Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands

Who is Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands?

Willem-Alexander is the King of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of the countries of the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten. He is head of the Dutch royal house and the House of Amsberg.

Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht and is the eldest child of Princess Beatrix and German diplomat Claus von Amsberg. He became Prince of Orange and heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands on 30 April 1980, when his mother became queen regnant, and he ascended the throne on 30 April 2013 when his mother abdicated.

He went to public primary and secondary schools, 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, Princess of Orange, Princess Alexia, and Princess Ariane.

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, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Water to the Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment, and chairman of the Secretary-General of the United Nations' Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation. As of his ascension in 2013, at the age of forty-six, he is currently the youngest monarch in Europe.