The future king and Prince of Orange, the Heir Apparent, Willem-Alexander, was born in 1967 and graduated from Leiden University with an academic degree. He also received an education designed to prepare him for the throne in the future.
Despite this formal training, the Prince comes across as a friendly figure with a ready smile and a readiness to enjoy life. Unfortunately, he would discover (like his grandmother, Juliana) that a good character alone cannot prevent scandal. His love of sport led to his being elected to the International Olympic Committee in 1998, a move strongly condemned by many Dutch social commentators, as it could potentially have brought his political neutrality into doubt. He survived the storm, however, and was most recently re-elected in 2007 for a futher eight years. His dedication to the cause of sports has never been in doubt and he was most famously seen enthusiastically cheering on the Dutch football team when Holland co-hosted the European Championships in 2000 and has also regularly been spotted at various other international (olympic) sports events cheering on and even chatting with the members of the Dutch teams.
In his personal life too, he managed to cause national uproar. When he announced his engagement in 2002 to Argentinian investor banker Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, the Dutch media indignantly printed stories about her father, who had been an Argentinian Minister of Agriculture during the years of a violent junta reputed to have killed as many as 30,000 during their time in power. Again, the Dutch government asked a specially appointed commission to look into the matter. As with Beatrix’s husband Bernhard, they concluded that Máxima’s father had not been guilty of any excesses and the marriage was officially approved. As a concession to public opinion, Máxima’s father agreed not to attend the wedding ceremony in Holland.
Willem-Alexander and Máxima now have three children of their own, all daughters: Catharina-Amalia (b.2003, second in line to the throne), Alexia (b.2005) and Ariane (b.2007). The family lives in Wassenaar, near the Hague.
