Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands

Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands (Constantijn Christof Frederik Aschwin; born 11 October 1969) is the third and youngest son of the former Dutch queen, Beatrix, and her husband, Claus von Amsberg, and is the younger brother of the reigning Dutch king, Willem-Alexander. He is a member of the Dutch Royal House and currently fourth in the line of succession to the Dutch throne behind his nieces.[1]

Prince Constantijn
Prince Constantijn in 2018
Born (1969-10-11) 11 October 1969
University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2001)​
IssueCountess Eloise
Count Claus-Casimir
Countess Leonore
Names
Constantijn Christof Frederik Aschwin
HouseOrange-Nassau
FatherClaus von Amsberg
MotherBeatrix of the Netherlands
ReligionProtestant Church in the Netherlands
Dutch royal family

Princess Beatrix *
Extended family
Princess Irene

Princess Margriet *
Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven *

  • Mr Bernardo Guillermo
    Mrs Eva Guillermo
  • Mr Nicolás Guillermo
  • Miss Juliana Guillermo
* Member of the Dutch royal house

Life and career

Prince Constantijn was born on 11 October 1969 at Utrecht University Hospital (now the University Medical Center Utrecht) in Utrecht, following the births of his brothers, Willem-Alexander (born in 1967), and Johan Friso (1968–2013). He goes by the nickname Tijn. His godparents are former King Constantine II of Greece (1940-2023), Prince Aschwin of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche-Streithorst, Max Kohnstamm, and Corinne de Beaufort-Sickinghe.

Prince Constantijn studied law at Leiden University, becoming a lawyer, and then worked at the Brussels department of the (Dutch) European Union commissioner of foreign relations, Hans van den Broek. Later, he was hired by the EU and continued to work there in various capacities until the end of 1999. In December 2000, he was awarded a Master of Business Administration at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France. He then spent a summer working for the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank group in Washington, DC. He worked until late 2002 for strategic consultants Booz Allen Hamilton in London. Since 2003, he works for the RAND Corporation Europe in Brussels. Furthermore, he has a part-time position at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague.

Prince Constantijn rarely attends public events in his capacity as a member of the Dutch royal family. Prince Constantijn is a keen sportsman and enjoys football, tennis, golf and skiing. His other hobbies include drawing, cooking and reading.

Marriage and family

The engagement of Prince Constantijn and Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst was announced on 16 December 2000. The civil marriage was conducted by the mayor of The Hague, Wim Deetman, in the Oude Raadzaal, Javastraat, The Hague, on 17 May 2001. The church wedding took place two days later on 19 May in the Grote of St Jacobskerk, with the Reverend Carel ter Linden officiating.

Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien have three children: Eloise (b. 2002), Claus-Casimir (b. 2004), and Leonore (b. 2006). The family then moved from Brussels to The Hague.

Upon the abdication of Queen Beatrix on 30 April 2013, the children of Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien ceased to be members of the Royal House, although they continue to be members of the royal family and remain in the line of succession.[2]

Titles, styles, honours and arms
Constantijn's monogram

Titles and styles

Constantijn's full title and style is: His Royal Highness Prince Constantijn Christof Frederik Aschwin of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg.

Honours and awards
See also: List of honours of the Dutch Royal Family by country

National honours

Foreign honours

Arms
Coat of arms of Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands
Notes
Prince Constantijn bore the same coat of arms as his brothers; Prince Willem-Alexander and Prince Friso.[8]
Escutcheon
Quarterly: I and IV azure billety or, a lion with coronet also or armed and langued gules, holding in his dexter paw a sword argent hilted or, and in his sinister seven arrows argent pointed and bound together or, which is of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; II and III or, a horn azure opened and bound gules, which is of the First House of Orange; on an inescutcheon vert, a castle proper, on a mount of the last (arms of the House of Amsberg, i.e. that of his late father, Prince Claus).[8]
Banner
Prince Constantijn uses a square, with the Royal standard colours and his maternal arms (the horn of Orange) in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and two white towers in the 1st and 4th quarters. The crowned arms of the Netherlands is in the middle.

Ancestry

References
  1. Current line of succession Archived 25 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine – Official website of the Dutch Royal House
  2. "Abdication information". Dutch Royal House. Archived from the original on 22 June 2015.
  3. Belga Pictures, Victoria of Sweden's wedding, Constantijn & Laurentien Archived 15 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Honorary distinctions of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" (PDF). Service Information et Presse. Retrieved 21 September 2007.
  5. PPE group photo
  6. Prince Constantijn wearing the order
  7. PPE Agency, Group photo
  8. (in Dutch) Wapens van leden van het Koninklijk Huis, Dutch Royal House. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
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