1911 – ✝ 2004
Prince Bernhard
Prince Bernhard was the prince consort of Queen Juliana and the father of Princess Beatrix. He was born in the German grand duchy of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach.
Trainee
After leaving school, he worked as an intern at a chemical company. Not long afterward, he met Dutch crown princess Juliana. They got engaged on 8 September 1936 and married on 7 January 1937. In addition to his already acquired military honorary titles, Bernhard was named 'Prince of the Netherlands'.
White carnation
Since his student days, Bernhard had been in the habit of wearing a white carnation on his jacket on public occasions. This gave rise to Carnation Day, on his birthday in 1940. Many Dutch people wore a carnation then as an open expression of dissatisfaction with the German occupation.
Bribes
In the mid-1970s, Prince Bernhard was suspected of involvement in a bribery affair. Following an investigation, he resigned his post as inspector general of the armed forces.
Missing man
Around the year 2000, Prince Bernhard suffered from illness. In late 2004, his condition worsened, and he died. Ten days later, Prince Bernhard was interred in the family tomb in the Nieuwe Kerk. As a tribute, the Royal Air Force flew over with three F16s and a Spitfire prior to the ceremony, in a so-called missing man formation. On his coffin was a white carnation.
Discover more about Notable Characters
William of Orange
William of Orange; the 'Father of the Fatherland'. That his name was associated with Delft and the Nieuwe Kerk is purely coincidental. After his sudden death in the Prinsenhof in Delft, the family tomb in Breda was inaccessible.
King William I
It was around the year 1800 in the Low Countries. The era of stadholders was over, and Napoleon Bonaparte was advancing from the south. Then William I Frederick became the first king of the Netherlands and secured the dynasty of the Oranges.
Willem George Frederik
William George Frederick of Orange-Nassau was the youngest son of the last stadholder William V and the brother of the first King of the Netherlands; William I Frederick. He was an inspiring army commander who, despite a nasty shoulder wound, fought courageously against the French.
Koningin Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina was queen for almost fifty-eight years; the longest reign since the creation of the Dutch constitutional monarchy in 1815. During that time, she led the country through two world wars as well as reconstruction.
Prince Claus
Klaus-Georg Wilhelm Otto Friedrich Gerd von Amsberg - or Prince Claus for short - married Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1966, Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 - 2013. Not everyone was happy with this prince of German origin. Later, however, his popularity only increased.
1909 – ✝ 2004
Queen Juliana was one of three members of the Royal Family who died in fairly quick succession and were buried in the Nieuwe Kerk. She was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Prince Claus. Husband Prince Bernhard followed Juliana the same year.
1911 – ✝ 2004
Prince Bernhard was the prince consort of Queen Juliana and the father of Princess Beatrix. He was born in the German grand duchy of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach.
1583 – ✝ 1645
Hugo de Groot is considered one of the greatest jurists ever. With famous works such as De jure belli ac pacis and Mare Liberum, he laid the foundations for today's Western legal system. However, his influence was not appreciated by all.