Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones

A bit whiny.


Former Queen Beatrix about the book ‘Voor de Troon Wordt men Niet Ongestraft Geboren’ (Translation: ‘One Does Not Get Born For the Throne Unpunished'). She din’t like the book. She said the authors created a prejudice and distorted image of the three Kings. Yeah well, since homely lives don’t make history and we humans have an excellent ability to spot the ugliness, almost anything that’s touched on comes out distorted, because some prejudice opinion thinks a half- or none truth about someone or something. That’s life. It’s even proved we’re terrible in retaling truth. What she was really angry about was that it was not more flattering to her family.

It’s not that I completely disagree with her. To me it seems it’s a bit coincidental that precisely our three Kings turned out to be nutters and/or evil. I don’t think they really were. I think they just were very human. King William I was and is hardly the only greedy man. King William II is not the only pushover and King William III is not exactly the only adulterer on earth. I don’t approve of that behaviour, but be honest, how would you do it with a throne under your arse? You really think you’d be much better? In some cases, sure, but in most, you’ll be just as crap as they were, only maybe just in other areas.

Another question: How many of you are true revolutionairies? My point is, beside the Kings’ obvious flaws, they were also very much products of their time. Colonial belongings were very normal and not frowned upon. Adultery was very normal in upper class families too. It works the same now. And greed and no strong behaviour are timeless.

I’m not telling anyone to get off their backs, I’m just trying to point out that maybe before passing judgement, we should look at ourselves and then judge.

So, anyone care to throw the first stone at target of choice?

Females Rule

Yes, yes; filling my quota.

In the TV-series “Wij Alexander”, some hotel employee remarks mockingly to a shop owner:

“Didn’t only the females survive in the Dutch Royal family?”

 (paraphrased)


Yes, that’s right. Or like a poster on a forum puts it:

"The Orange Dynasty needs the women to survive."

The males have a tendency to die young, unmarried, or childless and in quite a few cases all of those.

"Willem II had 4 sons -- Willem III -- Alexander (died at 29, never married) -- Hendrik (died 59, married twice, no children) -- Ernst (died as infant).

If Willem III had not married a second wife - one third of his age and produced Wilhelmina - dynastic disaster would have struck.

He married Emma on 7 Jan 1879
brother Hendrik died 13 Jan 1879
son Willem died 11 June 1879
daughter Wilhelmina born 31 Aug 1880
son Alexander died 21 Jun 1884
The Dutch royal family was three people - King, Queen, Princess
Next closest relations were Willem III's sister Sophie and her family. She had married the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

The Dutch royal family has been singularly unsuccessful in producing males that live and reproduce.

Willem II's offspring are noted above -- He was one of two sons of Willem I -- His only brother Frederik had two sons - one died as an infant, the second lived to be almost 10!!

Willem I was the only surviving son of Willem V Stadhoulder - His first son died on the date of his birth; son #3 died at 25 unmarried."

These weak males were often the cause of the original Orange-Nassau becoming extinct.

"(The Orange-Nassaus are one of those IRRITATING dynasties that keep dying out, branch after branch after branch. The Vasas and the Jagiellons went the same way. I prefer dynasties that implode majestically, like the Plantagenets.)"

Don't we all? Or no, we don't, it’s good for a lot of gossip and rumour. It keeps the family interesting and somewhat tragically fairytale.

"Wiwill (the prince, as he was called) exiled himself and died in Paris after fornicating, gambling and drinking himself to death - in the good copany of the future Edward VII as we are always fond to add."

Love the last sentence. At that point the prince had grown out of his nickname of Wiwil and was now Willem. He was just rarely called that, rather Willem or the more fruity variation of Le Prince de Citron.

Source: Google forum

I posted this, because I noticed it as well. They were smart enough to marry in strong women, who in turn gave them some more weak males. Since they were marrying family, cousins most of the time, it’s hardly a surprise. No wonder the 20th century went by fairly smoothly under female rule.

Even now it's the women making the strongest impression. Just look at our former Queen Beatrix and at our current Queen Maxima. Then look at our King Willem-Alexander.

Yeah, sure. We know who's boss.

Our next head of the kingdom will be Amalia, Willem-Alexander's and Maxima's oldest daughter. Another Queen.

From left to right: Princess Ariane, Princess Alexia and Princess Amalia