1909 – ✝ 2004
Queen Juliana
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.
People's Joy
The birth of Juliana of the Netherlands came 'like a gift from heaven'. Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik had no children after years. Upon their death, a German relative might have to succeed Wilhelmina. However, great was the popular joy when a healthy princess came into the world on 30 April 1909. Her full name was Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina.
Popular
Juliana married Bernhard van Lippe-Biesterfeld in 1937 and ascended the throne in 1948. Unlike her mother, Queen Juliana was close to the people. Soberness and a certain informal attitude typified her public appearance. It was precisely this that made her popular. More than once, you could see her cycling in simple clothes - jokingly called the 'cycling monarch'.
Chimes
Juliana's kingship also suffered several setbacks. During a notorious smear affair by her husband, she even considered an early resignation. She eventually did so in 1980. After that, her life returned to calmer waters. Juliana died at the age of 94, in the presence of her family. Under the chime of the Bourdon of the Old Church, her coffin was carried into the New Church. After a solemn ceremony, it was interred in the royal crypt.
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.