Princess Amalia of The Netherlands, 20, who fled to Spain for a year after kidnap threats

Release time：2024-05-22 01:39:07 Source：Culture Connection news portal

Raising her glass for a toast at her first ever state banquet last night, Crown Princess Amalia of the Netherlands was the picture of poise and looked every inch the future Queen in her tiara and an elegant navy gown. 

It was all the more remarkable coming just hours after the revelation that the 20-year old was previously forced to flee to Spain to escape safety threats by organised crime groups in the Netherlands, just weeks after she started at the University of Amsterdam. 

She betrayed no hint of turoil as she joined family members and Spanish royals, King Felipe and Queen Letizia, for her first-ever state banquet where her father King Willem-Alexander referenced the security scare in his speech. 

It's a clear sign that the future Queen, who will one day succeed her father, will be a level-headed and stoic monarch, showing some of the same steely qualities the late Queen Elizabeth was known for. 

Until now, she's enjoyed a relatively normal life growing up out of the spotlight, attending a state primary school close to her family home in The Hague and working at a beach bar in during the summer. 

But she hit the headlines more recently after being linked earlier this year by Privé, a magazine in the Netherlands, to the 20-year-old heir apparent to the defunct throne of Bulgaria, Prince Boris of Turnovo.

Crown Princess Amalia of the Netherlands looked poised as she attended her first state banquet in Amsterdam on Wednesday evening, despite news of her recent security fears

Spanish-born Boris, 26, is the son of the late Prince Kardam of Turnovo, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 52. 

The sculptor, who studied at the London School of Fine Arts at Wimbledon, was spotted with Amalia last October attending the wedding of the Duchess of Medinaceli.

Boris Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was born in Madrid in October 1997, to Prince Kardam and Miriam Ungría y López. His father sadly passed away in 2015, and in 2022 his mother remarried - giving Boris a link to another royal family.

His stepfather is Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, who is the cousin of King Abdullah II of Jordan.

In addition to these connections, Boris also has close ties to the Spanish royal family - particularly after the death of his father. 

According to Spanish magazine Hola!, Boris and the heir to the Dutch throne share a close friendship and he has become one of her most trusted confidants.

The magazine reported that they share a friendship group and spend time together when Amalia visits Madrid, his home city. 

Earlier this year, Boris Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, 26, was linked to Princess Amalia of The Netherlands by a Dutch magazine

Often thought of a down to earth royal in the Netherlands, Princess Amalia is slowly stepping up to attend more royal engagements 

Last February Amalia joined her parents, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, on a tour of the Dutch Caribbean islands 

Yesterday was another step up for the future queen of the Netherlands, after she joined her mother and father for a state visit to the Dutch Caribbean Islands last year, during which she made an address to her hosts. 

As she takes small steps onto the big world stage ahead of one day ascending the throne, her parents have carefully prepared her for the role of a lifetime, ensuring her eventual transition into Queen will be as smooth as possible.

When it came to raising the princess, the King and Queen of the Netherlands did their best to keep her upbringing as down-to-earth as possible in a bid to keep her feet on the ground despite the fact she would one day become the monarch.

She attended a state primary school close to her family home in The Hague and rode her bike in every day, just like her peers. Following this, she went to a Protestant secondary school.

Childhood friends of the Princess told the BBC on her 18th birthday that Amalia was just like all the other pupils when she was a schoolgirl - the only difference being that, when she ride her bicycle home at the end of the day, she was heading back to the Huis ten Bosch Palace.

Pictured alongside Maxima and Willem-Alexander, the 20-year-old visited several attractions on the Caribbean tour  

The royal appeared in high spirits on Wednesday, despite news breaking that she was forced to flee Spain amid security fears 

For Wednesday's event, the young royal looked elegant in a sophisticated deep blue caped dress 

(From top L) Dutch Princess Margriet, Dutch Crown Princess Amalia, Dutch Princess Beatrix (from bottom L) Spanish King Felipe and Dutch King Willem-Alexander during the official photo prior to the state banquet with at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam

Her parents led by example when they raised Amalia, with King Willem-Alexander previously revealing he and Argentine-born Queen Máxima's marriage is happy because they are 'open and honest' with each other.

Perhaps the reason the young princess doesn't seem daunted by the responsibilities she will one day assume is that she has been taught to prioritise her happiness.

An authorised biography published on her 18th birthday quoted the Princess on the topic of choosing a husband one day - and her willingness to renounce the throne if Parliament considered her partner unsuitable.

She said: 'I can't choose at my own expense. Then I can't give the best for our country.'

The future Queen also revealed a candid glimpse into her love life as a teenager - claiming that she had briefly dated a fellow pupil when she was in high school, before learning he had only got involved with her as a bet.

Elsewhere in the biography, the princess expresses her progressive views - revealing that she took part in school acts of solidarity for the LGBTQ+ community. 

Before security fears took over, Princess Amalia planned to live in student digs at the University of Amsterdam (seen in 2022)

Princess Amalia is the eldest of three sisters. She is pictured above with Princess Ariane of The Netherlands

She also took on a part-time job as a waitress at a beach club to take on early responsibility - and reportedly mixes a decent drink which has earnt her the nickname 'cocktail queen'.

She's also a keen jockey and owns a horse named Mojito.  

Although the King and Queen have taken care to ensure Amalia could enjoy being a child, the monarch has previously revealed he and his eldest daughter have had serious and private discussions about when he will choose to abdicate and she will take over.

Speaking on the Through the Eyes of the King podcast last April as he marked a decade on the throne, Willem-Alexander said he hopes his eldest daughter can enjoy spending time on herself and with her family before she becomes a monarch in the 'distant future'.

He said he wished the heir apparent a long time to prepare for the role so she can start a family or do whatever she pleases.

Then he revealed he will sit down with his daughter to decide together when she will ascend the throne, but added it was a decision to be made 'between Amalia and me'.

He also revealed he and Queen Máxima don't shield her, nor her younger sisters Alexia, 18, and Ariane, 16, from the 'reality' of their lives as public figures.

'They are not blind and deaf, they see everything on social media, they read everything, they hear everything. We don't cut them off from anything. And they talk about it,' he said.

'It affects them,' he added, saying that he has also had to learn to deal with negative comments on social media during his time in the public eye.

The monarch explained that he encourages his daughters not to see social media criticism as a personal attack, saying that for children growing up, it was 'very annoying' to see the criticism posted online.

'Kids don’t have a filter in that regard, but it’s reality, and they have to learn to deal with that.'

He said it is important to teach his children not to take things personally as, for the most part, he believes online trolling is not personal.

At last night's banquet, the 20-year-old appeared in high spirits as she toasted to the occasion while donning a lavish blue caped dress and historic jewels, including The Ruby Peacock Parure tiara, necklace, and bracelet.

Amalia wore the Dame Grand Cross of The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic, which she recently honoured with by the Spanish monarch. 

The young royal raised her glass for a toast after her father, King Willem-Alexander, 56, made a speech referencing her previous security concerns.

In the speech, Willem Alexander gave a touching thank you to King Felipe after allowing Amalia to stay in Madrid for a year after being threatened with kidnap.

According to Dutch paper Nos News, he said: 'This was made possible by the kind efforts of many of your countrymen and yourself.

'A touching show of friendship at a difficult time. I would like to sincerely thank you and all others who helped arrange this.'

The Princess of Orange moved to Amsterdam to study for her degree at the city's university in 2022, and went to live in university halls to live a life much like her fellow peers - something she had always done throughout her education so far.

However, within weeks she was forced to leave the student accommodation after kidnap threats had been made against her.

Consequently, Amalia abandoned plans to live in student digs to study politics, law, psychology, and economics, and fled to  Spain to escape threats to her safety. 

The heir to the Dutch throne was captured beaming by photographers when she started her studies, with much made of the fact that she planned to live in student accommodation.

But the royal couple later said their daughter had been forced to return to the heavily guarded palace in The Hague following kidnapping threats.

The 56-year-old Dutch monarch has attempted to give Amalia and her sisters a more humble upbringing 

Amalia is said to be able to converse in Spanish fluently, thanks to her mother, Queen Maxima

Queen Maxima and  Princess Amalia are seen at the wedding reception and dinner for Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II and Rajwa Al-Saif at Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman, Jordan, in 2023

A new report by Dutch public broadcaster NOS this week revealed the 'Princess of Orange' did ultimately escape the confines of The Hague and has studied in Madrid for more than a year, citing royal sources. 

Officials would not confirm details of Amalia's initial departure from her studies in Amsterdam, but the move came weeks after reports that Amalia and Prime Minister Mark Rutte were mentioned in communications by organised crime groups - leading to fears of kidnappings. 

Amalia started university in September last year and had moved into an apartment in Amsterdam, but weeks later the royal couple said concerns for her safety have forced her to move back to Huis ten Bosch royal palace in The Hague.

Dutch police and the country's secret service declined to discuss security arrangements around the Royal House.

Princess Amalia started her degree in September and was living in rented accommodation she shared with several other students in Amsterdam before she had to move back home.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at the time: 'I'm very sorry for her and I'm obviously very concerned about it.'

He added that Dutch authorities were doing everything to ensure that the princess is safe. 

'She can't live in Amsterdam and she can't really go outside (the palace)... It has enormous consequences on her life. There is no student life for her like others have,' said an emotional Queen Maxima at the time.

Amalia herself told reporters during a royal family tour of the Caribbean early last year that she missed 'the normal life of a student', having hoped she would be able to enjoy the student experience like her peers. 

'Sadly the reality was different,' she said.

Her father, King Willem-Alexander, said in the podcast Through the Eyes of the King that the situation had 'had a very hard impact' on his daughter and his family.

'The uncertainty, the lack of freedom, that is not how you want to raise your children and what you want to pass on to your children,' he said.

Similarly Amalia's uncle, Prince Constantijn, said that the Princess is forced to live a 'very restrictive' lifestyle. 

Amalia is a keen jockey with her horse called Mojito, which references her time working in a beach bar 

Willem-Alexander (2L), Queen Maxima (2R), Princess Amalia (L), Princess Alexia (C) and Princess Ariane are pictured during the summer photo session at Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands, 2021

According to RoyalCentral, while speaking on NPO 1, Prince Constantijn said: 'There's not much you can say about it… It is of course a very dramatic situation.

'It is especially humanly very restrictive. If you are a young woman you want to be able to live freely during your student days and that is not granted to her.'

The Minister for Justice and Security, Dilan Yesilgöz, told reporters in the weeks following Amalia's withdrawal from studies in Amsterdam: 'I guarantee that our security services work hard day and night to guarantee her safety.

'It is terrible that this is necessary, in the first place for the Crown Princess herself.'

NOS this week said the threat to Amalia had not completely disappeared, but she was able to return from Madrid to live and study in the Netherlands again due to unspecified 'measures'.

It was not clear what circumstances had changed that allowed for her safe return.  

She is said to have been living in Amsterdam once again since February, and is continuing her studies.

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