Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

Birth and Canada

The Princess was born in The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, to Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Her mother was heir presumptive to Queen Wilhelmina.

The Dutch family had been living in Canada since June 1940 after the occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany. The maternity ward of Ottawa Civic Hospital in which Princess Margriet was born was temporarily declared to be extraterritorial by the Canadian government. Making the maternity ward outside of the Canadian domain caused it to be unaffiliated with any jurisdiction and technically international territory. This was done to ensure that the newborn would derive her citizenship from her mother only, thus making her solely Dutch, which could have been very important if the child had been male, and as such, the heir of Princess Juliana. It is a common misconception that the Canadian government declared the maternity ward to be Dutch territory. Since Dutch nationality law is based primarily on the principle of jus sanguinis it was not necessary to make the ward Dutch territory for the Princess to become a Dutch citizen. Since Canada followed the rule of jus soli, it was necessary for Canada to disclaim the territory temporarily so that the child would not become a Canadian citizen.

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 Franklin D. Roosevelt (President of the United States), Mary of Teck (Queen dowager of the United Kingdom), Princess Märtha of Sweden (Crown Princess of Norway), and Martine Roell (lady-in-waiting to Princess Juliana in Canada).

After the war

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 in Baarn, where the family had lived before the war.

It was while she was studying at Leiden University that Princess Margriet met her future husband, Pieter van Vollenhoven. Their engagement was announced on 10 March 1965, and they were married on 10 January 1967 in The Hague, in the St. James Church. It was decreed that any children from the marriage would be styled HH Prince/Princess of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, titles that would not be held by their descendants. Together, they had four children: Princes Maurits (born 17 April 1968), Bernhard (born 25 December 1969), Pieter-Christiaan (born 22 March 1972), and Floris (born 10 April 1975).

The Princess and her husband took up residence in the right wing of Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn. In 1975 the family moved to their present home, Het Loo, which they had built on the Palace grounds.

Interests and activities

Princess Margriet is particularly interested in health care and cultural causes. From 1987 to 2011 she was vice-president of the Netherlands 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, 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.

Titles and styles

• 19 January 1943 – 10 January 1967: Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld
• 10 January 1967 – present: Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Mrs Van Vollenhoven

Honours

National honours

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
• Grand Cross of the Order of the House of Orange
• Royal Wedding Medal 1966 (10 March 1966)
• Queen Beatrix Investiture Medal (30 April 1980)
• Royal Wedding Medal 2002 (2 February 2002)
• King Willem-Alexander Investiture Medal (30 April 2013)

Foreign honours

•  Belgium: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
•  Cameroon: Grand Cordon of Order of Merit
•  Chile: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
•  Finland: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
•  France: Grand Cross of the Order of National Merit
•  Germany: Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
•  Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
•  Ivory Coast: Grand Cross of the Order of the Ivory Coast
•  Japan: Grand Cordon (Paulonia) of the Order of the Precious Crown
•  Jordan: Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance
•  Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau
•  Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown
•  Luxembourg: Commemorative Medal of the marriage of TRH Prince Henri and Princess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg °
•  Mexico: Grand Cross of the Order of the Aztec Eagle
• Nepalese Royal Family: Member 1st Class of the Order of the Three Divine Powers
•  Norway: Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav
•  Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Christ
• Socialist Republic of Romania: Grand Cross of the Order of 23 August
•  Senegal: Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion
•  Spain : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
•  Suriname: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Yellow Star
•  Sweden: Member Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star
•  Venezuela: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Liberator

Ancestry