The Royal Family

Queen Beatrix was born on 31 January 1938. She is the oldest daughter of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard. During the Second World War she lived for several years in Canada with her mother and sisters. After finishing school, she studied at Leiden University.

On 10 March 1966, Princess Beatrix married Prince Claus. They went to live in Drakensteyn Castle in a village called Lage Vuursche. They have three sons: Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince Friso and Prince Constantijn.

Prince Willem-Alexander is married to Princess Máxima. They have three daughters called Princess Catherina-Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane. Prince Friso is married to Princess Mabel. They have two daughters called Luana and Zaria. Prince Constantijn is married to Princess Laurentien. They have two daughters called Eloise and Leonore and a son called Claus-Casimir.

Prince Claus died on 6 October 2002 at the age of 76.

Princess Margriet is the Queen’s younger sister. She helps the Queen to do her busy job. Princess Margriet lives in Apeldoorn and is married to Pieter van Vollenhoven.

Three palaces

The Queen lives in Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague. She works at Noordeinde Palace, which is also in The Hague. She uses the Royal Palace in Amsterdam for important meetings and state visits. The Royal Palace is used for exhibitions during the summer. The palaces don’t belong to the Queen, but to the state.

Holiday

The Queen goes on holiday, just like other people. In summer she usually goes to Italy, where she has a house. In winter she likes to ski, usually in Austria.

Hobbies

In her spare time, the Queen likes sculpting, riding and playing tennis. She also enjoys sailing in her own boat, the “Green Dragon”. The boat was an 18th birthday present from the Dutch people.