Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands

Willem-Alexander (Dutch: [ˈʋɪləm aːlɛkˈsɑndər]; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born 27 April 1967) is King of the Netherlands. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht during the reign of his maternal grandmother, Queen Juliana, as the eldest child of Princess Beatrix (later Queen) and Prince Claus. He became Prince of Orange as heir apparent upon his mother's accession on 30 April 1980. He went to public primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands, and an international sixth-form college in Wales. He served in the Royal Netherlands Navy, and studied history at Leiden University. He married Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti in 2002, and they have three daughters: Catharina-Amalia, Alexia, and Ariane. Willem-Alexander succeeded his mother as monarch upon her abdication on 30 April 2013. He is the first man to hold this position since the death of his great-great-grandfather William III in 1890, as the intervening three monarchs—his great-grandmother Wilhelmina, his grandmother Juliana and his mother Beatrix—had all been women. Willem-Alexander is interested in sports and international water management issues. Until his accession to the throne, he was a member of the International Olympic Committee (1998–2013), chairman of the Advisory Committee on Water to the Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment (2004–2013), and chairman of the Secretary-General of the United Nations' Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (2006–2013).

Infobox

Reign

30 April 2013 (2013-04-30) – present

Inauguration

30 April 2013

Predecessor

Beatrix

Heir apparent

Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange

Born

(1967-04-27) 27 April 1967 (age 58)Utrecht, Netherlands

Spouse

mw- Máxima Zorreguieta (m. 2002)

Issue

mw- Catharina-Amalia, Princess of OrangePrincess AlexiaPrincess Ariane

Names

NamesWillem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand

House

Orange-Nassau (official)Amsberg (agnatic)

Father

Claus von Amsberg

Mother

Beatrix of the Netherlands

Religion

Protestant

Education

Leiden University (doctorandus)

Branch

Royal Netherlands Navy Royal Netherlands Army Royal Netherlands Air Force Royal Marechaussee

Years of service

1985–2013

Rank

Commodore (Navy) Brigadier general (Army and Marechaussee) Air commodore (Air Force)

Service years

1985–2013

Tables

· Marriage and children

Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange

Name

Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange

Date of birth

(2003-12-07)7 December 2003

Place of birth

The Hague, Netherlands

Age

Princess Alexia of the Netherlands

Name

Princess Alexia of the Netherlands

Date of birth

(2005-06-26)26 June 2005

Place of birth

The Hague, Netherlands

Age

Princess Ariane of the Netherlands

Name

Princess Ariane of the Netherlands

Date of birth

(2007-04-10)10 April 2007

Place of birth

The Hague, Netherlands

Age

Name	Date of birth	Place of birth	Age
Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange	(2003-12-07)7 December 2003	The Hague, Netherlands	22
Princess Alexia of the Netherlands	(2005-06-26)26 June 2005	The Hague, Netherlands	20
Princess Ariane of the Netherlands	(2007-04-10)10 April 2007	The Hague, Netherlands	18

Coat of arms of Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands · Titles, styles, honours and arms › Arms

Notes As Monarch, Willem-Alexander uses the Greater Coat of Arms of the Realm (Grote Rijkswapen). The components of the coats of arms were updated and further regulated by Queen Wilhelmina in a royal decree of 10 July 1907 and were affirmed by Queen Juliana in a royal decree of 23 April 1980. Crest Issuing from a coronet Or, a pair of wings joined Sable each with an arched bend Argent charged with three leaves of the lime-tree stems upward Vert. Torse Azure and Or Helm Barred helmet Escutcheon Azure, billetty Or a lion with a coronet Or armed and langued Gules holding in his dexter paw a sword Argent hilted Or and in the sinister paw seven arrows Argent pointed and bound together Or. Supporters Two lions rampant Or armed and langued Gules Motto JE MAINTIENDRAIFrench: I will maintain (in Dutch: Ik zal handhaven) Other elements The monarch places this coat of arms on a purple mantle, with golden borders and tassels, lined with Ermine. Above the mantle is a purple pavilion again topped with the royal crown. (Note: Although the official blazon states the mantle as purple it often looks like (dark) red. French and German purple contains more red and less blue than American or British purple.) Banner Upon his succession to the throne, Willem-Alexander adopted the (partly modified) Royal Standard of the Netherlands, which is a square orange flag, divided in four-quarters by a nassau-blue cross. All quarters show a white and blue bugle-horn, taken from the coat of arms of the Principality of Orange. In the centre of the flag is the (small) coat of arms of the Kingdom, which originates from the arms of the House of Nassau, surmounted by a royal crown and surrounded by the insignia of the Grand Cross of the Military William Order. Symbolism The seven arrows stand for the seven provinces of the Union of Utrecht. Previous versions Quarterly, 1 and 3, Azure, billetty Or a lion with a coronet or armed and langued Gules holding in his dexter paw a sword Argent hilted Or and in the sinister paw seven arrows Argent pointed and bound together Or (royal arms of the Netherlands, i.e. that of his mother, Queen Beatrix), 2 and 4, Or, and a bugle-horn Azure, langued Gules (arms of the former Principality of Orange), on an inescutcheon Vert, a castle proper, on a mount of the last (arms of the House of Amsberg, i.e. that of his late father, Prince Claus).