Happy 70th Birthday Princess Christina

Dutch Princess Christina today celebrates her seventieth birthday. The Princess is the youngest child of the late Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

She was born at Soestdijk Palace in 1947, and during her childhood was known as ‘Marieke’ (after her given name, Maria Christina). The Princess was born almost completely blind as a result of her mother contracting German measles during pregnancy. Medical treatments and glasses improved Christina’s vision greatly, to the extent that she was able to attend a regular school like her three sisters – Princesses Beatrix, Irene and Margriet. Her medical condition however introduced the faith healer Greet Hofmans into the Royal Family’s lives, who would eventually hold much influence over Queen Juliana and was a great crisis within the Royal Court until the mid-1950s.

Princess Christina married Jorge Guillermo in June 1975, they had three children: Bernardo, Nicolás and Juliana. Due to her husband’s religion (Roman Catholic), Christina renounced her succession rights to the Dutch throne prior to the announcement of her engagement, to avoid the scandal that surrounded her sister Irene’s 1964 marriage. She and Jorge divorced in 1996.

The Princess’s greatest passion is music, a life-long interest and talent that saw her study and teach in Canada and New York City, respectively. She sang at the funerals of both her parents, has released a number of CDs in recent years, and is on the Advisory Committee of the Princess Christina Competition.

Princess Christina with her son Bernardo in 2013

Filed under The Netherlands
Tagged Birthday, Princess Christina of the Netherlands.

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