Prince Claus of the Netherlands was born Klaus-Georg Wilhelm Otto Friedrich Gerd von Amsberg at Haus Doetzingen outside Hitzacker, Germany on September 6, 1926 to Claus Felix von Amsberg and Goesta von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen the second of seven children and the only son among them. He and his siblings were mostly raised in Lower Saxony in the home of their grandparents while their father ran a large plantation in the former German East Africa, then the British mandate of Tanganyika. Young Klaus joined his father there in 1936 when he attended a boarding school in the country until 1938. After that he returned to Germany and studied at the Baltenschule Misdroy. After the National Socialist party came to power he was also compelled by law to join the Nazi youth groups, first the Deutsches Jungvolk and then the Hitler Jugend. Although he was able to avoid most of the worst aspects of the Second World War, in 1944 he was conscripted into the German army, serving with the 90th Panzergrenadier Division in March of 1945. Fortunately, he was captured by the U.S. Army at Meran before ever seeing combat.
Once the war was over, Klaus von Amsberg was able to continue his higher education, attending Lueneburg and later going to law school in Hamburg. After graduation he joined the West German diplomatic corps and was sent overseas, serving as a diplomat in the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean and the Ivory Coast in Africa. Later he came home to Germany when he was transferred to Bonn. In 1964 he attended a special reception in honor of the upcoming wedding of the Landgrave of Hesse and it was there that he met the Dutch Crown Princess Beatrix. The two hit it off right away and soon became a couple. When their engagement was announced it caused some controversy in The Netherlands over those who protested to their future monarch marrying a German. It was unfortunate but perhaps not unexpected given how fresh memories still were of World War II and how the Netherlands had suffered during the conflict. Nonetheless, the couple would not be deterred and on March 10, 1966 the two were married. The press gave coverage to a small number of people who protested the wedding but, in reality, the most prominent of these were from an anarchist group who would have protested no matter who the princess married. A year before the wedding Klaus von Amsberg became a Dutch subject and adopted the Dutch version of his name, Claus van Amsberg, and after his marriage to Princess Beatrix became officially HRH Prince Claus of the Netherlands.
Despite the early problems Prince Claus had, once the Dutch people got to know him and saw how happy he made their beloved Beatrix, he became an accepted and respected member of the Dutch Royal Family. In 1980 his wife became HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Prince Claus became Prince-consort, entitled to be called “Prince of the Netherlands” but he did not use the title out of respect to his father-in-law and predecessor Prince Bernhard. Prince Claus became just as popular and respected as the Queen and over time opinion polls conducted by the media found Prince Claus the most popular member of the Royal Family. Prince Claus won people over by being a good husband and father, his service to the less fortunate and his informal, down-to-earth style. He became involved in a number of non-government organizations and charities and was respected around the world as an expert in the field of the overall development of third world countries. His extensive knowledge and expertise on the subject caused him to be sought out for advice by various countries and organizations.
However, Prince Claus could also raise a few eyebrows now and then. Never having much time for pomp and ceremony, the Prince consort was known for speaking his mind and having a rather refreshing, if sometimes blunt, sort of honesty. Many people adored him all the more for open, outspoken nature, but it also ruffled a few feathers now and then among those who were used to royals being frequently seen but never heard. This was, though, all part of the familiar and un-pretentious attitude of Prince Claus who liked dealing with anyone and detested excessive formality and stuffy protocol. Generally, this endeared him to people and probably the most famous example of his casual style was his “revolt” against neckties. He called it “a snake around my neck” and in 1998 caused quite a stir when he called on people to cast them aside and “venture into open-collar paradise”, ending his speech by taking off his own necktie and throwing it to the floor. It was typical of a prince who was often depressed by the many restrictions on speech and movement and in numerous other areas inflicted on members of the Royal Family.
Prince Claus began to suffer increasingly from cancer and Parkinson’s disease. He stopped his royal duties and his illness became ever more severe until his death on October 6, 2002 at the age of 76. HM Queen Beatrix was grief-stricken by the loss and appeared more visibly shaken than any of her subjects had ever seen her.
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