Succession to the Dutch throne
Since 1983, the crown of the Netherlands passes according to absolute primogeniture. From 1814 until 1887, a monarch could only be succeeded by his closest female relative if there were no eligible male relatives. Male-preference cognatic primogeniture was adopted in 1887. Proximity of blood has been taken into consideration since 1922, when the constitution was changed to limit the line of succession to three degrees of kinship[1] from the current monarch.
Line of succession
HM Queen Juliana (1909-2004)
- HM Queen Beatrix (b. 1938)
HM The King (Willem-Alexander; b. 1967)
- (1) HRH The Princess of Orange (Catharina-Amalia; b. 2003)
- (2) HRH Princess Alexia (b. 2005)
- (3) HRH Princess Ariane (b. 2007)
- (4) HRH Prince Constantijn (b. 1969)
- (5) Countess Eloise of Orange-Nassau (b. 2002)
- (6) Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau (b. 2004)
- (7) Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau (b. 2006)
- (8) HRH Princess Margriet (b. 1943)
- HH Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau (b. 1968)
- Anastasia van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven (b. 2001)
- Lucas van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven (b. 2002)
- Felicia van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven (b. 2005)
- HH Prince Bernhard of Orange-Nassau (b. 1969)
- Isabella van Vollenhoven (b. 2002)
- Samuel van Vollenhoven (b. 2004)
- Benjamin van Vollenhoven (b. 2008)
- HH Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau (b. 1968)
Notes
- Princess Beatrix' second son, Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, was removed from the line of succession in 2004 when he married without seeking Parliamentary approval, after the Prime Minister and the Prince decided that Parliamentary approval might be hard because of his future wife Mabel's past. His two daughters, Countess Luana and Countess Zaria are not in the line of succession.[2]
- Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven and Prince Floris of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (the younger sons of Princess Margriet) were removed from the list because they had both decided not to seek Parliamentary approval for their 2005 marriages because the chance that they would succeed to the throne was very small.[3]
- Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven and Prince Bernhard of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (the elder sons of Princess Margriet) and their descendants are not in the line because they are too distantly related to the reigning monarch. When Willem-Alexander became king on 30 April 2013, his aunt Princess Margriet's sons lost their succession rights and will only regain them if she ever succeeds to the throne - in which case her children would assume appropriate places in the line of succession.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Degrees of kinship are counted here according to Roman law, or post-1983 Canon Law: counting the number of births between two people via their common ancestor.
- ^ Interview with Friso and Mabel
- ^ Royal news february 2005
- ^ "Prince of Orange to become King Willem-Alexander, 28 January 2013". Dutch Royal House.