Princesses of Orange

[blanche]

Info about Orange Princesses please.

[Tatia]

Which princesses do you mean exactly? The current Dutch princesses?

[Prince_Lieven]

Well, let's see now . . .

I will list them starting with the wife of William IX of Nassau, who founded the House of Orange Nassau:

1. Princess Anne of Egmont-Buren, first wife of William the Silent (1533-1558). She was the mother of Philip William, Prince of Orange.

2. Princess Anne of Saxony, second wife of William the Silent (1544-1577). She was the mother of Maurice, Prince of Orange.

3. Princess Charlotte de Montpensier, third wife of William the Silent (1546-1582). She was the mother of Princesses Louise Juliana (who was the mother of Frederick V of the Palatine, the Winter King of Bohemia who married Elizabeth Stuart) and Amalia, who married Frederick, Count Palatine of Zweibrucken.

4. Princess Louise de Coligny, fourth wife of William the Silent (1555-1620), mother of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange.

5. Princess Eleanor de Conde, wife of Prince Philip William (1587-1619). She had no children.

6. Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, wife of Prince Frederick Henry (1602-1675). She was mother of William II of Orange.

7. Princess Mary Stuart, daughter of Charles I, wife of William II (1631-1660). She was mother to William III.

8. Princess Mary Stuart, daughter of James II, wife of William III, later Queen Mary II (1662-1694).

For discussions about the two Marys, please see the Stuart board and the appropriate threads.

Note - since she was great-grandmother to the Electress Sophia, Charlotte de Montpensier is the direct ancestress of every King or Queen regnant of the UK since 1714.

Please contribute everyone!

[Tatia]

Princess Máxima is married to the current Prince of Orange, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander.

She was born on 17 May 1971 in Buenos Aires (Argentina) as the first child of Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta (a politician) and María del Carmen Cerruti.
She has two younger brothers, Martin and Juan, and a younger sister, Ines. She also has three older half-sisters, Maria, Angeles and Dolores (they are children from a previous marriage of Máxima's father).

She went to the Northlands School, and later to the Universidad Católica Argentina where she studied economics.
Then she worked for several banks, until she got engaged to the Dutch Crown Prince (in 2001).

They married on 2 February 2002 in Amsterdam and are now the proud parents of Amalia (7 December 2003, The Hague) and Alexia (26 June 2005, The Hague).

[Prince_Lieven]

Amalia von Solms-Braunfels
She was born on 31 August 1602, the daughter of Johan Albrecht I, Count of Solms-Braunfels and his wife Agnes van Sayn-Wittgenstein. Amalia spent her childhood at Braunfels.

When she was 18 she arrived in the Hague as a Lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth Stuart, the Winter Queen of Bohemia. The Prince of Orange at the time, Maurice, died childless, but first made his brother Frederick Henry promise to marry. As a result, Frederick married Amalia on 4 April 1625.

Their children:
   * Stadtholder William II (1626-1650)
   * Louise Henriette of Orange-Nassau (1627 - 1667)
   * Henriette Amalia of Orange-Nassau (1628)
   * Elisabeth of Orange-Nassau (1630)
   * Isabella Charlotte of Orange-Nassau (1632-1642)
   * Albertine Agnes of Orange-Nassau (1634-1696)
   * Henriette Catharina of Orange-Nassau (1637-1708)
   * Hendrik Lodewijk of Orange-Nassau (1639)
   * Maria of Orange-Nassau (1642-1688)

Since the Winter Queen was in exile in the Hague, this made for an awkward situation, since her ex Lady-in-waiting was now Princess of Orange. Amalia, though, always treated Elizabeth with care and respect.

Amalia and Frederick Henry made the Dutch court more lively, and built the Palace of Huis ten Bosch, among others. Amalia also fancied herself a diplomat, and arranged a good marriage for her eldest son - he married the Princess Royal of England, Mary Stuart, in 1641.

After the death of her husband, Amalia vied with Mary for influence at court. When William II died in 1650, Mary shared the guardianship of her young son William with Amalia.

After Mary's death in 1660, Amalia mostly brought up her grandson, and remained a respected figure at the Dutch court until her death in 1675.

[Lucien]

Dear Prince_Lieven,we never had a Willem IX,the Nassau's,as we know them started off with Count Heinrich"The Rich"of Nassau(1180-1250),he was married to Dutch Machteld of Guelders.Their eldest son Walram is the ancestor of the Nassau-Weilburg line and thus of the present GrandDuke of Luxembourg,while their youngest son Otto is the ancestor of the Ottonian line and thus Queen Beatrix.

The Nassau-Dillenburg line gained importance in the Netherlands as Count Engelbrecht(1370-1442) married dutch heiress Johanna of Polanen(ao,Breda).

Count Hendrik III of Nassau,Lord of Breda,Stadtholder of Holland and Zealand(1483-1531)married,2nd,Claudia of Chalon-Orange,(she was the daughter of Jean II,Prince of Orange).They had one son,René of Chalon,(1519-1544)Count of Nassau,Prince of Orange(1538)he married Anne of Lorraine.From this marriage was a daughter,born and died also in 1544.Upon René's death,the title Prince of Orange was inherited by Count Willem of Nassau,his nephew,known as Willem I,Prince of Orange,Count of Nassau,Viscount of Antwerp,Baron of Breda,Stadtholder of Holland,Zeeland and Utrecht (1559) aka William the Silent.Son of Willem "the rich",Count of Nassau Dietz and Vianden and Juliana van Stolberg.

Upon inheriting the title Prince of Orange,Emperor Charles V demanded for Willem to be educated at his Court in Brussels,he became a confidant of the Emperor.

He married first Anna van Egmond,Countess of Buren in 1551,three children,
1)Maria 1553-1554,
2)Filips Willem,Prince of Orange 1554-1618,married  Eleonore of Bourbon-Condé,no issue
3)Maria 1556-1616

Filips was "kidnapped" to Madrid by order of Philips II,King of Spain at the start of the 80 year war of Independence from Spanish rule(1568-1648),and he remained catholic due to this,while Willem The Silent converted to protestantism.Filips never played any role in The Netherlands,he remained a prisoner all his life.

All in all Willem I The Silent had 15 issue by his subsequent wives,as well as a few out of wedlock,between Anna van Buren and Anna of Saksen.

By Anna of Saksen(marriage was annulled):Prins Maurits,he never married,but had issue by his mistresses

Frederik Hendrik and Amalia von Solms Braunfels had issue,9,and became the ancestors of virtually every present day Royal House in Europe.

The Mary's,with all respect,are already mentioned,so I move on to Willem IV.

Upon the death of King-Stadtholder William III,his heir,in The Netherlands became Prince Johan Willem Friso,Prince of Nassau Dietz,and Orange(1702)son of Willem Frederik of Nassau Dietz and Albertine Agnes,Princess of Orange Nassau,she herself a daughter of Frederick Hendrik and Amalia of Solms.Unfortunately Friso drowned in 1711,aged 24,his wife Marie Louise of Hesse-Cassel was pregnant with their son Willem IV.

Prince Willem IV married Princess Anna,Princess of Oarnge Nassau,néé of Great Britain and Hanover,Princess Royal in 1734.
Their daughter,Princess Caroline of Orange Nassau married Karl Christiaan of Nassau Weilburg,their grandson Adolph,(1817-1905)became GrandDuke of Luxembourg in 1890 upon the death of King Willem III.

Prince Willem V Batavus married Wilhelmina of Orange Nassau,néé of Prussia in 1767

Prince Willem I Frederik,Prince of the Netherlands 1772-1843 *married his cousin,Princess Frederika Louise Wilhelmina of Orange Nassau,Queen of the Netherlands,néé of Prussia.Sovereign Lord of The Netherlands 1813-1815,King Willem I 1815-1840(he abdicated)his daughter:

Princess Marianne of Orange Nassau,Princess of The Netherlands 1810-1883,married 1830,divorced 1849 her cousin Albrecht of Prussia.Her brother:

Prince Willem of The Netherlands(1792-1849) married Princess Anna of Orange Nassau,néé GrandDuchess of Russia in 1816,King Willem II and Queen Anna of The Netherlands 1840-1849.

his brother
Prince Frederik,married Princess Louise Augusta of Orange Nassau,néé of Prussia,their daughter
Princess Louise of Orange Nassau (1828-1871)married Karl XV of Sweden and Norway
Daughter Princess Marie of Orange Nassau(1841-1910) married Wilhelm of Wied,their son Wilhelm I became Sovereign of Albania.

to be continued

[Prince_Lieven]

Thanks Lucien. I have everything wrong as usual . . .  

[Lucien]

As usual?Ofcourse not,not all.In fact,the title Prince of Orange is bestowed upon the Heir to the Throne only,a personal title that,in this case,is not extended to his spouse.
She 's always styled HRH Princess of The Netherlands,Princess of Orange Nassau.

Prince Willem,was the one but last Heir titled Prince of Orange,from 1840-1849.

The present Prince of Orange was bestowed with the title by Royal Decree shortly after his mother became Queen of The Netherlands in 1980.It is up to the Monarch to bestow the title,so it's not an automatism.

Can be compared with Prince Charles,he's always referrred to by his title Prince of Wales,not CrownPrince,with the difference that Charles's spouse can also take the,courtesy,title Princess of Wales.

I wonder whether,in due time,Princess Catharina-Amalia will be bestowed with the title Princess of Orange,present Queen Beatrix,as Princess,never had that title,it was/is for male Heirs only.

[Tatia]

I wonder whether,in due time,Princess Catharina-Amalia will be bestowed with the title Princess of Orange,present Queen Beatrix,as Princess,never had that title,it was/is for male Heirs only.

I don't she'll be Princess of Orange, because like you said, that title is only given to male heirs.
But if her first born is a boy (if she wants to have children at all), I think he will be Prince of Orange eventually (but don't let the time go so fast... even I will be old by then! )

[Prince_Lieven]

There was a smiliar debate during the teenage years of Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II. Her father rejected all plans to make her Princess of Wales - he said it was a title reserved for the wife of the Prince of Wales, and besides, what would her husband be called?

It's the same with the Dutch monarchy - If Catharina Amalia was Princess of Orange, what would her husband be? And since neither Wilhelmina, Juliana nor Beatrix were given the title, it is unlikely that Catharina Amalia will be.

[Prince_Lieven]

Here's a somewhat unusual pic of Mary:

[Prince_Lieven]

A famous pic, with Willem II: