Juliana of the Netherlands

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (Juliana Emma Louise Wilhelmina van Oranje-Nassau) (April 30, 1909 – March 20, 2004), Princess of Orange-Nassau, Duchess of Mecklenburg, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld, was Queen of the Netherlands from her mother's abdication in 1948 to her own abdication in 1980 and Queen Mother (with the title of Princess) from 1980 to 2004.

Early life

Born in The Hague, the daughter of Prince Hendrik (or Heinrich), Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. Juliana spent her childhood at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, and at Noordeinde Palace and Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague. A small school class was formed at Noordeinde Palace on the advice of the educator Jan Ligthart so that, from the age of six, the princess could receive her primary education with children of her own age.

Related Topics:
The Hague - Hendrik - Queen Wilhelmina - Het Loo Palace - Apeldoorn - Noordeinde Palace - Huis ten Bosch Palace

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As the Dutch constitution specified that she should be ready to succeed to the throne by the age of eighteen, Princess Juliana's education proceeded at a faster pace than that of most children. After five years of primary education, the Princess received her secondary education (to pre-university level) from private tutors.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On April 30, 1927, Princess Juliana celebrated her eighteenth birthday. Under the constitution, she had officially come of age and was entitled to assume the royal prerogative, if necessary. Two days later her mother installed her in the "Raad van State" ("Council of State"). A young, shy and introvert woman of plain features whose religious mother would not allow her to wear makeup, Juliana did not fit the image of a royal princess. She would, nonetheless, become much loved and respected by most of the Dutch people.

Related Topics:
April 30 - 1927

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the same year, the princess enrolled as a student at the University of Leiden. In her first years at university, she attended lectures in sociology, jurisprudence, economics, history of religion, parliamentary history and constitutional law. In the course of her studies she also attended lectures on the cultures of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, the Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, international affairs, international law, history, and European law. She was also tutored privately by Professor C. Snouck Hurgronje on the Islamic religion, practised by most of the people in the Dutch colonies.

Related Topics:
University of Leiden - Sociology - Jurisprudence - Economics - History of religion - Constitutional law - Suriname - Netherlands Antilles - Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands - International affairs - International law - European law - C. Snouck Hurgronje - Islamic - Dutch colonies

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In line with the views of the times, Queen Wilhelmina began a search for a suitable husband for her daughter. It was difficult to find a Protestant prince from a ruling family who suited the tedious and strictly religious Dutch Court. Princes from Great Britain and Sweden were "vetted" but either declined or were rejected by the Princess. After meeting His Serene Highness Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld at the 1936 Winter Olympic Games in Bavaria, Princess Juliana's royal engagement was arranged by her mother. Prince Bernhard was a suave young businessman and, although not a playboy, certainly a "man about town" with a dashing lifestyle. Princess Juliana fell deeply in love with her fiancé, a love that was to last a lifetime and that withstood the separation during the war and the many publicly known extra-marital affairs and children by the Prince. In a legal document that spelled out exactly what the German prince could and could not do, and the amount of money he could expect from the sole heir to the large fortune of the Dutch royal family, the astute Queen Wilhelmina left nothing to chance. Duly signed, the couple's engagement was announced on September 8, 1936.

Related Topics:
Prince Bernhard - 1936 Winter Olympic - Bavaria - German - September 8 - 1936

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The wedding announcement divided a country that mistrusted Germany under Adolf Hitler. Prior to the wedding, on November 24, 1936, Prince Bernhard was granted Dutch citizenship and changed the spelling of his names from German to Dutch. They married in The Hague on January 7, 1937, the date on which Princess Juliana's grandparents, King William III and Queen Emma, had married fifty-eight years earlier. The civil ceremony was held in The Hague Town Hall and the marriage was blessed in the Great Church (St. Jacobskerk), likewise in The Hague. The young couple made their home at Soestdijk Palace, Baarn.

Related Topics:
Adolf Hitler - November 24 - 1936 - Citizenship - January 7 - 1937 - King William III - Queen Emma - Soestdijk Palace - Baarn

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~