Want to know more about the Dutch royal family? They have a fascinating history that dates back to the 12th century, when nobles from the French principality of Orange began styling themselves as Princes. In 1568, William I the Silent helped lead the Netherlands revolt against Spain until the Dutch republic was founded in 1588. After centuries of power struggles that seesawed between the Princes of Orange and the Counts of Nassau, the Prince of Orange became the official sovereign king of the Netherlands in 1815. In 1908, Queen Maxima declared that all her descendants would have the surname of Orange-Nassau.
Today, King Willem Alexander sits on the Dutch Throne with his wife, Queen Maxima, beside him. Wondering who else the modern members of the royal family are—and what the line of succession is? Read our explainer, below.
King Willem-Alexander
Willem Alexander has been the king of the Netherlands since 2013. He’s currently married to Queen Maxima and has three children: Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia, and Princess Ariane. Born in 1987, he was educated at the University of Leiden and served in the Dutch Navy. As the Crown Prince of the Netherlands, he showed a keen interest in sports: he ran the New York City Marathon in 1992 and worked on the International Olympic Committee for over a decade.
In April 1999, he met Argentinian-born, New York-based banker Maxima Zorreguieta at Seville’s spring fair. They married three years later in Amsterdam. Currently, the couple and their children live at the Huis ten Bosch Palace in the Hague.
Queen Maxima
Born in Argentina, Maxima Zorreguieta Máxima is the daughter of the former minister of agriculture under dictator Jorge Videla. She studied at Universidad Católica Argentina and later moved to New York City to work in banking.
After meeting Willem in Seville—allegedly, she had no idea he was a prince at the time—the two married in February 2000. Her father was absent from the wedding. By 2004, she began undertaking official duties on behalf of the crown.
She and the King welcomed their first child, Princess Catharina-Amalia, in 2003, followed by Princess Alexia in 2005, and Princess Ariane in 2007.
Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia
The Crown princess of the Netherlands and first in line to the throne. Born in 2003, the 21-year-old is currently studying at the University of Amsterdam. In 2023, the Princess of Orange made international headlines when it was revealed that she had secretly fled to Spain for her own safety due to credible kidnapping threats by the Moroccan mafia. “It makes me a bit emotional. It has huge consequences for her life. It’s not nice to see your child live like that,” Queen Maxima said of her daughter’s time in hiding.
Queen Beatrix
The Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 to 2013. In 2013, she abdicated in favor of her son, Willem Alexander.
Born in 1938, she spent the war years in exile living in Britain and Canada after Germany invaded the Netherlands. As a young adult, she studied at the State University of Leiden.
Her engagement to German diplomat Claus Geert caused an international scandal at the time, with the public opposing a future prince consort with such a nationality. They welcomed their first child Willem-Alexander in 1967, followed by two more sons. Their second, Johan Friso, went into a coma in 2012 after a skiing accident. He died 18 months later.
In 1980, she ascended to the throne after the abdication of her mother, Queen Juliana. She remained a popular figure throughout her reign, emerging as an advocate for social causes and a symbol of national unity.
Princess Alexia
Princess Alexia is the second daughter of King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima. In 2021, she enrolled in United World College of the Atlantic, a boarding school in Wales. She graduated in 2023 and took a gap year. As of 2024, she is studying engineering at University College London.
Princess Ariane
The third daughter of King William Alexander and Queen Maxima. After spending her childhood in The Hague, the 17-year-old is now studying at United World College of the Adriatic in northeastern Italy.
