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Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau (born 25 September 1968) is the second son of Queen Beatrix and the late Prince Claus of the Netherlands. Prince Friso is member of the Dutch Royal Family, but through his marriage in 2004 no longer a member of the Dutch Royal House and in line of succession to the Dutch throne. He is still in the line of succession of the British throne and the commonwealth realms. In 2004 the royal court announced that Prince Johan-Friso wanted his forename to be "Friso" without the addition "Johan".
He was born in Utrecht. His godparents are King Harald V of Norway, Johan Christian Baron von Jenisch, J.H. van Roijen, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Christina von Amsberg.
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In 1988, the prince studied mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, where he joined Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. From 1988 to 1994 he studied at Delft University of Technology, where he obtained an engineer's degree in aeronautical engineering. Additionally, he has an MSc degree in economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. To prepare himself for the possibility of succession to the throne, he took courses in Dutch law and parliamentary history.
Prince Friso worked from 1995 until 1996 at the Amsterdam branch of the international management consultancy McKinsey. After completing an MBA-programme at INSEAD, Prince Friso worked as vice president from 1998 till 2003 for Goldman Sachs International in London. Since 2004 he is part-time co-president of TNO Space in Delft. As of October 2006, Prince Friso is Managing Director in the London office of the private investment and advisory firm Wolfensohn & Co (founded by James Wolfensohn, former President of the World Bank).
Prince Friso is a co-founder of the MRI Centre in Amsterdam and is also a founding shareholder of Wizzair, the largest low-cost airline in Eastern Europe. Prince Friso is honorary chairman of the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development (a position he holds together with his younger brother Prince Constantijn). The Prince also serves as a director and supervisory director of various companies.
Prince Friso is currently working as a Chief Financial Officer for a uranium enrichment company called URENCO. Urenco has their main offices in Marlow, Berkshire, UK, and have plants in The Netherlands, Germany, Kapenhurst UK, and New Mexico in the States. Prince Friso is now taking care of all four plants.
On 30 June 2003 it was announced that Prince Friso was to marry Mabel Wisse Smit. The Dutch cabinet however did not seek the permission of the parliament for this marriage; constitutionally necessary if Prince Friso was to remain a member of the Dutch Royal House and in line of the hereditary succession for the throne (he had been second in this line of succession, after his older brother, Crown Prince Willem Alexander).
The Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende explained that this was due to discussions with Mabel Wisse Smit in October 2003 where she had admitted that her previous statements about an alleged relationship with Klaas Bruinsma (1953–1991), known as a Godfather of the Dutch drug trade, had not been complete and accurate. She had previously stated that she had contact for a few months with Bruinsma, but in a casual context, not intimate or relating to business and that she had broken the contact on learning of Bruinsma's occupation.
This "breach of trust" was the reason the government did not seek parliament's permission, respecting the wishes of the couple.[1] They nevertheless married in Delft on 24 April 2004, and Mabel Wisse Smit became a member of the Dutch Royal Family but not a member of the Dutch Royal House.
Under the Act on the Membership of the Royal House (2002), Prince Friso lost the title 'Prince of the Netherlands' and the hereditary title 'Prince of Orange-Nassau' by entering into a marriage without an Act of Consent.
By Royal Decree of 19 March 2004, nr. 126 the Prince was granted the surname 'Van Oranje-Nassau van Amsberg' and the hereditary title 'Count of Orange-Nassau' to take effect upon his marriage.
By the same Royal Decree the Prince was allowed to continue his title 'Prince of Orange-Nassau' as a personal and non-hereditary title. Any children born to the couple will receive the surname 'Van Oranje-Nassau van Amsberg' and become a 'Count (Countess) of Orange-Nassau' and also have the noble predicate 'Jonkheer (Jonkvrouw) van Amsberg'. His wife will not acquire nobility by the marriage, although she is allowed to use her husband's style and titles as courtesy titles.
Albeit losing the title "Prince of the Netherlands" and the accompanying royal style, Prince Friso will continue to be styled His Royal Highness.[2]
On 26 March 2005, Prince Friso and Princess Mabel welcomed their first child, a daughter, Countess Emma Luana Ninette Sophie van Oranje-Nassau van Amsberg. Her title is Luana Countess of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouw van Amsberg. Her form of address is 'highborn lady' (in Dutch: hooggeboren vrouwe).
Prince Friso and Princess Mabel had their second child, a girl, on 18 June 2006. They named her Joanna Zaria Nicoline Milou but she is commonly known as Zaria.[3]
| Ancestors of Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau |
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Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau
Cadet branch of the House of Amsberg
Born: 26 March 2005 |
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| British royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Princess Ariane of the Netherlands |
Line of succession to the British throne | Succeeded by Countess Luana of Orange-Nassau |
| Titles in pretence | ||
| First in line | Line of succession to the Headship of the House of Amsberg | Succeeded by Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands |
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