meeralakshmi
Courtier
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2025
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- United States
HRH The Prince of the Netherlands is the title held by a Dutch prince consort: Prince of the NetherlandsI didn’t intend to say anything about permission. I assume their wives were ok with it but the decrees themselves -as linked above- didn’t give them the title ‘the prince of the Netherlands’ but created them HRH prince ‘name’ of the Netherlands. The same title that children born to a monarch or heir in the Netherlands have (or in female version - again just like Máxima).
When Bernhard married Juliana he was only created HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands because Juliana was still a princess. When Juliana became queen he became HRH The Prince of the Netherlands and when Juliana abdicated the couple went back to being TRH Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. The same happened for Claus and Máxima. Hendrik would have been HRH The Prince of the Netherlands from his wedding to his death because Wilhelmina was already queen when they married.
As Tatiana Maria explained Orange-Nassau is Máxima’s married surname. The male consorts didn’t change their surnames upon marriage. In Luxembourg the male consorts aren’t made princes of Nassau for the same reason.Good point! Maybe the difference was not (only) about male and female but about Wilhelmina, Juliana and Beatrix marrying titled husbands (or whose informal title was upgraded to a recognized Dutch title), while Máxima had no title at all?
In addition, the current policy seems to be that the main line will only keep ‘Orange-Nassau’ next to being princes of the Netherlands. While the other line may pass on other titles introduced by titled spouses (jonkheer/jonkvrouw van Amsberg for Claus’ grandchildren by his two younger sons).