PRINCESS JULIANA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 305, 26 December 1936, Page 2

PRINCESS JULIANA

HOUSE OF ORANGE. REMARKABLE ROYAL FAMILY. For her first home Princess Juliana of Holland, when she marries Prince Barnhard of Pippe-Biesterfeld will probably chose the handsome mansion of the Lange Voorhout, which was occupied until death by Queen Wilhelmina's mother. Juliana would no doubt account its nearness to the Queen's "White Palace’ 'an advantage. She has been looking over the kitchen quarters with a view to having them made more up-to-date, but their profusion of typical Dutch copperware is a fine collection and she plans to retain it.

Princess Juliana is much slimmer than she was. Her method of "reducing’ ’is the milk cure. For this you drink milk, and only milk, with nothing to eat at all, on two whole days of the week.

The Princess, who was born in 1909, is two years older than her fiance, whom she met during a holiday at Garmisch, and her engagement brings to an end repeated rumours regarding her betrothal. In becoming the bride of a German Prince, she is following the example of her mother, who married Prince. Henry, Duke of Mecklenburg, who died in 1934. After her earlier studies the Princess spent some time at Leyden University, where, as an ordinary student she shared the work and recreations of her fellow undergraduates, and later had conferred upon her the degree of doctor. Her first public engagement was in 1919, when at the age of 10 she opened the Utrecht Industrial Fair.

At 18 she became of age, was admitted to the Privy Council and took her place in the life of the nation. She was given a palace of her own and an income the equivalent of £16,000 per annum. This will upon her marriage he doubled, and, in addition, her husband will be granted an allowance of £26,000 per annum.

Visitor to England. Well known in England, where she has often been the guest of Princess Juliana was one of the bridesmaids at the wedding of Princess Marina to the Duke of Kent. Like most of the ruling families of Europe the House of Orange is related to our own Royal Family, Queen Wilhelmina being a descendant of George 11., through the marriage of the latter’s daughter, Princess Ann, with William IV., Prince of Orange, and also a cousin of Princess Alice, whose mother was a sister of the late Dowager Queen of Holland.

The news that the Princess is to be married has been the cause of great rejoicing in Holland as, unlike the Throne in England, the succession to which is well secured, the historic House of Orange, one of the most remarkable Royal Families in history, would have been threatened with extinction had the Princess not married, for she and her mother are now its last representatives. By his first marriage King William 111., father of Queen Welhelmina, had three sons, but as none of these survived, his daughter succeeded him, and she in turn will be succeeded by her daughter. The name of Orange is derived from the little town in France, which was formerly a principality, and passed in the middle of the sixteenth century to the Nassau family, of which the famous William the Silent was a member. William the Silent was a great figure in the struggle which ultimately resulted in the Netherlands throwing off the yoke of Spain, and was in fact the founder of the present Dutch dynasty. His grandson married Mary, daughter of King Charles 1., and their son, William IH, of Orange, married his cousin Mary, daughter of King James 11., and on the deposition of the latter became William 111., of England.

The first of the House of Orange to assume the title of King was Prince William VI., who was called to the throne as King William 1., after the Netherlands revolted against France to which country they were annexed from 1810 to 1813 and he was thus the first sovereign ot me modern kingdom of the Netherlands. Both William I. and his father married Prussian Princesses, but V! illiam 11. chose his bride from Russia by marrying in 1816. Anne, daughter of the Emperor Paul, sop of Catherine the Great and Peter 11., whilst william 111. married Emma, daughter of the Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, who on his death acted as Regent during the minority of her daughter, Queen Wilhelmina. Princess Juliana's marriage will take place on January 12.