Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands

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Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands
Born	May 25, 1966 (age 40) Leiden
Title	Princess of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, mevrouw van Amsberg
Spouse	Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands
Children	Eloise, Claus-Casimir, Leonore
Parents	Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst and Jantien Brinkhorst-Heringa

Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands (born Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst on May 25, 1966 in Leiden), Princess of Orange-Nassau, Mrs. Van Amsberg, is the wife of Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg, the third son of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands, Jonkheer van Amsberg.

Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst is the daughter of the Dutch minister of Economic Affairs, Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst and Jantien Brinkhorst-Heringa. She has one brother.

Princess Laurentien started primary school in Groningen. Her family then moved to The Hague, where she completed her primary education. She spent four years at the Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet, and a year at the Eerste Vrijzinnige Christelijk Lyceum, both in The Hague. In 1984, she passed the Baccalauréat A examinations at the Lycée français in Tokyo. Her father was working in Japan at the time, being the Permanent Envoy of the European Union.

Princess Laurentien studied history at Groningen University until 1986, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at London University in 1989. From September 1989 she studied journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, where she obtained her master of journalism degree in 1991.

The engagement of Prince Constantijn and Laurentien Brinkhorst was announced on 16 December 2000. The civil marriage was conducted by the mayor of The Hague, Wim Deetman, in the Oude Raadzaal, Javastraat, The Hague on 17 May 2001. The church wedding took place two days later in the Grote of St Jacobskerk, with Reverend Carel ter Linden officiating. Although not a Princess in her own right, since her marriage she has been known as Princess Laurentien, and she holds the courtesy titles of Princess of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau and Mrs. Van Amsberg. By Royal Decree of 15 January 2003, nr. 36 to Princess Laurentien was granted her own personal standard.

Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien have three children, with the recent birth of Countess Leonore:

Eloise Sophie Beatrix Laurence Countess of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, born June 8, 2002), who was the first grandchild of Queen Beatrix
Claus-Casimir Bernhard Marius Max Count of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg, born March 21, 2004.
Leonore Marie Irene Enrica Countess of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, born June 3, 2006.

Her niece HRH Princess Alexia Juliana Marcela Laurentien of the Netherlands, second daughter of the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, was named in her honor partially.

Prince Constantijn, Princess Laurentien and their children live in Brussels.

More recent, Princess Laurentien has become an advocate for the fight against illiteracy in the Netherlands, which is now to be considered an underestimated problem.