Princess Christina of the Netherlands (Maria Christina; 18 February 1947 – 16 August 2019) was the youngest of four daughters of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She taught singing in New York and was a long-term supporter of the Youth Music Foundation in the Netherlands. Born visually impaired, she worked to share her knowledge of dance and sound therapy with the blind.

She renounced her and her descendants' rights to the throne before marrying Cuban exile Jorge Guillermo in 1975, and converted to Catholicism in 1992. The couple had three children and built up an extensive art collection, before they divorced in 1996. Christina died of bone cancer in 2019.

Early life

Princess Christina, who was known as Princess Marijke in her youth, was born on 18 February 1947, at Soestdijk Palace, Baarn, the Netherlands. Her parents were Crown Princess Juliana, the only child of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. At the time of her birth, she was fifth in the line to the throne after her mother and three older sisters: Princess Beatrix, Princess Irene and Princess Margriet.

On 4 September 1948, after a reign of nearly 58 years, Christina's grandmother Queen Wilhelmina (68) abdicated the throne and her mother was inaugurated as Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 6 September 1948.

Childhood and education

While her mother was pregnant with Christina, she contracted either measles or rubella and as a result, Christina was born nearly blind. With medical treatment and custom eyeglasses, her vision improved to a point that she could attend school and live a relatively normal life.

In 1963, she stopped using her first name Maria, from then on referring to herself merely as Christina. She graduated from secondary school (Amersfoort Lyceum) in 1965 and went on to

Marriage

thumb|left|Princess Christina & Jorge Pérez y Guillermo in 1975

thumb|right|Princess Christina and Jorge Guillermo with Bernardo in 1978

While living in New York as Christina van Oranje, the Princess started a relationship with Cuban exile Jorge Guillermo.

The couple were married on 28 June 1975, civilly in Baarn and then religiously in an ecumenical ceremony in the Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht. They had three children:

  • Bernardo Federico Thomas Guillermo (born 17 June 1977, Utrecht), has two children with Eva-Marie Prinz-Valdez (born 2 August 1979)
  • Isabel Christina Guillermo (13 April 2009).
  • Julián Jorge Guillermo (21 September 2011).
  • Nicolás Daniel Mauricio Guillermo (born 6 July 1979, Utrecht), has two children with Leah-Michelle Pilon:
  • Joaquín Christiaan Guillermo (16 September 2020).
  • Carmen Ester Ruby Guillermo (10 April 2023).
  • Juliana Edenia Antonia Guillermo (born 8 October 1981, Utrecht), has three children with Tao Bodhi:
  • Kai Bodhi Guillermo (12 September 2014).
  • Numa Bodhi Guillermo (born in 2016).
  • Aida Bodhi Guillermo (born in 2019).

By her request, the couple divorced on 25 April 1996.

Career

upright|thumb|left|P.P. Rubens's drawing sold in 2019 by Princess Christina

She began teaching singing in New York after completing her vocal teaching studies at the École de musique Vincent-d’Indy in Montreal. She recorded and released several CDs (classical, Broadway) in 2000 and 2002, and was a long-term supporter of the Youth Music Foundation in the Netherlands.

Death

In June 2018, it was announced that Princess Christina had been diagnosed with bone cancer. She died on 16 August 2019, aged 72. Her body was taken to Fagel's Garden Pavilion near Noordeinde Palace for a private service held on 22 August, and her remains were cremated.

Titles, styles and honours

Honours

National honours

  • Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands
  • Recipient of the Silver Wedding Anniversary Medal of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard 1962
  • Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Princess Beatrix, Princess of Orange and Claus von Amsberg 1966
  • Recipient of the Queen Beatrix Inauguration Medal 1980
  • Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange and Máxima Zorreguieta 2002
  • Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal 2013

Foreign honours

  • Luxembourg: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown
  • Kingdom of Nepal Nepalese Royal Family: Member Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Three Divine Powers

Ancestry

References

  • Royal House of the Netherlands