Princess Margriet, Honorary Chairman of the Dutch Red Cross

Princess Margriet has left the board of the Dutch Red Cross and to thank her for her efforts, the council of members appointed her honorary chairman of the association.

Her son, Prince Pieter-Christiaan, was elected by the Members’ Council to an administration position of the organization. Prince Pieter-Christiaan had already been involved with the Red Cross, acting as Vice Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Red Cross rallies.

Princess Margriet will step down from her former position on January 1, 2011, when the statutory period ends. She remains a board member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva.

Princess Margriet has since 1965 been involved with the Red Cross, when she trained as a Red Cross nurse and has been involved in their work since. In 1967, she joined the executive committee and in late eighties, the Princess became vice chairman.

The involvement of the Royal Family in the charity goes back to the founding of the National Red Cross Society in 1867, when King William III signed the declaration. Both Prince Hendrik (husband of Queen Wilhelmina) and Princess Juliana (until her coronation in 1948) were chairperson of the Red Cross.

Filed under The Netherlands
Tagged Patronage, Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Red Cross.