Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria, 19, was born to King Willem-Alexander and his wife Maxima on 7 December 2003. She was named after her paternal grandmother Queen Beatrix, her maternal grandmother and godmother Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. Finding out she was pregnant the Argentine-born Queen was as delighted as any first-time mother.
"I was so happy, I couldn't believe it!", she exclaimed. Her little princess was soon followed by Alexia in June 2005 and Ariane on April 10, 2007 – their names led their father to joke they were going for the "Triple A rating". The young family settled in Eikenhorst Villa in Wassenaar, an affluent suburb of The Hague.
Princess Catharina-Amalia's early years
© Photo: Getty ImagesSpeaking about their parenting style, Willem-Alexander said: "We do our best to be really with them – on holidays or weekends or even at breakfast in the mornings." The royals would often cycle and play with Amalia and her sisters on the beach. During holidays they would head for Argentina to help the children brush up on their Spanish and mingle with their relatives there. Like any parents, they were keen to protect their daughters from the wider world for as long as possible. But in 2013, life for the young princesses changed considerably.
Their grandmother Beatrix abdicated on April 30, making their father King. She also vacated her residence Huis ten Bosch Palace to make way for the new monarch and his family. Significantly, nine-year-old Amalia became The Princess of Orange, the title traditionally reserved for the next in line to the throne. Even so, Willem-Alexander and Maxima plan to keep her existence as normal as possible.
Shortly before his investiture, he explained: "Amalia's title will be made formal when she's eighteen and she enters the State Council. Until then, we will protect her as much as possible. "That means she won't participate in official engagements, or as little as possible. Her environment right now should only include her parents, her sisters, and her friends."
After graduating from The Hague's Bloemcamp School, Catharina-Amalia has been studying for a degree in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at the University of Amsterdam.
Princess Catharina-Amalia's future
© GettyCatharina-Amalia is now preparing for her future as Queen of the Netherlands. To practice for her future role, the princess carried out her first official tour of the Dutch Caribbean with her parents in 2023, visiting Bonaire, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba.
Another major first for the princess came when she wore a tiara for the very first time at a gala dinner for Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway's 18th birthday in June 2022.
The young royal opted to wear the Dutch Star Button Tiara – the jewels worn by Queen Maxima on her wedding day in 2002 – alongside a beautiful pink caped evening gown.
