Prince Willem-Alexander has become king of the Netherlands following the abdication of his 75-year-old mother.
Born on 27 April 1967 as the first child of Queen Beatrix and the late Prince Claus, the Prince of Orange is the first male head of state of the Netherlands since 1890.
Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; is now the King of the Netherlands and the Dutch dependencies of Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten, and head of the Dutch royal house and the House of Amsberg. He is the first male monarch of the Netherlands since the death of William III in 1890.
Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht and is the eldest child of Princess Beatrix and Claus von Amsberg. Later to be joined by brothers Johan Friso and Constantijn, who he spent his early years with at Drakensteyn Castle.
He became Prince of Orange and heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands on 30 April 1980, when his mother became Queen regnant, and he ascended to the throne on 30 April 2013 when his mother abdicated.
Beginning his education in the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander was later moved to the Atlantic College in Wales following problems with his parents and increasing rebelliousness, eventually gaining an International Baccalaureate in 1985.
After his obligatory military service, Willem-Alexander studied history at Leiden University, gaining his degree in 1993.
It was at university that the future king built an image in the Dutch media as a hard-partying royal, earning him the nickname ‘Prince of Pils’, after a particular brand of beer.
After his graduation, Willem-Alexander started to shake off his negative image by travelling across the Netherlands; an experience he claims enabled him to get to know his country “in and out”.
In 1998, the Prince of Orange was given the nod to become a member of the International Olympic Committee, later gaining a role on the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board due to his work in water management.
It was his meeting with Maxima in 1999, and their subsequent marriage in February 2002, that eventually changed his image into that of a serious royal and family man, worthy of the Dutch throne.
The couple’s marriage had initially been deemed controversial, since Maxima’s father, Jorge, was a minister during a brutal military dictatorship in Argentina, between 1979 and 1981.
But, the couple eventually gained wide popularity around the Netherlands with their three young daughters, Catharina-Amalia, 9, Alexia, 7, and Ariana, 5, becoming adored by the Dutch media, frequently posing with their parents for official photoshoots.
Seen as more progressive and closer to ordinary people than even his mother, Willem-Alexander has further stamped modernity on the Dutch royal family through his visits abroad and his posts on an online blog.
According to reports, Willem Alexander’s sporting activities include tennis, running, skiing, sailing, golf, horse riding, skating and diving. In 1992, he also took part in the New York marathon.
The prince has said that as king he wants to strike a balance between upholding tradition and embracing change, which could include accepting a smaller role in Dutch politics.
Willem-Alexander’s title, Prince of Orange, derives from the former Principality of Orange in southern France.
It was held by William of Orange (1533-1584), who led the revolt against the Spanish that resulted in the creation of the Netherlands.
But the prince has indicated that he attaches little importance to titles. Instead of calling him “Majesty” once he is king, he recently said that people “can address me the way they want”.
“I’m not a protocol fetishist,” he told Dutch TV. “It’s more important to me that people feel at ease when I’m with them.”
In a TV interview, Willem-Alexander said he wanted to be a king who “adheres to tradition” and who can also “unite, represent and encourage society”.
“The most important thing is for the king and the monarchy to pick up their changing role well and to still be able to be there as a symbol of continuity and unity” – King Willem-Alexander
But he added that the only thing that is constant about a monarchy is that “it always moves with society”.
The prince made it clear that it would be acceptable to him if MPs decided that the monarchy should become purely ceremonial. “Parliament is the highest body in the Netherlands,” he said.
Asked what he would like to be remembered for at the end of his reign, he said that “the most important thing is for the king and the monarchy to pick up their changing role well and to still be able to be there as a symbol of continuity and unity”.
The Dutch affairs editor of the weekly magazine Elsevier, Gertjan van Schoonhoven, said the prince’s remarks were intended to show that he and his wife “know their place”.
They royal couple can draw comfort from a recent opinion poll which suggests that for three quarters of the Dutch there is no question of abolishing the monarchy. Two thirds said they had confidence in King Willem-Alexander, while only 12% said they had confidence in politicians.
On TV, the prince said he had no problem with protests against the monarchy, including on the day of his investiture. “Protest is always allowed,” he said.
