Princess Christina of the Netherlands

The princess was born on February 18th 1947, in Soestdijk Palace, she was the fourth child of the future Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard.

Her given names were Maria Christina, Princess of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld.

She was nicknamed Marijke. The princess was baptised on October 9th 1947 in the Dom Church, Utrecht. One of her godparents was Winston Churchill.

Princess Juliana contracted German measles (rubella virus) during her pregnancy, resulting in an eye defect for the baby princess. Christina was blind in one eye and severely visually impaired in the other. Desperate for a cure, Juliana came into contact with faith healer Greet Hofmans. Her presence at court led to a crisis within the royal family.

In her youth, the princess was a member of the scouts. In 1963, she decided to change her name to Christina. In 1965, the princess graduated from the Amersfoort Lyceum.

The princess moved to Montreal, Canada in 1968, to study singing and music. After graduating, the princess taught singing, performed occasionally, and released two CDs.

In 1975, the princess married Jorge Guillermo who was born in Cuba and then living in New York. The princess met Jorge through a mutual acquaintance in 1973.

In 1974, the princess moved to New York.

The princess lost her right to the throne due to this marriage; the couple had three children: Bernardo in 1977, Nicolas in 1979, and Juliana in 1981.

The family moved to the Netherlands in 1984.

The couple separated in 1994 and divorced two years later.

After her divorce, the princess lived in New York and Italy.

In 2017, the princess was diagnosed with bone cancer, she died on August 16th 2019, and was the first member of the House of Orange to be cremated.

Compared to the other princesses, few commemorative memorabilia of Princess Christina have been released. Below are a few from our collection.