Alexander, Prince of Orange

Alexander
Prince of Orange
A drawing by F.A. Tilly
Born	25 August 1851 Noordeinde Palace, The Hague, Netherlands
Died	21 June 1884 (aged 32) The Hague, Netherlands
Burial	Nieuwe Kerk, Delft, Netherlands
Full name Willem Alexander Karel Hendrik Frederik
House	Orange-Nassau
Father	William III of the Netherlands
Mother	Sophie of Württemberg

Alexander, Prince of Orange (Willem Alexander Karel Hendrik Frederik; 25 August 1851 – 21 June 1884), was heir apparent to his father King William III of the Netherlands from 11 June 1879 until his death.

For a span of 116 years, from the birth of Alexander (1851) until the birth of the present king Willem-Alexander (1967), no male heirs were born into the Dutch Royal House.

Life

Prince Alexander of the Netherlands was born in The Hague on 25 August 1851.^[1] He was the third child of King William III and Queen Sophie.^[2] Unlike his brother William, the crown prince, he was disciplined, intellectual and well-read. After Prince William's death on 11 June 1879, he became heir apparent to the Dutch throne and as such the Prince of Orange.

Alexander held the position of heir apparent until his own death, at age 32, on 21 June 1884 in The Hague from typhus.^[1] Although he never married, negotiations were held for him to marry, firstly Princess Thyra of Denmark, and supposedly secondly the Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal. He was buried in the new royal burial vault in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft on 17 July 1884.^[3] After his death, his half-sister, the future Queen Wilhelmina, became heiress presumptive to the Dutch throne.^[4] Alexander's death meant that on the death of William III the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg came into the hands of Duke Adolphus from the Walram line of the House of Nassau, as under the terms of the house-treaty a princess could not succeed to that title.

Titles and styles

• His Royal Highness Prince Alexander of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau (1851–1879)
• His Royal Highness The Prince of Orange (1879–1884)

Ancestry

Ancestors of Alexander, Prince of Orange

16. William V, Prince of Orange               8. William I of the Netherlands                       17. Wilhelmina of Prussia               4. William II of the Netherlands                             18. Frederick William II of Prussia               9. Wilhelmine of Prussia                       19. Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt               2. William III of the Netherlands                                   20. Peter III of Russia (=28)               10. Paul I of Russia (=14)                       21. Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst (=29)               5. Anna Pavlovna of Russia                             22. Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (=24=30)               11. Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (=15)                       23. Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt (=25=31)               1. Alexander, Prince of Orange                                         24. Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (=22=30)               12. Frederick I of Württemberg                       25. Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt (=23=31)               6. William I of Württemberg                             26. Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick               13. Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel                       27. Princess Augusta of Great Britain               3. Sophie of Württemberg                                   28. Peter III of Russia (=20)               14. Paul I of Russia (=10)                       29. Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst (=21)               7. Catherine Pavlovna of Russia                             30. Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (=22=24)               15. Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (=11)                       31. Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt (=23=25)

References

1. (Dutch) Prins Alexander (1851 -1884). Retrieved on 2008-07-28.
2. (Dutch) Stamboom Koninklijk Huis. Retrieved on 2008-07-28.
3. The royal burial vaults. Retrieved on 2008-07-28.
4. Genealogy of the Royal Family of the Netherlands at the Wayback Machine (archived October 28, 2009)

External links

• Biography of Alexander of the Netherlands (1851-1884)