this has grown into a more advisory role.
2. The monarch is constitutionally involved with at least part of the judicial branch of government as well.

The role played by the monarch in the council is largely theoretical due to ministerial responsibility. While the monarch is officially chairman of the council, in practice the king never votes in Council meetings and always turns over his responsibility as chair of the meetings to the deputy head of the council. He is still presumed to be part of the discussions, though.

Despite the limitations on the role the monarch may play in the council, his involvement is seen as valuable due to the experience and knowledge that a monarch accrues over the years. Reciprocally, being part of the Council deliberations is considered invaluable training and preparation for the role of monarch, which is why the heir-apparent is constitutionally an observer-member of the council from the time he comes of age.[Cons 28]

The monarch is also the Grand Master of the Dutch orders of knighthoods: the Order of Orange-Nassau,[Law 1] the Order of the Netherlands Lion[Law 2] and the Military William Order.[Law 3]

Lastly, the monarch plays a prominent but equally unofficial role in the running of the country as advisor and confidant to the government. This duty traditionally takes the form of a weekly meeting between the Prime Minister and the monarch in which they discuss government affairs of the week, the plans of the cabinet and so on. It is assumed that the monarch exerts most of his influence (such as it is) in these meetings, in that he can bring his knowledge and experience to bear in what he tells the Prime Minister. In the case of Queen Beatrix, several former Prime Ministers have remarked that her case knowledge of each and every dossier is extensive and that she makes sure to be fully aware of all the details surrounding everything that arrives on her desk.

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly for a monarchy, the monarch is not nominally the commander-in-chief of the military of the Netherlands. He was until 1983, but a large overhaul of the constitution that year shifted supreme command of the armed forces to the government as a whole.[Cons 30]

Article 40 of the constitution states that the monarch is to receive an annual stipend from the kingdom (in other words wages, except that it cannot be called that since it implies the monarch is employed by the government, but rather it is the opposite). The exact rules surrounding these stipends are to be determined by law, as is the list of members of the royal house who also receive them.[Cons 31]

Under current Dutch law the monarch receives their annual stipend which is part of the annual budget, as do the heir-apparent (if of age), the spouse of the monarch, the spouse of the heir-apparent, the former monarch, and the spouse of the former monarch.[Law 4] In practice, as of June 2019, this means King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, and Princess Beatrix. The monarch receives this stipend constitutionally, the others because they are not allowed to work for anybody due to their positions. For example, the recipients of royal stipends in 2009 were Queen Beatrix (€813,000), Prince Willem-Alexander (the heir-apparent; €241,000) and Princess Máxima (€241,000)).[Law 5] For 2017 the stipends were; for the King €888,000, for the Queen €352,000, and for Princess Beatrix €502,000. These personal stipends are in addition to an allowance for each of those named to meet official expenditure, these were set at €4.6million for the King, €606,000 for the Queen and just over €1million for Princess Beatrix.[1]

This stipend is linked to the development of the wages of Dutch civil servants. At the beginning of 2009 there was some upset in the parliament about the cost of the royal house and the lack of insight into the structure of those costs. At the insistence of the parliament the development of the stipends of the royal house members was then linked to the development of the salaries of the Dutch civil servants. During 2009 it was agreed collectively that the civil servants would receive a pay increase of 1%. In September 2009, at the first budget debate in parliament during the economic crisis, it was pointed out to the parliament that their earlier decision meant that the stipend to the queen would now also increase. This in turn was reason for the parliament to be displeased again.

Royal Standard

Under the constitution, royal house members receiving a stipend are exempt from income tax over that stipend.[Cons 31] They are also exempt from all personal taxes over assets and possessions that they use or need in the execution of their functions for the kingdom.[Cons 31] The monarch and the heir-apparent are exempt from inheritance tax on inheritances received from members of the royal house.[Cons 31]

The monarch has the use of Huis ten Bosch as a residence and Noordeinde Palace as a work palace. In addition the Royal Palace of Amsterdam is also at the disposal of the monarch (although it is only used for state visits and is open to the public when not in use for that purpose), as is Soestdijk Palace (which is open to the public and not in official use at all at this time).[Law 6]

The monarch has the use of an airplane and a train for state visits (although the airplane is not exclusively reserved for the monarch anymore and the train spends most of its time on display at the Dutch Railway Museum).[ext 10] The monarch also has a small fleet of cars available, on which he may display the royal standard.

The monarch is protected by law against lese-majesty. This is actively enforced,[2][3][4] although the sentences tend to be light. . According to Dutch TV, in total 18 prosecutions were brought under the law between 2000 and 2012, half of which resulted in convictions.[5]

The royal family has become quite extensive since the birth of Queen Juliana's children. By consequence so has the Dutch royal house (nominally the collection of persons in line for the throne and their spouses), to the extent that membership of the royal house was limited by a change in the law in 2002.[Law 7]

Despite being a large clan, the family as a whole has very little to do officially with Dutch government or the running of the Netherlands. Constitutionally, an important role is played by the monarch. The heir-apparent is deemed to be preparing for an eventual ascent to the throne, so there are some limited tasks and a number of limits on them (particularly he/she cannot hold a paying job, since this might lead to entanglements later on). Since neither the monarch nor the heir-apparent may hold jobs, they receive a stipend from the government. Their spouses are similarly forbidden from earning an income and receive a stipend as well. But constitutionally that is the whole of the involvement of the royal family with the Dutch government.

In particular, members of the royal house other than the monarch and the heir-apparent have no official tasks within the Dutch government and do not receive stipends. They are responsible for their own conduct and their own income. They may be asked to stand in from time to time such as to accompany the monarch on a state visit if the consort is ill, but this is always a personal favor and not an official duty. In addition, they are not exempt from taxation.

Many members of the royal family hold (or have held) significant positions within civil society, usually functioning as head or spokesperson of one or more charitable organizations, patron of the arts and similar endeavors. Some members of the royal family are also (or have been) avid supporters of some personal cause; Prince Bernhard for instance was always passionate about the treatment of World War II veterans and Princess Margriet (who was born in Canada) has a special relationship with Canadian veterans specifically. As a rule of thumb, the members of the royal family who are contemporaries of Princess Beatrix tend to hold civil society positions as a primary occupation whereas younger family members hold these positions in conjunction with a regular, paying job. A notable exception to this rule is Pieter van Vollenhoven (husband to Princess Margriet), who was chairman of the Dutch Safety Board until his retirement.

As noted earlier, the spouses of the monarch and the heir-apparent are forbidden from holding paying jobs or government responsibilities. This is to prevent any monetary entanglements or undue influences involving the current and future monarchs. These legal limits were not a great problem when they were instituted in the 19th century; The Netherlands had kings and it was considered normal for a married woman to tend the household, raise the family and not to hold any position outside the home. The limits have been more problematic since the early 20th century, when the monarchy of the Netherlands passed to a series of queens and the consorts became men, starting with Prince Hendrik in 1901. The male consorts since then have all either been raised with an expectation of government responsibility (such as Prince Hendrik), or had established careers of their own before marrying the future queen (Prince Bernhard and Prince Claus). Upon marrying into the Dutch royal family they all found themselves severely restricted in their freedom to act and make use of their abilities. All of the male consorts have been involved in some form of difficulty or another (scandals involving infidelity and finances in the cases of Hendrik and Bernhard, deep depression in the case of Claus) and it has been widely speculated (and even generally accepted) that sheer boredom played at least a part in all of these difficulties.

Over time the restrictions on royal consorts have eased somewhat. Prince Hendrik was allowed no part or role in the Netherlands whatsoever. Due to his war efforts, Prince Bernhard was made Inspector General of the Dutch armed forces (although that role was created for him) and was an unofficial ambassador for the Netherlands who leveraged his wartime contacts to help Dutch industry. All that came to a halt in 1976 however, after the Lockheed bribery scandals. Prince Claus was allowed more leeway still after having established himself in Dutch society (he was unpopular at first, being a German marrying into the royal family after World War II); he was eventually given an advisorship within the Ministry for Development Cooperation pertaining to Africa, where he made good use of his experiences as a German diplomat in that continent. Nevertheless, neither Bernhard nor Claus ever fully got over the restrictive nature of their marriages and at the time of the royal wedding in 2002 it was broadly agreed in government circles that Queen Máxima (who had a career in banking before marrying King Willem-Alexander) should be allowed far more leeway if she desires.

• Prince Ernest Casimir of the Netherlands (son of William II, died in 1822);
• Prince Frederik Nicholaas of the Netherlands (grandson of William I, died in 1834);
• Queen Wilhelmine (first wife of William I, died in 1837);
• King William I, Count of Nassau (died in 1843);
• Prince Willem Frederik of the Netherlands (grandson of William I, died in 1846);
• Prince Alexander of the Netherlands (son of William II, died in 1848);
• King William II (son of William I, died in 1849);
• Prince Maurice of the Netherlands (son of William III, died in 1850);
• Henrietta, Countess of Nassau (widow of William I, died in 1864);
• Queen Dowager Anna (widow of William II, died in 1865);
• Louise, Princess Frederick of the Netherlands (wife of Prince Frederick, son of William I, died in 1870);
• Queen Louise of Sweden and Norway (granddaughter of William I, died in 1871);
• Amalia, Princess Henry of the Netherlands (first wife of Prince Henry, son of William II, died in 1872);
• King Charles XV of Sweden and IV of Norway (widower of Princess Louise, granddaughter of William I, died in 1872)
• Prince Albert of Prussia (husband of Princess Mariane, daughter of William I, died in 1872);
• Queen Sophie (first wife of William III, died in 1877);
• Prince Henry of the Netherlands (1820–1879) (son of William II, died in 1879);
• William, Prince of Orange (son of William III, died in 1879);
• Prince Frederick of the Netherlands (son of William I, died in 1881);
• Marianne, Princess Albert of Prussia (daughter of William I, died in 1883);
• Alexander, Prince of Orange (son of William III, died in 1884);
• Marie, Princess Henry of the Netherlands (widow of Prince Henry, son of William II, died in 1888);
• King William III (son of William II, died in 1890);
• Sophie, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (daughter of William II, died in 1897);
• Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (widower of Princess Sophie, daughter of William II, died in 1901);
• William, Prince of Wied (husband of Princess Marie, granddaughter of William I, died in 1907)
• Marie, Dowager Princess of Wied (granddaughter of William I, died in 1910);
• Queen Mother Emma (widow of William III, died in 1934);
• Prince Consort Henry (husband of Wilhelmina, died in 1934);
• Queen Wilhelmina (daughter of William III, died in 1962);
• Prince Consort Claus (husband of Beatrix, died in 2002);
• Queen Juliana (daughter of Wilhelmina, died in 2004);
• Prince Consort Bernhard (widower of Juliana, died in 2004);
• Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau (son of Beatrix, died in 2013);
• Princess Christina of the Netherlands (daughter of Juliana, died in 2019);

Although Dutch lawmakers have historically favored being very conservative about creating special legal positions for members of the royal house or the royal family, there is one area in which the rules for members of the royal house are very different from those for other Dutch citizens: the area of death and burial.

For Dutch citizens, the rules surrounding death and burial are laid out by the Funeral Services Law (Dutch: Wet op de Lijkbezorging).[Law 8] However, article 87 of this law states that the entire law is not applicable to members of the royal house and that the Minister of Internal Affairs can also waive the law for other relatives of the monarch. The reason for this exceptional position of members of the royal house is traditional. Ever since the burial of William the Silent in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, members of the Orange-Nassau family have favored burial in the same crypt where William was entombed (some members of the family buried elsewhere were even moved there later). However, for health and hygiene reasons, burial in churches was forbidden in the Netherlands by decree of William I in 1829 (the practice had been banned before under French occupation of the country, but returned after 1815). In order to allow entombing of members of the royal family, all Dutch laws pertaining to burial have made an exception for the royal house ever since the 1829 decree.

Burial of members of the royal house is completely a matter of tradition, circumstance, practicality and spirit of the times (this due to the lack of any formal rules whatsoever). As a rule of thumb, the body of a deceased member of the royal house is placed on display for a few days in one of the palaces, to allow the family to say goodbye. Depending on the identity of the deceased (a deceased monarch, for instance), there may also be a viewing for the public. Then, on the burial day, the body is transported to Delft in a special horse-drawn carriage. Current protocol specifies eight horses for a deceased monarch and six for a deceased royal consort (which is relatively new, since Prince Hendrik was borne to Delft by eight horses). The current carriage is purple with white trim (this has also changed since the burial of Queen Wilhelmina in 1962, when the carriage was white). Currently, the route to Delft is lined by members of the Dutch armed forces (which is also new since the burial of Prince Hendrik, which was a very quiet affair).

Once in Delft, the body is entombed in the family crypt after a short service. Only members of the family are allowed into the crypt, through the main entrance in the church which is only opened for royal funerals (the mayor of Delft has a key to a separate service entrance, which is only opened in the presence of two military police officers and two members of the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service for maintenance).

The importance and position of the monarchy within Dutch society has changed over time, together with changes in the constitutional position of the monarchy.

The monarchy of the Netherlands was established in 1815 as a reaction to the decline and eventual fall of the Dutch Republic. It was observed at the time that a large part of the decline of the republic was due to a lack of a strong, central government in the face of strong, centrally led competitor nations such as Great Britain and the French kingdom. After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1813 and the resurrection of the Netherlands, it was decided to reform the republic in the Kingdom of the Netherlands with a monarchy rather than the old stadtholder system.

The original monarchy was absolute in nature, with the States-General serving as more of an advisory board without the power to do much against the king. This state of affairs allowed the king great freedom to determine the course of the nation and indeed William I was able to push through many changes that set the nation on the course towards industrialization and wealth. He also established the first Dutch railway system and the Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij, which would later evolve into the ABN Amro bank. On the other hand, his policies caused great discord with the Southern Netherlands, leading to the Belgian Revolution and a years-long war. A backlash against these policies plus rising fear of early Marxism led to acceptance by William II of a series of reforms, starting with a new constitution in 1848 (which was the start of a continuing series of limitations on royal power).

Direct political power and influence of the king continued until 1890, although it slowly declined in the meantime. Both William I and William II proved quite conservative rulers (although William II was less inclined to interfere with policy than his father was), William I resisted major reforms until eventually conflict with the States-General and his own government forced his abdication. William III's reign was a continuous saga of power struggles between the monarch and the parliamentary government (which he forced out a couple of times), plus major international crises due to the same stubbornness (including the Luxembourg Crisis). As a result, the Dutch government used the succession of William III by a female regent as an opportunity to make a power play and establish government authority over royal authority.

Queen Wilhelmina was not happy with the new situation and made several half-hearted attempts during her reign to reassert authority. She was partly successful in certain areas (being able to push for military rearmament before World War I) but she never succeeded in restoring royal power. She did introduce a new concept to Dutch royalty though: the popular monarch. Establishing her popularity in military circles through her support of Dutch military prior to 1917, she was able to wield her personal popularity to uphold the government against a socialist revolution in November 1918.

Royal power continued to decline until the start of World War II. Forced to flee to London, Queen Wilhelmina established the position of "mother of the Dutch state" through her radio broadcasts into the occupied Netherlands and her support for other Dutchmen evading the Germans and fighting from England. She tried to position her family into more influence by giving Prince Bernhard an important position in the military, but was still relegated to a position of constitutional monarch after the war.

Following Wilhelmina's abdication in 1948, the Orange family seems to have settled for a position of unofficial influence behind the scenes coupled with a role as "popular monarchs" in public. As such the monarchs are practically never seen in public doing their official work (except news footage of state visits and the reading of the government plans on Prinsjesdag) and instead their relationship with the public has become more of a popular and romanticized notion of royalty. Queens Juliana and Beatrix were popularly perceived to have a figurehead role, serving to some extent as "mother of the nation" in times of crises and disasters (such as the 1953 floods). In addition, there is a public holiday called Koningsdag (before 2014: Koninginnedag), during which the royal family pays a visit somewhere in the country and participates in local activities and traditions in order to get closer to the people.

The popularity of the monarchy has changed over time, with constitutional influence, circumstance and economic tides.

When the monarchy was established in 1815, popularity was not a major concern. Still, the Orange family held popular support in around 60% percent of the population following the fall of the French. This changed drastically over the following years as William I's policies alienated the Southern Netherlands, drew the country into civil war and established industries that favored the rich Protestants and not the general populace.

Royal popularity remained relatively low throughout the reign of the kings. William II was conservative, but on the whole did as little to lose popularity as he did to gain it. Economic decline drove most of his popular decline, although popular support for the monarch was still not considered of much import then. William III was unpopular under a wide section of the public.

Royal popularity started to increase with Wilhelmina's ascent to the throne. She pushed for national reforms, was a huge supporter of the armed forces and strove for renewed industrialization. Around 1917 the country was generally divided into two camps: socialists in the cities, royalists elsewhere. This showed in the dividing lines during the failed Troelstra revolution, where Troelstra gained popular support in the larger cities but the countryside flocked to the queen. Wilhelmina was able to muster popular support with a countryside "publicity tour" together with her daughter – this showing of popular support for the queen was instrumental in halting the revolution and stabilizing the government. Still, Wilhelmina remained deeply unpopular in the cities throughout the 1920s and 1930s.

Nationwide support came for Wilhelmina and the monarchy during World War II. Wilhelmina was forced to retreat to London, but refused evacuation all the way to Canada (although princess Juliana was sent there with her children). Wilhelmina regularly held radio broadcasts into the occupied Netherlands and staunchly supported the Dutch troops in exile. She became the symbol for Dutch resistance against the Germans. Wilhelmina established popular support for the monarchy that essentially holds to this day.

When Wilhelmina came to the Dutch throne in 1890 at age 10, the throne of Luxembourg went to her very distant agnate (but incidentally also her maternal granduncle), Adolf, former Duke of Nassau. Thus ended the personal union between the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

The 58-year reign of Queen Wilhelmina was dominated by the two World Wars. She married a German prince, Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who was not happy with his unrewarding role of husband-to-the-queen. Wilhelmina's strong personality and unrelenting passion to fulfill her inherited task overpowered many men in position of authority, including ministers, Prime Ministers and her own husband. She is mostly remembered for her role during World War II. The initial disappointment of many Dutch people because of her quick withdrawal to London faded (though it was never forgotten and by some was never forgiven) when she proved to be of great moral support to the people and the resistance in her occupied country. Hendrik and Wilhelmina had one daughter, Juliana, who came to the throne in 1948. They lived in The Hague and in Palace 't Loo (Paleis 't Loo) in Apeldoorn. She died in 1962. For her early reign and character, the letters of Queen Victoria give a good perspective.

Dutch Royalty House of Orange-Nassau
King William I
Children King William II Prince Frederick Princess Pauline Princess Marianne Grandchildren King William III Prince Alexander Prince Henry Prince Ernest Casimir Grand Duchess Sophie Queen Louise Prince William Prince Frederick Princess Marie Princess Charlotte Prince Albert Princess Elisabeth Princess Alexandrine
King William II
Children King William III Prince Alexander Prince Henry Prince Ernest Casimir Grand Duchess Sophie Grandchildren Prince William Prince Maurice Prince Alexander Queen Wilhelmina Prince Charles Augustus Princess Marie Alexandrine Princess Anna Sophia Princess Elisabeth Sybille
King William III
Children Prince William Prince Maurice Prince Alexander Queen Wilhelmina Grandchildren Queen Juliana
Queen Wilhelmina
Children Queen Juliana Grandchildren Queen Beatrix Princess Irene Princess Margriet Princess Christina
Queen Juliana
Children Queen Beatrix Princess Irene Princess Margriet Princess Christina Grandchildren King William-Alexander Prince Friso Prince Constantijn Prince Carlos Princess Margarita Prince Jaime Princess Carolina Prince Maurits Prince Bernhard Prince Pieter-Christiaan Prince Floris Bernardo Guillermo Nicolás Guillermo Juliana Guillermo
Queen Beatrix
Children King William-Alexander Prince Friso Prince Constantijn Grandchildren Princess Catharina-Amalia Princess Alexia Princess Ariane Countess Luana Countess Zaria Countess Eloise Count Claus-Casimir Countess Leonore
King Willem-Alexander
Children Princess Catharina-Amalia Princess Alexia Princess Ariane

Juliana reigned from 1948 until 1980, and whereas Wilhelmina reigned like a general, Juliana expressed a more motherly character. One of her first official acts was to sign the treaty of independence of the Dutch colony Indonesia. During her reign the monarchy became entangled in two major crises: the Greet Hofmans affair and the Lockheed bribery scandals. In the first it was her involvement in a mystic pacifist group that was a cause for concern. The second crisis announced itself when it became known that, the queen's husband, Prince Bernard von Lippe-Biesterfeld, had taken bribes to advance Lockheed's bid. After an inquiry, the prince was forbidden to perform the military tasks he had performed since 1945, but in this crisis the monarchy itself, nor Juliana's position, was never in doubt. She and Bernhard had four daughters, Beatrix, Irene, Margriet and Christina. After their return from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1945 (where Margriet was born), they lived in the Soestdijk Palace (Paleis Soestdijk) in Soestdijk, about 20 km north-east of Utrecht. She died on 20 March 2004. Her husband Bernhard died on 1 December 2004.

The Dutch royal family today is much larger than it has ever been. Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus had three sons: King Willem-Alexander (married to Queen Máxima), Prince Friso (whose widow is Princess Mabel) and Prince Constantijn (married to Princess Laurentien). Her sister Princess Margriet and Pieter van Vollenhoven have four sons, princes Maurits, Bernhard, Pieter-Christiaan and Floris. Princess Margriet is in line to the throne behind King Willem-Alexander's daughters, princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia, and Ariane, and his brother Prince Constantijn. Prince Friso lost his right to the throne because no approval was asked for his marriage to Mabel Wisse Smit to the States-General. The two other sisters of Beatrix, Irene and Christina, lost their rights to the throne because their marriages were not approved by the States-General. They both married Roman Catholics and Irene herself converted to Roman Catholicism, which at that time (the 1960s) was still politically problematic. An additional complication which the government wanted to avoid, was that Irene's husband, Prince Carlos-Hugo of Bourbon-Parma (whom she later divorced), was a member of a deposed Italian dynasty who claimed rights to the Spanish throne. Traditionally, Dutch monarchs have always been members of the Dutch Reformed Church although this was never constitutionally required. This tradition is embedded in the history of the Netherlands.

On 28 January 2013, the Queen announced that she would abdicate on 30 April 2013 in favour of her eldest son.

The current monarch is King Willem-Alexander (born 1967), who has been on the Throne since 30 April 2013. He studied history at the University of Leiden and became actively involved in water management. His wife is Queen Máxima (née Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti), an economics major, whose father was a minister of agriculture in the dictatorial regime under General Videla in Argentina. Because of that their relationship was accompanied by fierce public debate and only officially sanctioned after quiet diplomacy, resulting in Máxima's father agreeing not to be present on their wedding day (2 February 2002). Former minister Max van der Stoel and Prime Minister Wim Kok seem to have played a crucial role in this process.

On 7 December 2003 Princess Máxima gave birth to a daughter: Princess Catharina-Amalia. On 26 June 2005 another daughter was born: Princess Alexia. On 10 April 2007 a third daughter was born, Princess Ariane. They are first, second and third in line to the Dutch throne.

His mother, Princess Beatrix announced that she would be abdicating the Throne on 30 April 2013. On that day, Willem-Alexander became the new King and was sworn in and inaugurated in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, in a session of the States-General.

The heir apparent to the Dutch throne is Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange.

Notes

* Member of the Dutch royal house

** Member of the Royal Family

^ Member of the extended royal family

According to the official website the members of the royal house are currently:[25]

• HM King Willem-Alexander, The King of the Netherlands (the sovereign)
• HM Queen Maxima, The Queen of the Netherlands (the king's wife)
• HRH Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands (the king's mother and predecessor)
• HRH Princess Catharina-Amalia, The Princess of Orange (the king's first daughter and heir)
• HRH Princess Alexia of the Netherlands (the king's second daughter)
• HRH Princess Ariane of the Netherlands (the king's third daughter)
• HRH Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands (the king's brother)
• HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands (the king's sister-in-law)
• HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (the king's aunt)
• Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven (the king's uncle)

According to the official website the royal family consists of the members of the royal house plus other legitimate descendants of Queen Juliana:[26]

• Descendants of Princess Beatrix
  • HRH Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau
    • Countess Luana of Orange-Nassau
    • Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau
    • Countess Eloise of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg
    • Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg
    • Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg
• Descendants of Princess Margriet
  • HH Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven
  • HH Princess Marilène of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven-van den Broek
    • Miss Anna van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven
    • Mr Lucas van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven
    • Miss Felicia van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven
  • HH Prince Bernhard of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven
  • HH Princess Annette of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven-Sekrève
    • Miss Isabella van Vollenhoven
    • Mr Samuel van Vollenhoven
    • Mr Benjamin van Vollenhoven
  • HH Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven
  • HH Princess Anita of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven-van Eijk
    • Miss Emma van Vollenhoven
    • Miss Pieter van Vollenhoven
  • HH Prince Floris of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven
  • HH Princess Aimée of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven-Söhngen
    • Miss Magali van Vollenhoven
    • Miss Eliane van Vollenhoven
    • Mr Willem van Vollenhoven
• HRH Princess Irene of the Netherlands
  • HRH Prince Carlos Xavier, Hereditary Duke of Parma
  • HRH Princess Anne Marie, Hereditary Duchess of Parma
    • HRH Princess Luisa of Bourbon-Parma
    • HRH Princess Cecilia of Bourbon-Parma
    • HRH Prince Carlos, The Prince of Piacenza
  • HRH Princess Margarita, Countess of Colorno
  • Mr Tjalling ten Cate
    • Miss Julia ten Cate
    • Miss Paola ten Cate
  • HRH Prince Jaime, Count of Bardi
  • HRH Princess Viktória, Countess of Bardi
    • HRH Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma
    • HRH Princess Gloria of Bourbon-Parma
  • HRH Princess Carolina, Marchioness of Sala
  • Mr Albert Brenninkmeijer
    • Miss Alaïa-Maria Brenninkmeijer
    • Mr Xavier Brenninkmeijer
• Descendants of the late Princess Christina
  • Mr Bernardo Guillermo
  • Mrs Eva Guillermo
    • Miss Isabel Guillermo
    • Mr Julián Guillermo
  • Mr Nicolás Guillermo
  • Miss Juliana Guillermo