Princess Catharina-Amalia has two younger sisters:Princess Alexia (born in 2005) andPrincess Ariane (born in 2007). The family spent the princesses' formative years at Villa Eikenhorst on the De Horsten estate inWassenaar. In 2019 they moved toHuis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague.[8]
Her birthdays are traditionally celebrated with a concert at theKloosterkerk in The Hague, which is attended by ambassadors and members of the royal household and theCouncil of State of the Netherlands.[9] Catharina-Amalia's paternal grandmother,Queen Beatrix,abdicated on 30April 2013 and her father ascended the throne. Catharina-Amalia, as the new heir apparent, assumed the title ofPrincess of Orange,[10] becoming the first to do so in her own right.[11]
In December 2007, Catharina-Amalia started attending Bloemcamp Primary School, apublic primary school in Wassenaar.[12] After graduating from primary school, she attended theChristelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet in The Hague, where her auntPrincess Laurentien attended.[13] She participated in the student council and attended both theModel United Nations of theInternational School of The Hague and The Hague International Model United Nations conferences.[3] She graduated in 2021 with distinction.[3] After completing her studies at Sorghvliet, Catharina-Amalia took a gap year, during which she interned at the Orange Fund and volunteered at other organisations.[14][3]
Catharina-Amalia studied at theUniversity of Amsterdam for aBachelor of Science[15] degree inPolitics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE).[16] During her second month in university, she was moved back to the royal palace from her student housing in Amsterdam due to security risks.[17] In April 2024, King Willem-Alexander revealed that Catharina-Amalia lived inMadrid in 2023 under the protection of theSpanish monarchy, while she continued her studies online, due to the threats from the Moroccan mafia, a criminal organization dedicated to drug trafficking that has been threatening to kidnap her.[18][19][20] In August 2024, theDutch Broadcasting Foundation announced that Catharina-Amalia joined Amsterdam corps, a Dutch student association.[21] Catharina-Amalia graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in PPLE in July 2025.[22] She is set to participate in the Defensity College training program at the University of Amsterdam for two academic years to earn a bachelor's degree in Dutch Law.[22]
Catharina-Amalia speaksDutch, English, and Spanish (her mother's first language).[23] Additionally, she took classes inMandarin Chinese.[24]
Catharina-Amalia and her sisters attended the annualKoningsdag.[3] On 19 June 2010, Catharina-Amalia served as a bridesmaid at thewedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling.[25] On the occasion of her 18th birthday in 2021, a biography of Catharina-Amalia was published. Similar books were published on the 18th birthday ofPrincess Beatrix in 1956 and Prince Willem-Alexander in 1985. The book titled "Amalia" is written by Dutch entertainerClaudia de Breij.[26] On 8 December 2021, Catharina-Amalia assumed her seat in the Advisory Division of theCouncil of State when she reached theage of majority at 18 the day before.[27][28][29] On the same day, she gave her first public speech at theCouncil of State meeting inKneuterdijk Palace.[30][31] An outdoor birthday party thrown by her family to mark the occasion was found to be in breach of regulations and restrictions imposed during theCOVID-19 pandemic, which made her father admit that "it was not right to organize this".[32][33]
On 17 June 2022, together with her parents, she was among the royal guests invited to the celebrations of the 18th birthday ofPrincess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway. This was Catharina-Amalia's first public engagement outside of The Netherlands and the first occasion to which she was allowed to wear atiara.[34] On 20 September 2022, together with her parents, Catharina-Amalia attendedPrinsjesdag, where the King addressed a joint session of theStates General of the Netherlands to outline government policy for the upcoming parliamentary session.[35][36] In November 2022, Catharina-Amalia and her family visited an exhibition atNieuwe Kerk dedicated toQueen Juliana.[37] In December 2022, she visited the three branches of Dutch military: Air Force, Army and Navy.[38][39]
Catharina-Amalia has experienced repeatedfat shaming by tabloids and on social media since she was young, most notably by the Portuguese celebrity magazineCaras labeling her as plus size. In response to the body shaming, members of the public have expressed their support for the princess, calling the fat shaming against her unacceptable.[47][48][49]
Catharina-Amalia became entitled to an annual allowance from the Dutch state upon reaching the age of 18. This allowance consisted of two parts: a personal income component of €296,000 and a €1,338,000 allocation for staff and operational expenses. Following her high school graduation, Catharina-Amalia opted to decline the annual allowance until she completed her studies.[50]
In May 2024, citing changed circumstances, Catharina-Amalia announced she would begin utilizing her annual allowance for staff and operational expenses, starting in January 2025. This decision comes despite her ongoing studies. Her annual allowance for staff and operational expenses has continued to increase in recent years and amounted to €1.5 million in 2024.[51][52]
Curaçao:Amalia Waltz, a dance music composed by John Nathan Suarez and presented to the Dutch Royal Family by Curaçaoan governorLucille George-Wout.[59][63]
Coat of arms of Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange
Notes
Thiscoat of arms is used by the Princess of Orange and her sisters, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane.[64]
Escutcheon
Quarterly: I and IV azure billety or, a lion with coronet also or armed and langued gules, holding in his dexter paw a sword argent hilted or, and in his sinister seven arrows argent pointed and bound together or, which is of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; II and III or, a horn azure opened and bound gules, which is of the first House of Orange; an inescutcheon or bearing a castle of three towers gules flanked on each side by a poplar tree au naturel, and a river azure flowing from the base, ondoyant to the gate of the castle, which is of the house of Zorreguieta in Argentina.
Banner
As Princess, Catharina-Amalia uses a swallow-tailed flag, with the Royal standard colours and her paternal arms (the horn of Orange) in the upper hoist and her maternal arms (the tower of Zorreguieta) in the lower hoist. The arms of the Netherlands (which originates from Nassau) without the insignia of theOrder of Willem within an orange circle.[65]
^"Vox Amalia".Van Oord.Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved25 June 2024.
^"Bulletin of Acts and Decrees, 435".Official Gazette of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (in Dutch). 12 November 2020.Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved23 March 2021.
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Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Lion of the Netherlands (7 December 2021).[54]
Knight of theOrder of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (7 December 2021).[54]
Oman:
Member 1st Class of theOrder of the Renaissance (15 April 2025)[55]
Portugal:
Grand Cross of theOrder of Christ (10 December 2024)[56]
Spain:
Dame Grand Cross of theRoyal Order of Isabella the Catholic (GYC, 10 April 2024)[57]
Netherlands:Princess Amalia Wind Farm in the offshore ofIJmuiden,North Holland.[58]
Curaçao: Princess Amalia Bridge inScharloo,Willemstad.[59]
