Princess Margriet of the Netherlands has released a set of three new photos to celebrate her 80th birthday today.
The photos were taken in January in the city of Apeldoorn, where Princess Margriet lives with her husband, prof. mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven. Their dog Boogiewoogie also features in the three photos.
Princess Margriet was born on 19 January 1943 to then Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She was born in Canada, where her mother was living during the war years. She would not set foot in the Netherlands until after the liberation in 1945. The special bond between Canada and Princess Margriet is still going strong. In 1948, her mother became Queen of the Netherlands, followed by her sister Beatrix in 1980. Her nephew, King Willem-Alexander, succeeded upon Beatrix’s abdication in 2013. Princess Margriet has four sons with her husband. They also have 11 grandchildren. While her children are titled as “Their Highness Prince (name)”, her husband remains untitled.
Princess Margriet still does royal engagements for her nephew, and she is currently eighth and last in the Dutch line of succession due to her degree of kinship to the monarch.