King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander: biography

Willem-Alexander Klaus Georg Ferdinand is one of the youngest modern monarchs in Europe. His person invariably provokes interest not only because he is crowned, but also because he is not afraid to be himself and lives the same life as all ordinary people.

Childhood

Born Willem-Alexander on April 27, 1967 in the small Dutch town of Utrecht. He was traditionally baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church, the godfathers were German prince von Bismarck and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The future ruler spent his childhood in royal residences. The life of the monarchal offspring was not as sweet as one might suppose. He was taught from the childhood to the rules of palace etiquette, taught several foreign languages, horse riding and various state wisdom.

Family and origin

Willem-Alexander belongs to the royal dynasty of the Orange. She ascended the throne as a result of the revolution in 1815. The first King of the Netherlands was not born into a monarchical family. His father was the governor of Holland, and the mother - crown princess of Prussia. Willem I fought hard for the throne, waged many wars, but it was with him that Belgium gained independence. However, the throne of the Netherlands remained for the Orange.

In 1890, Wilhelmina rose on him and laid the foundation for a long female epoch in the kingdom. From the point of view of genealogy, she no longer belonged to the family of the Orange, but the attitude to him on the maternal line allowed her to inherit the throne.

Willem-Alexander became the first heir to the Crown for a long time. Prior to him on the throne managed to spend many years three queens. His mother, Queen Beatrix, wore the crown for 33 years, until she voluntarily transferred the reins to her son. She was very fond of her subjects. Beatrix actively participated in the political life of the country, she contributed in every way to the well-being of her citizens and became a symbol of the unity of the nation. The Queen's birthday has always been very lavish and sincerely celebrated by all residents of the Netherlands. Beatrix is the great-granddaughter of the Russian Emperor Paul the First. The queen and her husband Klaus had three sons: Willem-Alexander, Friso and Constantine, and today she has seven granddaughters and one grandson. After abdication, she leads the life of an ordinary person, walks with dogs and even works as a volunteer in a dog shelter.

Education

The King of the Netherlands received an excellent education. Elementary school, lyceum in Barnes, lyceum in The Hague, college in Wales - for 12 years Willem was able to graduate from several excellent educational institutions, becoming a bachelor of international relations. In 1985 he went to serve in the army of the Netherlands. His service is conducted in the form of internships in various branches of the army and military departments of the country, as well as in the form of training in the Royal Naval School, so he was prepared for the role of head of state. After graduation, he received the title of adjutant of the Queen. Later, his military career was quite successful. In 2005, he received the rank of brigadier general of the royal troops, but before coming to the throne he was solemnly demobilized from the armed forces, since the king can not be a member of the army, but he has the right to wear a uniform with signs of royalty. Then Willem-Alexander graduated from the Faculty of History of Leiden University and received an additional specialty in hydrotechnics.

The life of the prince

When Willem-Alexander turned 18 years old, he got a seat in the State Council. The future King of the Netherlands was most interested in the organization of the sports sector in the country, and also dealt with the problems of the water industry. He was elected a member of the World Water Organization, which deals with the conservation of hydro resources of the world. In 2006, Willem-Alexander became Deputy Chairman of the United Nations Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation. He also served as Chairman of the Foundation for Historic Collections of the House of Orange-Nassau, was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Klerler-Muller, a member of the Olympic Committee.

While still a prince, Willem-Alexander often represented the country at official meetings at the highest level. But his life was not entirely devoted to state affairs. In his youth, the name of the prince often flashed in the tabloids, who gladly talked about his noisy parties and great love for beer. Journalists even gave him the comic nickname "Prince Pilzner." Everything was changed by his future wife.

Marriage

In 1999, the prince in Spain, at the Seville Spring Fair, gets acquainted with the handsome employee of the investment bank Maxim. The young man introduced himself simply as Alexander, and for some time she did not know about the origin of the gentleman. Maxima comes from the family of a large Argentine politician who was seen in cooperation with the junta. The yellow press had a lot and happily savored this fact, as well as the fact that Maxim was not royal blood. Historians, however, found in her genealogical tree of the Portuguese king Alfonso II.

In 2001, the couple announced an engagement, by this time Maxim had already spoken well in Dutch. The bride received Dutch citizenship, and in 2002 the wedding of the prince took place. Before that, he had to convince the mother and the government of the seriousness of his feelings for Maxim. Queen Beatrix was wary of the origin of the bride, but, getting to know her better, took her side. The father of the bride did not come to the wedding, so as not to put new relatives in an embarrassing situation, and this removed all the questions of the press. In honor of the celebration, a commemorative medal was issued.

Royal duties

On January 28, 2013, Queen Beatrix spoke to her people with a statement about the abdication of the royal throne and the transfer of power to her eldest son. And on April 30, 2013 Willem-Alexander ascended the Dutch throne. Unlike his mother, he interferes less in the politics of the country, but is actively engaged in the performance of representational and public duties. However, Willem-Alexander remains the head of state, he meets with the Prime Minister every week, speaks at cabinet meetings and in parliament.

Quite quickly, the ruler was able to win the love of his subjects, which greatly contributed to the Queen Maxim. Every year the birthday of the King of the Netherlands becomes a national holiday and an occasion for a great celebration. Queen Maxim also actively fulfills her duties, she is included in many public funds and organizations, stimulates many undertakings. Including the royal couple in her face openly supports the supporters of gay communities, which is very rare in royal families around the world.

Public activity

After ascension to the throne, Willem had to leave many public organizations, such as the IOC and the Water Resources Fund. But the King of the Netherlands actively participates in charity projects, continues to work on the boards of trustees of many educational and sports funds.

The king has visited Russia many times, including as a representative of the state and various public organizations, for example, the IOC.

For his public activities Willem has repeatedly received various awards. He - the owner of the Golden Lion Nassau, the Dutch lion, the military order of Wilhelm, and more than once received prizes and awards from foreign countries.

Personal life

King and Queen of the Netherlands today are the real favorites of the inhabitants of the country. The couple had three daughters: Princess Catharina-Amalia Beatriz Carmen Victoria, future successor to the throne, Princess Alexia Julian Marcela Lorentine and Princess Ariana Wilhelmina Maxim Ines. The couple lives from the wedding day at the Eickenhorst Estate in Wassenaar, and also spends time at the residence in The Hague.

Hobbies

From his youth the King of the Netherlands was fond of aviation, since 1989 he has the right to drive civil and military aircraft. He carried out flights with the African Foundation for Medicine and Education in Kenya, and still performs annually the required number of flights in order to maintain his pilot license. Willem owns four languages, he travels a lot and leads an open life.