On Tuesday, October 2nd, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands visited the royal Dutch marshal at Willem Lodewijk von Nassaukazerne in Zoutkamp.
His Majesty’s visit was aimed at following a military exercise sponsored by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee that would involve 200 guards in a realistic scenario for two weeks. The guards are responsible for securing a fictional country in a variety of circumstances, from humanitarian disasters to murder investigations.
The king was received on his arrival by Lieutenant General Van den Brink and the officer in charge of the exercise, Colonel Keijer.
The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee is one of the four branches of the Dutch Armed Forces and is responsible for protecting the Kingdom of the Netherlands in both Europe and the Caribbean. The Royal Dutch Marschallsee is responsible, among other things, for securing the royal palaces in the Netherlands and providing close protection officers for members of the Dutch royal family. Before Willem-Alexander became King, he was appointed Brigadier General of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee in 2005.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands was born on April 27, 1967 in Utrecht, Netherlands. The first of three sons, Willem-Alexander, was second on the throne at the time of his birth, as his mother, Princess Beatrix, was the then heir to the Dutch throne. His father, who became Prince Claus of the Netherlands after his marriage, was a former German diplomat.
After Willem-Alexander’s maternal grandmother, Queen Juliana, abdicated, his mother became Queen of the Netherlands on April 30, 1980. Willem-Alexander then took on the use of the title traditionally associated with the heir to the Dutch monarchy, Prince of Orange.
On February 2, 2002, the future king married the Argentine-born Máxima Zorreguieta. In connection with their marriage, Máxima received Dutch citizenship and became a princess of the Netherlands.
The couple’s first child, Princess Catharina-Amalia, was born on December 7, 2003. She was followed by two more daughters, Princess Alexia (born 2005) and Princess Ariane (born 2007).
After 33 years as Queen, Beatrix decided it was time for her son to take on the role of Monarch of the Netherlands and on April 30, 2013, she abdicated. Since then, Willem-Alexander and Máxima have been King and Queen of the Netherlands, and His Majesty’s heir is his eldest daughter, Princess Catharina-Amalia, now named Princess of Orange.
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