Biography

• Born on 31st January 1938 at the Soestdijk Palace near Baarn.
• Studied Sociology, Law and History in Leiden; was conferred a doctorate (LLD). She was initiator and President (1961) of the European Working Group, which called upon European youth to concern themselves with current issues and to campaign for a united Europe. As heir apparent she increasingly took on representational duties in the seventies.
• She has been Queen of the Netherlands since 1980. She has made a great contribution to the development of good neighbourly relations between the Netherlands and Germany; as a convinced European she has campaigned for a united Europe and the continuation of the European unification process on many occasions.