Willem-Alexander Klaus Georg Ferdinand - one of the youngest modern monarchs in Europe. His person always attracts 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
Willem-Alexander was born on April 27, 1967 in the small Dutch city of Utrecht. He was traditionally baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church, the German prince von Bismarck and Queen Margaret II of Denmark became godparents. The future ruler spent his childhood in royal residences. The life of the royal son was not as sweet as one might suppose. From childhood, he was accustomed to the rules of palace etiquette, taught several foreign languages, horseback riding and various state wisdom.
Family and background
Willem Alexander belongs to the royal Oran dynasty. She ascended the throne as a result of the revolution in 1815. The first king of the Netherlands was not born into a monarchist family. His father was the Governor of Holland, and his mother was the Crown Princess of Prussia. Willem I fought hard for the throne, waged many wars, but it was under him that Belgium gained independence. However, the throne of the Netherlands remained with the Oransk.
In 1890, Wilhelmina ascended to him and marked the beginning of a long female era in the kingdom. From the point of view of genealogy, she no longer belonged to the Oransky family, but her maternal attitude to him allowed her to inherit the throne.
Willem-Alexander became the first heir to the crown in a long time. Before him, three queens managed to spend many years on the throne. His mother, Queen Beatrix, wore the crown for 33 years until she voluntarily handed over the reins to her son. Her subjects loved her very much. Beatrix actively participated in the political life of the country, she did her best to promote the well-being of her citizens and became a symbol of the unity of the nation. Queen's birthday has always been very magnificent and sincerely celebrated by all the inhabitants 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 renunciation, 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 Barna, 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 in the form of internships in various branches of the armed forces and military departments of the country, as well as in the form of training at the Royal Naval Academy, so he was prepared for the role of head of state. At the end of his studies, 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 cannot be a member of the army, but he has the right to wear a uniform with signs of belonging to the royal authority. Then Willem-Alexander graduated from the Faculty of History of the University of Leiden and received an additional specialty in hydraulic engineering.
Prince's life
When Willem-Alexander turned 18, he got a seat on the Council of State. The future king of the Netherlands was most interested in the organization of sports in the country, as well as in the water industry. He was elected a member of the World Water Organization, which is engaged in the conservation of water resources of the world. In 2006, Willem-Alexander became Deputy Chairman of the UN Advisory Council on Water and Sanitation. He also served as Chairman of the Oransky-Nassau House Historical Collections Fund, was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Krelller-Muller Museum, and 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 completely given to state affairs. In his youth, the name of the prince often flickered in tabloids, which were happy to talk about his noisy parties and a great love of beer. Journalists even gave him the comic nickname "Prince Pilzner." Everything was able to change his future wife.
Marriage
In 1999, a prince in Spain, at the Seville Spring Fair, met Maxim, a beautiful employee of an investment bank. The young man introduced himself simply as Alexander, and for some time she did not know about the origin of the gentleman. Maxim comes from the family of a large Argentine politician who was seen in collaboration with the junta. The yellow press enjoyed this fact a lot and enjoyed it, as well as the fact that Maxim was not royal blood. Historians, however, discovered in her family tree the king of Portugal, Alphonse II.
In 2001, the couple announced their engagement, by which time Maxim was already fluent in Dutch. The bride received Dutch citizenship, and in 2002, the prince was married. Prior to this, he had to convince his mother and government of the seriousness of his feelings for Maxim. Queen Beatrix was wary of the bride's origin, but, getting to know her better, she sided with her. The bride’s father didn’t come to the wedding so as not to embarrass new relatives, and this removed all the press questions. In honor of the celebration, a commemorative medal was issued.
Royal duties
On January 28, 2013, Queen Beatrix made a statement to her people 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 intervenes less in the country's politics, but is actively involved in the performance of representative 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 was greatly facilitated by Queen Maxim. Every year, the birthday of the King of the Netherlands becomes a national holiday and an occasion for great celebration. Queen Maxim is also actively fulfilling her duties, she is a member of many public foundations and organizations, and stimulates many undertakings. Including the royal couple in her person openly supports supporters of gay communities, which is very rare in the royal families of the whole world.
Social activity
After ascending the throne, Willem was forced to leave many public organizations, such as the IOC and the Water Resources Fund. But the king of the Netherlands is actively involved in charity projects, continues to work in the board of trustees of many educational and sports funds.
The king has been to Russia more than once, including as a representative of the state and various public organizations, for example, the IOC.
Willem has repeatedly received various awards for his social activities. He is the holder of the orders of the Golden Lion of Nassau, the Netherlands Lion, the Military Order of William, and has also received prizes and awards of foreign states more than once.
Personal life
The king and queen of the Netherlands today are the real favorites of the inhabitants of the country. The couple had three daughters: Princess Katarina-Amalia Beatrice Carmen Victoria, the future heiress to the throne, Princess Alexia Juliana Marcela Lorentin and Princess Ariana Wilhelmina Maxima Ines. The couple has been living since the wedding day at the Eikenhorst estate in Wassenaar, and also periodically spends time in a residence in The Hague.
Hobbies
From his youth, the king of the Netherlands was fond of aviation, since 1989 he has the right to fly civilian and military aircraft. He operated flights with the African Fund for Medicine and Education in Kenya, and he still makes the required number of flights annually to maintain his pilot license. Willem speaks four languages, he travels a lot and leads a fairly open life.