thumb|262px|Schloss Dötzingen, birthplace of Claus von Amsberg

Prince Claus of the Netherlands, Jonkheer van Amsberg (born Klaus-Georg Wilhelm Otto Friedrich Gerd von Amsberg; 6 September 1926 – 6 October 2002) was Prince of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until his death on 6 October 2002, as the husband of Queen Beatrix.

Initially a diplomat in the service of West Germany and West German deputy ambassador to Ivory Coast, Claus met Beatrix on New Year's Eve 1963 and married her in 1966. When his wife ascended to the throne in 1980, Claus took his place as Prince of the Netherlands, which he held until his death in 2002.

Biography

Klaus-Georg Wilhelm Otto Friedrich Gerd von Amsberg was born on his mother's family's estate, Schloss Dötzingen, Hitzacker, Germany, on 6 September 1926. He was the second child and only son of Claus Felix von Amsberg and his wife, Baroness Gösta von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen. His father, by birth a member of House of Amsberg which belonged to the untitled German nobility from Mecklenburg, operated a large farm in Tanganyika (formerly German East Africa) from 1928 until World War II. His mother belonged to the ancient von dem Bussche noble family which originated from the County of Ravensberg. From 1938, Claus and his six sisters grew up on their maternal grandmother's estate in Lower Saxony; he attended the Friderico-Francisceum-Gymnasium in Bad Doberan from 1933 to 1936 and a boarding school in Tanganyika from 1936 to 1938. From 1938 until 1942, he attended the German Baltenschule Misdroy in what is now Międzyzdroje, Poland.

In 1944, Claus was conscripted into the German Wehrmacht, becoming a soldier in the German 90th Panzergrenadier Division in Italy in March 1945.

Claus met Princess Beatrix for the first time on New Year's Eve 1963 in Bad Driburg at a dinner hosted by the Count von Oeynhausen-Sierstorpff, who was a distant relative of both of them. Claus and Beatrix were also distantly related (5th cousins twice removed), as both being descendants from von dem Bussche family. They met again at the wedding-eve party of Princess Tatjana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse, in the summer of 1964. With memories of German oppression still very strong 20 years after the war, sections of the Dutch population were unhappy that Beatrix's fiancé was a German and former member of the Hitler Youth. Nonetheless, Queen Juliana gave the engagement her blessing For a time, it was thought that Beatrix would be the last monarch of the Netherlands.

However, over time, Claus became accepted by the public, so much so that during the last part of his life he was considered by some to be the most popular member of the royal family. This change in Dutch opinion was brought about by Claus's strong motivation to contribute to public causes (especially Third World development, on which he was considered an expert), his sincere modesty and his candor (within but sometimes on the edge of royal protocol).

The public also sympathised with Claus for his efforts to give meaning to his life beyond the restrictions that Dutch law imposed on the royal family's freedom of speech and action. However, these restrictions were gradually loosened; Claus was even appointed as senior staff member at the Department of Developing Aid, albeit in an advisory role.

One example of his attitude toward protocol was the "Declaration of the Tie". In 1998, after presenting the annual Prince Claus Awards to three African fashion designers, Claus told "workers of all nations to unite and cast away the new shackles they have voluntarily cast upon themselves", meaning the necktie, that "snake around my neck,"

Claus battled depression for a number of years, and underwent surgery in 1998 to remove his prostate. In 2001, he underwent another surgery to remove one of his kidneys. He eventually died on 6 October 2002 from Parkinson's disease and heart failure.

On 30 April 1980, Claus' mother-in-law, Queen Juliana, abdicated in favour of Princess Beatrix, who became Queen of the Netherlands. After the investiture, the couple visited the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.

On Claus' seventieth birthday, the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development was established on the initiative of the Dutch government. The fund focused on enhancing understanding of cultures and promoting interaction between culture and development.

  • 30 April 1980 - 6 October 2002: His Royal Highness The Prince of the Netherlands

Honours

National

  • :
  • 75px Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (1966)
  • 75px Recipient of the Cross Medal of Nijmegen Marching Proficiency
  • 75px Recipient of the Queen Beatrix Inauguration Medal
  • 75px Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange and Maxima Zorreguieta

Foreign

  • :
  • 75px Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (1994)
  • :
  • 75px Knight of the Order of the Elephant (29 October 1975)
  • Ethiopian imperial family:
  • 75px Grand Cordon of the Order of the Queen of Sheba (1969)
  • :
  • 75px Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honour (1984)
  • :
  • 75px Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1 March 1983)
  • :
  • 75px Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon (1994)
  • :
  • 75px Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (27 March 1985)
  • :
  • 75px Grand Cross of the National Order of the Ivory Coast (1973)
  • :
  • 75px Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (2000)
  • :
  • 75px Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Saint Olav (1968)
  • :
  • 75px Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ (14 May 1991)
  • :
  • 75px Grand Cross of the Order of Good Hope (1999)
  • :
  • 75px Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (7 October 1985)
  • 75px Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
  • :
  • 75px Commander Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star (1976)
  • :
  • TN Order Merit Rib|75px Grand Cordon of the National Order of Merit of Tunisia (1973)
  • :
  • 75px Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (18 November 1982)

Academic awards

  • Honorary Doctor of the International Institute of Social Studies (1988)

Prince Claus was also appointed Honorary Fellow of the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in 1988. Prince Claus was a prominent member of the international development cooperation community.

Ancestry

Issue

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|-

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Name

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Birth

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Death

! colspan="2" scope="col" | Marriage

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Children

|-

! scope="col" | Date

! scope="col" | Spouse

|-

! scope="row" | King Willem-Alexander

| 27 April 1967

|

| 2 February 2002

| Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti

| Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange<br>Princess Alexia<br>Princess Ariane

|-

! scope="row" | Prince Friso

| 25 September 1968

| 12 August 2013

| 24 April 2004

| Mabel Wisse Smit

| Countess Luana<br>Countess Zaria

|-

! scope="row" | Prince Constantijn

| 11 October 1969

|

| 17 May 2001

| Laurentien Brinkhorst

| Countess Eloise of Orange-Nassau<br>Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau<br>Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau

|}

References

|-

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