Kingdom of the Netherlands Index

Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands, reigned 2013 – present; Credit – Wikipedia

The Netherlands is located in northwestern Europe and borders Germany, Belgium, and the North Sea.

Prince of Orange is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange is known as the Vader des Vaderlands (Father of the Fatherland) and is the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau and the ancestor of the Dutch monarchs.  When Willem’s childless cousin René of Châlon, Prince of Orange died in 1544, he left the Principality of Orange to Willem. Over the years, the title Prince of Orange became prestigious in the Netherlands and throughout the Protestant world despite losing the territory that had originally gone with the title. The Princes of Orange were also Stadtholders of various Dutch provinces during the period of the Dutch Republic and gained much power.

After the defeat of Napoleon, Willem V, Prince of Orange, urged on by the powers who met at the Congress of Vienna, proclaimed the Netherlands a monarchy on March 16, 1815. After Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and his second exile, the Congress of Vienna formally confirmed Willem as the hereditary ruler, King Willem I, of what was known as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Today, the title Prince/Princess of Orange is held by the heir apparent of the Dutch monarch and the Dutch Royal Family are members of the House of Orange-Nassau.

At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Luxembourg was made a Grand Duchy and united in a personal union with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The King of the Netherlands was also the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg remained in personal union with the Netherlands until the death of King Willem III of the Netherlands in 1890. His successor was his daughter Wilhelmina who could not inherit the throne of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg due to the Salic Law which prevented female succession. The new Grand Duke of Luxembourg was Adolphe who had been Duke of Nassau until it was annexed to Prussia in 1866. The Grand Ducal Family was then, and still is, members of the House of Nassau-Weilburg.

Below is an indexed listing with links to biographical articles about the Dutch Royal Family at Unofficial Royalty. If it says “Notable Issue” before a name, that means not all of the children for the parent of that person are listed. Also listed below are links to Dutch Royal Wedding articles, and the various Dutch Content Areas.

House of Orange-Nassau: Princes of Orange (1559 – 1815)

Family of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange

Filips Willem, Prince of Orange

Maurits, Prince of Orange

Family of Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange

Family of Willem II, Prince of Orange

William III, Prince of Orange, King of England

Family of Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange

Family of Willem IV, Prince of Orange

Family of Willem V, Prince of Orange

House of Orange-Nassau: Kings/Queens of the Netherlands (1815 – present)

Family of King Willem I of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Family of King Willem II of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Family of King Willem III of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Family of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Family of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands

Family of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

Family of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands

Other Dutch Royals

Dutch Royal Weddings

Dutch Miscellaneous Articles

Dutch Content Areas/Miscellaneous