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His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands wearing his royal robes. Photo by Koos Breukel-

Top 10 Amazing Facts Willem-Alexander of Netherlands

Willem-Alexander’s full names are Willem-Alexander Claus and George Ferdinand. He is the king of the Netherlands, having acceded following his mother’s abduction in 2013.

Learn more about Willem-Alexander in these top 10 amazing facts.

1. King Willem-Alexander was Born a Royal

Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand was born on April 27, 1967, at the Utrecht University Hospital (now University Medical Center Utrecht) in Utrecht, Netherlands.

He is the first child of Princess Beatrix and prince Claus and the first grandchild of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard. He was the first immediate male heir since Alexander’s death in 1884.

Willem-Alexander was baptized as a member of the Dutch Reformed Church on September 2, 1967, in Saint Jacob’s Church in Hague. He had two younger brothers, Prince Friso and prince Constantijn.

2. A Brief History of his Education Background

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He attended the local state primary school Nieuwe Baarnse Elementary school in Baarn from 1973 to 1979.

Willem-Alexander attended two different state secondary schools; the Baarns Lyceum in Baarn from 1979 to 1981 and the Eerste Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum in The Hague from 1981 to 1983.

After secondary, he joined the private sixth-form college United World College of the Atlantic in Wales, the UK (1983-1985), where he received his International Baccalaureate.

After his Military service from 1985 to 1987, he studied history at Leiden University from 1987 onwards and received his Master of Arts (MA) degree in 1993.

His final thesis was on the Dutch response to Frances’s decision under President Charles de Gaulle to leave the NATO integrated command structure. He speaks English, Spanish, French, German and fluent native Dutch.

3. He is the King of the Netherlands

Willem-Alexander’s mother resigned from the throne on the morning of April 30, 2013. Later that afternoon, he was inaugurated as King In front of the joint assembly of the states-general in a ceremony held at the Nieuwe Kerk.

He ascended to the throne at the age of 46, and he was Europe’s youngest monarch and the first male monarch of the Netherlands since the death of his great-great-grandfather William in 1890.

As king, he has weekly meeting with the prime minister and speaks regularly with the minister and state secretaries. He also signs all new Acts of Parliament and royal decrees and represents the kingdom at home and abroad.

As king, he was also the president of the council of state, an advisory body that reviewed proposed legislation. At the state opening of parliament, he delivers the speech from the Throne, among many other duties.

4. Willem-Alexander Served in the Military

Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands as sub-lieutenant of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Photo by Ministerie van Defensie-

Willem-Alexander performed military service in the Royal Netherlands Navy from 1895 to 1987 between secondary and university education.

He received his military training at the Royal Netherlands Naval College and the Frigates HNLMS Tromp and HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen, where he was an ensign.

In 1988 he received additional training at the ship HNLMS Van Kinsbergen and became a Lieutenant (junior upgraded). He served as a reservist for the Royal Netherlands Navy and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 1995.

From 1995 he continued been promoted to higher ranks until, in 2005, he was promoted to Air Commodore and as a reservist for the Royal Marechaussee, he was made Brigadier General in 2005.

Before he became king in 2013, he was discharged from his duties in the armed forces. The government declared that the head of state could not be a serving member of the armed force since the government held supreme command over the armed forces.

5. Willem-Alexander is a pilot

During the reign of his mother, he regularly flew the Dutch royal aircraft on trips in May 2017. He revealed that he served as a first officer on KLM flights for 21 years.

He used to fly KLM cityhopper’s Fokker 70s twice a month, even after his accession to the throne. He was rarely recognized while in KLM uniform and working KLM cap.

Willem Alexander always wished to fly Boeing 747 and after retiring from KLM, he began training to fly Boeing 737s.

6. He Participated in Several Sports Competitions using Pseudo Names

Using the name W.A Van Buren in 1986, he participated in the Elfstedentocht tour in Frisian. It was a 200-kilometer-long-distance ice-skating tour.

Using the same pseudo name, he ran the New York City marathon. In both events, he won. He was the patron of the Dutch Olympics Committee until 1998 and was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

After accession, he resigned his membership and recorded the Gold Olympic Order at the 125th IOC session. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1928 Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam, he expressed support for bidding for the 2028 summer Olympics.

7. King Willem Alexander has an Interest in Water Management

Willem-Alexander has a huge interest in water management. He worked as an honorary member of the World Commission on Water and was the patron of the Global Water Partnership, a body established by the World Bank, the United Nations (UN) and the Swedish Ministry of Development.

His water focus continued with his appointment as the Chairperson of the United Nations Secretary-General’s  Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation on December 12, 2006.

8. Willem-Alexander’s Marriage Triggered Significant Controversy

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane during the balcony scene after the abdication of Beatrix. Photo sourced from

He married Maxima Zorreguieta, Cerruti on February 2, 2002 at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam.

Their marriage triggered significant controversy due to the bride’s father, Jorge Zorreguieta’s role in the Argentina military dictatorship.

The couple has three daughters; Princess Ariane, Princess Alexia and the Princess of Orange.

9. He Proposed to Queen Maxima While Ice Skating

We must say the king is romantic. He proposed to queen Maxima when the two were Ice skating on the frozen lake of Huis Ten Bosch.

In 2021, he recreated that moment on Valentine’s Day and shared it with the public on Instagram.

10. He Invested in a Development Project in the Mozambican Peninsula of Machangulo

Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, on July 16, 2008, announced they had invested in a development project on the Mozambican Peninsula of Machangulo.

The project aimed at building a vacation resort and the project was to invest heavily in the local economy of the Peninsula towards responsible sustainability and maintaining a local staff.

The Mozambican government had no objects toward the project. There were several controversies among the public and parliament. The couple announced they decided to sell the property in Machangulo once their house was completed; the villa was sold in January 2012.