Prince Willem - Character Study

Of all sons of King Willem III, his oldest son Willem or Wiwill when he was small, looked the most like his father, in looks and in behaviour. Just like his father Wiwill had trouble with the rules that came with being a royal. He was not only a prince, he was the heir apparent to his father from 1848 till his death.

Like his father and unlike his two younger brothers, Wiwill was a difficult child. Especially after the birth of his younger brother Maurits his behaviour went from bad to worse. In many occasions he drove his maid to despair when things didn’t go the way he wanted them to. Sophie, his mother, let him have what he wanted so he would stop screaming. He was a spoilt child.

In his teens he became a spoilt child in harness. It was at eleven he got his first governor who was supposed to be with him all the time and do the rest of the upbringing. It was also at this time the war between his parents grew to destructable heights and they both tried to win him over to their side. Wiwill, who sees his mother as the victim of his father’s agression, choose his mother’s side.

Together with Wiwill’s governor De Casembroot and baron Forstner van Dambenoy the King designs a whole plan for his eldest son’s education and upbringing. Every minute of what the young boy is supposed to do is registered in the plan. His mother doesn’t have a place in that plan. At first the plan is executed in the palace. The young prince is educated by a small group of teachers with his mother trying to poke in her head as often as she could. It is not appreciated, not by the King, not by the educators and not even by Wiwill himself. In the end the King sends Wiwill to a boarding school for boys, Noorthey. His governor, De Casembroot goes along with the boy.

At first the prince doesn’t seem to enjoy school very much. He has trouble making friends and his teachers find him lazy and not intelligent enough. The impression he makes most is one of an uninterested, yet arrogant boy.
Over time the prince makes some friends and he realizes it’s calmer at school than back at home where both parents proceed with their wars. His achievements still don’t impress, but he seems to enjoy himself a bit more than before.

In the meantime royal duties carry on as usual and the young heir apparent gets to do his part of those duties as well. To the surprise of De Casembroot as well as his own parents, the prince turns out to be a good charmer, he sometimes even manages to say wise things.

With the boy being in his teens, his mother starts looking abroad for a appropriate bride for her son. The King leaves this completely to his wife, maybe because he’s aware his own reputation isn’t as good in other kingdoms as his wife’s, or maybe he was too lazy to search for a bride for his son. Whatever the case, Queen Sophie starts inquiring above a range of princesses.

His mother’s efforts don’t pay up. First of all is the image of the Dutch crown damaged by her husband, her son does the rest. Queen Victoria of Britain was initially impressed with the boy; he was polite and charming. However, the prince has no interest in any of her daughters and he focusses on a young lady of the royals’ friends. The Queen was not amused and therefore not accepted.

Wiwill was also sent to Russia to meet with the emperor and his daughter. He returns from Russia empty handed and with the words: “The farm girl doesn’t want me.”

When Wiwill reaches the age of 18 he is supposed to be grown up and he flees to Paris. Not much is known about his time in Paris, except that he partied and drank a lot. He also met Anna Mathilda van Limburg-Stirum (Mattie) in Paris. They fall in love and become inseperable. When Wiwill asks his parents for permission to marry her, both his parents disagree and refuse to give their permission. Especially Wiwill’s relationship with his father becomes even more strained after this matter. With his mother, and his younger brother Alexander, he remains very close.

In Paris, after the rejection of his marriage request, Wiwill throws himself at Paris’ party life and he neglects his own health.

Wiwill was a stubborn person, not easy as a child, not unlike his father. His stubborness was also very apparent during the whole Mattie affair. Other than that didn’t he do much worthwhile. He had great trouble with his status as prince, beside that he grew up between two fighting parents and without the support and leading hand he needed so badly.

My impression is that he was stifled in his skills, though he probably also was a bit lazy and he was definitely stubborn. But I think he was smarter than he showed and had he had the right upbringing and support, he could have been a much better person than he was allowed to be in the end.

He died in Paris 11 June 1879 of a combination of symptons, age 38. Only princes Mathilda, a cousin of his mother’s, and his brother Alexander were at his death bed. Alexander brought him back to the Netherlands by train crying the whole way.