May 17: Happy Birthday to Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.

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Birthday, Catharina-Amalia, Catharina-Amalia of Orange, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Jorge Zorreguieta, Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, Princess of Orange, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander of the netherlands

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands (born Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti; May 17, 1971) is the spouse of King Willem-Alexander. On April 30, 2013, she became the first queen consort of the Netherlands since Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont (queen consort from 1879 to 1890) and the first Argentine-born queen consort in the history of the Netherlands.

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands

Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is the daughter of Jorge Zorreguieta (1928–2017), who served as Secretary of Agriculture under General Jorge Rafael Videla during Argentina’s last civil-military dictatorship (1976–1983), and his second wife, María del Carmen Cerruti Carricart (born 1944). She has two brothers, a sister (deceased), and three half-sisters by her father’s first wife, Marta López Gil. She is named after her paternal great-grandmother Máxima Bonorino González (1874–1965).

Her father was a scion of the Zorreguieta family who had been landed gentry, professionals, regional politicians, and statesmen for generations. Her maternal great-grandfather was also from the landed gentry; Domingo Carricart Etchart (1885-1953) was a landowner, politician, Director of the Banco Provincial de Buenos Aires, first mayor of González Chaves, and mayor of Tres Arroyos.

Máxima and Willem-Alexander

Máxima met Willem-Alexander in April 1999 in Seville, Spain, during the Seville Spring Fair. In an interview, they stated that he introduced himself only as “Alexander”, so that she did not know he was a prince. She thought he was joking when he later told her that he was not only a prince, but the Prince of Orange and heir apparent to the Dutch throne. They agreed to meet again two weeks later in New York, where Máxima was working for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson. Their relationship apparently began in New York, but she did not meet his parents, Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus, for some time.

Willem-Alexander and Máxima.

The news of the couple’s relationship and eventual marriage plans caused controversy in the Netherlands, due to the involvement of Máxima’s father Jorge Zorreguieta as a cabinet minister during the National Reorganization Process, the most recent Argentinian dictatorship. Her father’s tenure as a minister took place during the beginning stages of the Dirty War, a period of repression that saw 10,000–30,000 people killed or disappeared during the seven-year military regime. At the request of the States General, Michiel Baud, a Dutch professor in Latin American studies, carried out an inquiry into the involvement of Zorreguieta in the Dirty War (roughly, 1974–83).

Zorreguieta claimed that, as a civilian, he was unaware of the Dirty War while he was a cabinet minister. Baud determined that Máxima’s father had not been directly involved in any of the numerous atrocities that took place during that period. However, Baud also concluded that Zorreguieta was almost certainly aware of them; in Baud’s view, it was highly unlikely that a cabinet minister would not have known about them.

Marriage

The couple announced their engagement on March 30, 2001; Máxima addressed the nation in Dutch (which at the time she only spoke to basic conversational extent) during the live televised broadcast. Máxima was granted Dutch citizenship by a royal decree on May 17, 2001 and now has dual citizenship: Argentine and Dutch. The engagement was formally approved by the States General later that year—a necessary step for Willem-Alexander to remain in line to the throne.

Máxima and Willem-Alexander were married on February 2, 2002 in a civil ceremony in the Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam, which was then followed by a religious ceremony at Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk (“New Church”). She remained a Roman Catholic after her marriage.

Máxima’s parents were not present at the wedding; her father was told he could not attend due to his role as a cabinet minister during the National Reorganization Process, and her mother chose not to attend without her husband.

The King and Queen have three daughters:

* Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, born December 7, 2003 at HMC Bronovo in The Hague.
* Princess Alexia, born June 26, 2005 at HMC Bronovo in The Hague.
* Princess Ariane, born April 10, 2007 at HMC Bronovo in The Hague.

Máxima is also godmother of:

* Countess Sophie Philippa Máxima Walburga Marie of Waldburg-Zeil, born June 29, 2000.
* Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway, born December 3, 2005.
* Countess Leonore Marie Irene Enrica of Orange-Nassau, born June 3, 2006.

Absolute Primogeniture and future Queen Regnants in Europe: Part II.

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Duchess of Brabant, Duke of Cambridge, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Felipe VI of Spain, King Philippe of the Belgians, Lenor of Spain, Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, Princess Amalia of Nassau, Princess Carlotte of Cambridge, Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Elisabeth, Princess of Asturias, Princess of Orange, Willem-Alexander of the netherlands

Part II

Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange was born on December 7, 2003 in the HMC Bronovo in The Hague, the first child of the then Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima (now King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima).

The Netherlands is used to female monarch. Since Queen Wilhelmina ascended the throne in 1890 with the death of her father, King Willem IV, until the accession of King Willem-Alexander in 2013 upon the abdication of his mother his mother Queen Beatrix, the Netherlands has had women reigning queens for a total of 123 years. Once Willem-Alexander’s reign ends and Princess Catharina-Amalia becomes queen the Netherlands will once again have a queen reigning over the nation.

The monarchy of the Netherlands passes by right of succession to the heirs of King Willem I of the Netherlands. The heir is determined through two mechanisms: absolute cognatic primogeniture and proximity of blood. The Netherlands established absolute cognatic primogeniture instead of male preference primogeniture by law in 1983. Proximity of blood is a topic for another day.

Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant was born October 25, 2001 and is the heir apparent to the Belgian throne. The eldest child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, she acquired her position after her grandfather King Albert II abdicated in favour of her father on 21 July 2013.

In 2003, ten years prior to Elisabeth’s birth, a new act of succession was put into effect which introduced absolute primogeniture, meaning that Elisabeth comes first in the line of succession because she is the eldest child. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Belgium’s first queen regnant. The Belgian monarchy descends from the German House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha whose succession was governed by Salic-Primogeniture which also became the rules governing the succession to the Belgian throne. In 1991 the act of succession was passed which established absolute (gender-neutral) primogeniture, altering the order of succession from “eldest son” to “eldest child”. This is the first example of a crown going from Salic-Primogeniture to absolute cognatic primogeniture.

Leonor, Princess of Asturias born 31 October 2005, is the heir presumptive to the throne of the Kingdom of Spain as the elder child of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. In addition to the official title of Princess of Asturias, she bears the historical titles of Princess of Girona, Princess of Viana, Duchess of Montblanc, Countess of Cerveraand Lady of Balaguer. If Leonor ascended the throne, she would be Spain’s first queen regnant since Isabella II, who reigned from 1833 to 1868.

The Spanish monarchy is the only existing European monarchy that doesn’t operate under absolute cognatic primogeniture. Instead the Spanish monarchy operates under a system of male-preference cognatic primogeniture, meaning that Leonor, as the elder of Felipe’s two daughters, is first in line to inherit the throne. Under the current law, however, if her father has a legitimate son while still being king, Leonor would be displaced in the line of succession and again become an infanta. There have been discussions about changing the succession law to absolute primogeniture, allowing for the inheritance of the eldest child, regardless of sex; however, the birth of Leonor, followed by that of her younger sister Sofía, stalled these plans. Despite a change from male-preference to absolute primogeniture for Spanish titles of nobility in 2009, as of 2019 no legislation has been passed affecting the succession to the throne.

This concludes the women who will be Queen Regnants in the future. Since the majority of the European monarchies have changed their succession laws to absolute cognatic primogeniture, I’d like to mention three princesses that were effected by this change.

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Succession to the throne was governed by Salic law, as dictated by the Nassau Family Pact, first adopted on 30 June 1783. The right to reign over Luxembourg was until June 2011 passed by agnatic-cognatic primogeniture within the House of Nassau, as stipulated under the 1815 Final Act of the Congress of Vienna and as confirmed by the 1867 Treaty of London. The Nassau Family Pact itself can be amended by the usual legislative process, having been so on 10 July 1907 to exclude the Count of Merenberg branch of the House, which was descended from a morganatic marriage.

An heir apparent may be granted the style ‘Hereditary Grand Duke’. The current heir apparent is Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume. In June 2011, agnatic primogeniture was dropped in favour of absolute primogeniture, allowing any legitimate female descendants within the House of Nassau to be included in the line of Succession.

Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, born 16 February 1991 is the fourth child and only daughter of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. She has three older brothers: Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Prince Félix, and Prince Louis, and one younger: Prince Sébastien. She was excluded from the line of succession from birth until 2011, when absolute primogeniture was adopted in respect to Grand Duke Henri’s descendants, she is currently fifth in the line. Prince Louis gave up his place in the line of succession when he married Tessy Antony.

Princess Amalia of Nassau was born June 15, 2014 the eldest child of Prince Félix and Princess Claire of Luxembourg. She is the only granddaughter and third grandchild of Grand Duke Henri. She is currently third in the line of succession, behind her paternal uncle Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and her father. She has a brother, Prince Liam of Nassau. She was the first princess of Luxembourg to be born with hereditary rights to the crown after the change to absolute cognatic primogeniture in 2011.

Princess Charlotte of Cambridge was born May 2, 2015 is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. She is fourth in the line of succession to the British throne. Prince Charlotte is fourth in the line of succession to the British throne, after her grandfather, father, and elder brother. Due to the implementation of the Perth Agreement, which replaced male-preference primogeniture with absolute primogeniture, she did not move down the line of succession when her younger brother, Prince Louis of Cambridge, was born on April 23, 2018; this makes her the first elder sister of a British prince to be ranked above him in the line of succession.

This date in History October 7, 1840. Abdication of King Willem I of the Netherland.

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Abdication, Count of Nassau, Frederick the Great, Frederick William II of Prussia, Grand Duke Luxembourg, King Willem IIII of the Nethlands, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Willem I of the Netherlands, Willem III of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander of the netherlands

Willem I (August 24, 1772 – December 12, 1843) was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlandsand Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

Willem-Frederik, Prince of Orange.

King Willem I’s parents were the last stadtholder Willem V, Prince of Orange of the Dutch Republic, and his wife Wilhelmina of Prussia (the fourth child of eight born to King Friedrich-Wilhelm II of Prussia and Queen Frederica Louisa (of Hesse-Darmstadt). Her upbringing was dominated by the strict regime of her great-uncle, Friedrich II the Great, but in general very little is known about her youth)

Willem I of the Netherlandsand Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

Until 1806, Willem was formally known as Willem VI, Prince of Orange-Nassau,and between 1806 and 1813 also as Willem-Frederik, Prince of Orange. In Berlin on October 1, 1791, Willem married his first cousin (Frederica Louisa) Wilhelmina of Prussia, born in Potsdam. And as mentioned was She the daughter of King Friedrich-Wilhelm II of Prussia. Wilhelmina died in 1837.

Constitutional changes were initiated in 1840 because the terms which involved the United Kingdom of the Netherlands had to be removed due to the loss of Belgium in 1830. These constitutional changes also included the introduction of judicial ministerial responsibility. Although the policies remained uncontrolled by parliament, the prerogative was controllable now. The very conservative Willem could not live with these constitutional changes.

Wilhelmina of Prussia, Queen Consort of the Netherlands

Around 1840, King Willem found himself in discord with much of the Dutch population, not only due to his resistance to the Constitutional changes, it was also due to his refusal to implement demanded reforms. This discord was enhanced when the king, head of the strictly Protestant and royal House of Orange-Nassau, announced his intention to marry the Catholic Countess Henriëtte d’Oultremont de Wégimont (February 28, 1792 – October 26 1864) who had been a lady-in-waiting to his first wife, the late Queen consort Wilhelmine (1774-1837).

The resistance was so great—Henriëtte, who was Catholic and a native of Belgium, which had seceded from the Netherlands—that Willem abdicated on October 7 1840 in favour of his son The Prince of Orange who took the throne as Willem II.

King Willem II of the Netherlands

After abdication, he styled himself King Willem-Frederik, Count of Nassau. He married Henriëtte on 17 February 17, 1841; he was 69 years old at the time, she was 47, and the couple would have no children. Since the marriage was morganatic she received the Dutch title, Countess of Nassau on February 7, 1841, by which she was known during the couple’s subsequent retirement in Berlin. King Willem-Frederik, Count of Nassau died in Berlin on December 12, 1843 aged 71.

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Princess Juliana

Incidentally, the abdication of King Willem I did not start the tradition of abdication in the kingdom of the Netherlands. Willem I’s son Willem II died as King in 1849 as did his son and successor Willem III, who died as King in 1849. It was Wilhelmina, the daughter of Willem III, who started this tradition when she abdicated September 4, 1948. Her daughter, Juliana and granddaughter, Beatrix, both abdicated. The current King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, is under no obligation to abdicate in time for abdication is a tradition and not a law.

Interesting Times

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Margaret Thatcher, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, The Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke of Cambridge, the prince of Wales, Willem-Alexander of the netherlands

April is turning out to be an interesting month and there are many things going on in the world of royalty. At the end of this month the Netherlands will have a new monarch as Queen Beatrix hands over the reigns to her son, Willem-Alexander. The Spanish monarchy is in deep trouble. The popularity of King Juan Carlos is at an all time low and while Spain suffers great economic hardships, his daughter, Infanta Cristina, is being called to testify about her husband’s dirty dealings. On a positive note everyone is watching HRH The Duchess of Cambridge as her “baby bump” grows. (God I hate that term!). Also, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, celebrates her 87 birthday this month!

I belong to several royalty groups on Facebook and there are many growing concerns for the Spanish monarchy. As I stated in an earlier blog entry the House of Bourbon has had a difficult time on the Spanish throne. So is it time for the king to abdicate to his son, Felipe, Prince of Asturias while there is still a throne to pass on? Often when I look at the downfall of monarchies I wonder where the point of no return is. Is the Spanish crown at that point? Are things as troublesome as they seem for the Spanish crow, or is it just media hype?

At the end of the month HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will abdicate after 33 year on the throne. I have mixed feelings about this. First of all I think she is a model of a great constitutional monarch. She has done an excellent job so I really hate to see her go. On the other hand as people are living much longer, and abdication is a tradition in the Netherlands, who am I to begrudge Her Majesty of a peaceful and relaxing retirement. It is also exciting to see the Netherlands have a King for the first time in 123 years. The last king, Willem III, died in 1890. I am a little disappointed that the new king will not call himself Willem IV. As a consolation I do like double names. I look forward with eagerness to the inauguration of the new king on April 30.

This past week TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (as TRH the Earl and Countess of Countess of Strathearn, their Scottish titles) visited Glasgow. The Countess looked stunning. With the her husband reducing, or leaving all together, his military duties, it seems they will be embarking on more royal duties. I would like to see them and the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall take on more duties for the Queen. Her Majesty turns 87 on April 21, and although I would love to see her continue on with her duties I would love to see them slow down and relax a bit more. As we get closer to the due date of the Duchess of Cambridge I will be putting up a poll so we can all guess the name of the new royal baby.

Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died and next week will be the funeral and the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will attend. This is unusual for the queen for she rarely attends funerals. There was some flack about lowering the Union Jack for Baroness Thatcher. When the Queen is in residence at Buckingham Palace the Royal Standard is raised. When she is not in residence in the Palace the Royal Standard is lowered and the flag pole remained empty. The Royal Standard is never lowered to half-mast. Starting with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales the Union Jack has flown over Buckingham Palace upon the death of a notable person. The Union Jack was lowered to half-mast following September 11 and London bombings (7th July 2005). This is a new tradition and I think it is one that shows respect and empathy.

Yes, there are interesting times and many thing to watch for!

Abdication of the Queen of the Netherlands

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Abdication, King Willem IIII of the Nethlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands., Prince of Orange, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander of the netherlands

Reading responses from people on some royalty related message boards they are evenly divided about the name of the new king. There are those, like myself, disappointed that he will not be calling himself King Willem IV of the Netherlands. One thing I have learned is that privately among his family and close friends he is known by the name Alexander, or even Alex. I guess I will just have to get used to it. I do like double names so this certainly isn’t the end of the world.

Here is more information on the abdication of the Queen of the Netherlands and the succession of the prince of Orange.

This is from the website of the Dutch royal house.

Prince of Orange to become King Willem-Alexander

When Queen Beatrix abdicates, His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange will become King Willem-Alexander, and Her Royal Highness Princess Máxima of the Netherlands will become Queen Máxima. They will both be addressed as ‘Your Majesty’. After abdicating, Queen Beatrix will be called Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, etc. As soon as the Prince of Orange ascends the throne, his eldest child, Her Royal Highness Princess Catharina-Amalia, will be the first in line to the throne. She will then become the Princess of Orange (under section 7 of the Membership of the Royal House Act). The titles and names of the other members of the Royal Family will not change after Queen Beatrix’s abdication.

The membership of the Royal House and the line of succession will however change under the above Act. After the abdication, the line of succession will begin with the children of His Majesty the King: Her Royal Highness the Princess of Orange, Her Royal Highness Princess Alexia, and Her Royal Highness Princess Ariane. The next in line will be His Royal Highness Prince Constantijn, his children and finally Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet. After the abdication, the children of Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven will no longer be eligible for the throne. They will also cease to be members of the Royal House.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands to abdicate April 30, 2013.

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Abdication, King Willem IIII of the Nethlands, Prince of Orange, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander of the netherlands

Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands announced today that after a reign of almost 33 years she will abdicate the throne in favor of her eldest son, HRH The Prince of Orange, on April 30, 2013.

Although there is a strong tradition of abdication in the Netherlands it is not mandatory so in some ways this comes as a bit of a shock. I had thought she would hold onto the throne until her death. She seemed to enjoy and relish her role/job as Queen. She is very popular in the Netherlands and excelled in performing her duties.

It was also announced that her son will be known as King Willem-Alexander. While I do like double names I also like Roman numerals after royal names so I had thought (and hoped) that he would be called King Willem IV. There was also some speculation that his wife, Princess Maxima, would not have the title of Queen but the prime minister mentioned her future title as Queen specifically.

Willem-Alexander will be the first King of the Netherlands since the death of King Willem III in 1890. Ever since then the Netherlands has had women serve as queens. Williem-Alexander’s heir is his eldest daughter Catherina-Amalia.