The royal family marked 100 years since the birth of Prince Claus
Photo: The Dutch Royal House
King Willem-Alexander, Princess Beatrix and Prince Constantijn visited Hitzacker in Germany, the birthplace of Prince Claus, on Sunday. They marked the 100th anniversary of his birth and visited the monument to him.
King Willem-Alexander, Princess Beatrix and Prince Constantijn visited Hitzacker in Germany on Sunday 6 September to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Prince Claus. Claus von Amsberg was born in Dötzingen, in the municipality of Hitzacker, in 1926.
The royal family at the monument to Prince Claus in Hitzacker. Photo: The Royal House of the Netherlands
The relief carries the name Claus von Amsberg together with his date of birth, 6 September 1926, and the place name Hitzacker an der Elbe. A rose lay on the plinth, and a bouquet in orange and blue stood at the foot of the monument.
• The Orange Route
During the visit the King, Princess Beatrix and Prince Constantijn were briefed on the Orange Route, known in German as the Oranier-Route. It is a walking and cycling route of some 2,300 kilometres running through German towns and cities with historical ties to the Dutch Royal Family.
Princess Beatrix with the King, Prince Constantijn and local representatives. Photo: The Royal House of the Netherlands
After the briefing they went on to the monument to Prince Claus, and then took a walk along the Prinz-Claus-Promenade.
Onlookers had turned out with Dutch flags along the route. Photo: The Royal House of the Netherlands
• Prince Claus
Prince Claus was a German-born diplomat, and his marriage to Beatrix in 1966 was contested because of his background. He had been a member of the Nazi youth organisations Deutsches Jungvolk and the Hitler Youth, and in 1944 he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht, where he was taken prisoner by American forces in northern Italy before seeing any fighting. The wedding in Amsterdam on 10 March 1966 came 21 years after the German occupation of the Netherlands and was met with demonstrations, during which activists from the Provo movement threw a smoke bomb at the wedding carriage. Over the years he became one of the most popular members of the royal house, known for his wisdom and his commitment to development work.
Beatrix became queen in 1980 and abdicated in 2013, when her son Willem-Alexander took the throne. The couple had three sons: Willem-Alexander, Friso and Constantijn. Prince Friso died in 2013.
Prince Claus died on 6 October 2002 at the age of 76.
A group photograph with local representatives during the visit to Hitzacker. Photo: The Royal House of the Netherlands