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As an ex-{{wp|Royal Netherlands Air Force}} servicewoman, Ilse possess considerable knowledge and expertise in personally operating different types of aircraft. In January 2019, the princess won acclaim when she singlehandedly rescued a group of fishermen from their broken-down ship off the {{wp|West Frisian Islands}} by using her personal helicopter.
As an ex-{{wp|Royal Netherlands Air Force}} servicewoman, Ilse possess considerable knowledge and expertise in personally operating different types of aircraft. In January 2019, the princess won acclaim when she singlehandedly rescued a group of fishermen from their broken-down ship off the {{wp|West Frisian Islands}} by using her personal helicopter.


Unlike her contemporary royals, Ilse was confirmed to have never owned an automobile of her own, with the exception of the {{wp|Mercedes Benz A-Class|Mercedes Benz A-Class limousine}}, the current official state car for the {{wp|House of Orange-Nassau|Dutch royal family}}. The queen instead owns a black {{wp|Kawasaki Ninja}} motorbike and a {{wp|Eurocopter EC135}} as her private vehicles, both of which are used on a daily basis.
Unlike her contemporary royals, Ilse was confirmed to have never owned an automobile of her own, with the exception of the {{wp|Mercedes Benz A-Class|Mercedes Benz A-Class limousine}}, the current official state car for the {{wp|House of Orange-Nassau|Dutch royal family}}. The queen instead owns a black {{wp|Kawasaki Ninja H2|Kawasaki Ninja}} motorbike and a {{wp|Eurocopter EC135}} as her private vehicles, both of which are used on a daily basis.


==Titles & Honours==
==Titles & Honours==

Revision as of 07:49, 31 August 2020

Ilse
Medium
Queen of the Netherlands
ReignMarch 3, 2019 — present
InaugurationMarch 3, 2019
PredecessorHans-Frederik
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
BornIlse Elisabeth Hans Frederik William Alexandra
(1996-08-12) 12 August 1996 (age 28)
Royal Palace of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Full name
Ilse Elisabeth Hans-Frederik William Alexandra
HouseOrange-Nassau
FatherHans-Frederik of the Netherlands
MotherJacoliene Sutherland
ReligionProtestant Church in the Netherlands
Military service
Branch/service
Years of service2014-2019 (active service)
RankAir Commodore(RNLAF)
Captain(RNLA)
UnitNo. 322 Squadron RNLAF
Grenadiers' and Rifles Guard Regiment
Battles/warsDutch military intervention against ISIL
Mali War
Ilse of the Netherlands
Personal information
NationalityDutch
Born12 August 1996 (1996-08-12) (age 28)
Netherlands
Sport
CountryNetherlands
SportEquestrianism
Event(s)Eventing
Medal record
Equestrian: Eventing
Representing  Netherlands
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
International Equestrian Federation Championships 2 2
European Championships 1
Total 3 2 0
International Equestrian Federation Championships
Silver medal – second place 2012 Strezgom Individual Eventing
Silver medal – second place 2012 Malmö Team Eventing
Gold medal – first place 2013 Jardy Team Eventing
Gold medal – first place 2013 Le Lion d'Angers Team Eventing
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Blair Castle Team Eventing

Ilse (Ilse Elisabeth Hans-Frederik William Alexandra; born 12 August 1996) is the Queen of the Netherlands. She acceded to the throne upon the death of her father, Hans-Frederik. She is also a noted eventing rider, having represented her country in several eventing championships.

Early Life

Ilse was born on the 12th of August 1996 to King Hans-Frederik and former Dutch actress Jacoliene Sutherland. As the eldest and only female sibling among her three younger brothers, she was joyously expected to become the country's fourth female sovereign, after her great great great grandmother Queen Wilhelmina I, her great grandmother Queen Wilhelmina II and grandmother Queen Elisabeth. Her middle names consisted the first names of her grandmother, her father and subsequently those of the then King of Britain, a close friend of the Dutch king, and the Princess Royal Alexandra.

She was baptised as a member of the Dutch Reformed Church on the 25th of September 1996. As heir apparent to her father, she was styled as the Princess of Orange, being the first to do so following an amendment which established the title's succession via absolute primogeniture in 1983. Additionally, Ilse's birth coincided with that of Queen Alexandra, who was born three months prior and whom she was partially named after.

Princess of Orange

Ilse attended the locally prestigious International School of Amsterdam from 2002 until 2008. Upon completing primary school, she then attended the Rotterdam International School for her secondary education. At the age of 13, with the encouragement of her father, Ilse undertook a private lesson in equestrianism for two years under the tutelage of a local Dutch equestrian, which the princess considerably excelled in, and at the same time, partook in several local competitions where she showed considerable success in her performance. Upon completing her training, she was chose to represent her country at the IEF Championships and later at the European Eventing Championships.

Military Career

During the final months of her secondary education, Ilse decided to pursue a military career in the Royal Air Force. On the 7th of November 2014, she completed her officer course at the Royal Military Academy in Breda and was commissioned as a Flying officer.

As heir apparent to her father, there was much public debate among government officials in regards of potentially allowing the Princess of Orange to ever see combat. However, a subsequent compromise allowed the princess to be deployed to Iraq as part of the small group of Dutch F-16 Fighting Falcons tasked in executing air strikes against ISIL positions in the war-torn country, where upon reaching a specific period of evaluation, prospects of a continued service overseas would be evaluated once more. Subsequently, following her initial service period for three months, a follow-up evaluation found her eligible for further service.

In September 2015, she was promoted to Squadron Leader, amidst reports of her being transferred over to Mali as part of the MINUSMA mission in the country, in which the Netherlands is a contributing member. Ilse was then promoted to Group Captain for her services in July 2016, and later to the rank of Air Commodore on August 2017.

Due to unspecified reasons, it was then announced in December 2017 that the Princess of Orange was seconded to seek an alternative commission in the Royal Netherlands Army. Upon receiving her commission as an officer, she was assigned to the Grenadiers' and Rifles and was formally promoted to Captain on the June of 2018.

As the Dutch constitution prohibits the head of state from being a serving member of the armed forces, Ilse was honorably discharged before her investiture as queen. However, she is allowed to wear a military uniform, albeit only with a royal insignia, opposed to that of her former rank.

Post-Military

In the later years of her military career, Ilse began undertaking a series of state visits on her own behalf, beginning in 2017 when she attended the coronation of Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom.

In 2016, the princess attended the Tilburg University, where she successfully worked on a Dutch Bachelor of Law degree, achieved in the early months of 2019.

Queen of the Netherlands

On the third of March, King Hans-Frederik was declared to had passed away while residing at the Het Loo Palace. The cause of the former king's death, then promptly revealed to had been that of a previously undisclosed struggle against cancer was later followed by the investiture of Ilse as Queen of the Netherlands on the same day.

Keeping in line with Dutch tradition and the constitution, Ilse chose to reinforce the notion of a "popular monarch" among the general public. Regardless, she is a staunch advocate of environmentalism and greater social tolerance between the multi-religious people of the Netherlands.

Personal Information

Generally, Ilse is known for her dedication to the cause of environmentalism, which reportedly began during a trip to Iceland, a country known for its world-leading status in renewable energy generation. In July 2019, she notably commissioned a grand amount of €50 million euros for the installation of a series of new wind turbines in the country.

As an ex-Royal Netherlands Air Force servicewoman, Ilse possess considerable knowledge and expertise in personally operating different types of aircraft. In January 2019, the princess won acclaim when she singlehandedly rescued a group of fishermen from their broken-down ship off the West Frisian Islands by using her personal helicopter.

Unlike her contemporary royals, Ilse was confirmed to have never owned an automobile of her own, with the exception of the Mercedes Benz A-Class limousine, the current official state car for the Dutch royal family. The queen instead owns a black Kawasaki Ninja motorbike and a Eurocopter EC135 as her private vehicles, both of which are used on a daily basis.

Titles & Honours

  • 12 August 1996 - 3 March 2019 Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange
  • 3 March 2019 - Present Her Majesty The Queen of the Netherlands

Honours

National

Foreign

  •  Spain - Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
  •  Jordan - Knight Grand Cordon with Collar of the Order of al-Hussein bin Ali
  •  France - Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour
  •  United Kingdom - Stranger Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
  •  United Kingdom - Extra Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle​
  •  Malaysia - Honorary Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm

Ancestry