Monika, Princess of Orange
| Monika | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princess of Orange (more) | |||||
 The Princess of Orange in 2012. | |||||
| Born | Princess Monika of Cordonia 23 December 1961 Cordonian Royal Palace, Cordonia | ||||
| Spouse |
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| Issue | |||||
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| House | Ryan | ||||
| Father | King Dirk II | ||||
| Mother | Princess Abigail | ||||
Monika, Princess of Orange[a] (Monica Carla; born 23 December 1961), is an extended member of the Cordonian royal family. She is the eldest daughter of King Dirk II and Queen Abigail, and aunt of King Liam. She is 5th in line of succession to the Cordonian throne and the first person in the line of succession who is not an immediate relative of the monarch. She is the mother of princes Steffen and Aleksander, princesses Julaine and Janet and grandmother of Lucas, Martha and Maik.
Youth and education
The Princess of Orange was born as Princess Monica Carla of Cordonia on 23 December 1961 at 01:28 at the Cordonian Royal Palace in the Cordonian capital city. She is the first daughter and second child of King Dirk II and Queen Abigail, the second king and queen of the newly created House of Ryan. The Princess is the granddaughter of Dirk I and Mary, Princess Royal from her paternal side and Ernest Augustus, Prince of Hanover and Denmark, and Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia from her maternal side. At the time of her birth she was 2nd in line of succession to the Cordonian throne after her elder brother, the late King Constantine The King Father (then Prince Constantine of Cordonia). She has three younger brothers, Matthias, Prince of Limburg, Wolfgang, Prince of Zoland and Andreas, Prince of Rotterdam.
First marriage and family
The Princess of Orange met the future Dr Niklas Bader when she was 18 and he was 22. He was a medical student interning at The Duke of Ramsford Hospital in Echternach, Ramsford and the Princess was visiting patients as part of her royal duties in March 1980. They soon got engaged and married in August 1980 and she became Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange, Mrs Niklas Bader. They had four children, Steffen, Aleksander, Julaine and Janet.
Public life
Divorce and private life
The Princess and Dr Bader divorced in 1996 citing irreconcilable differences. Dr Bader would later go on the record that their marriage fell apart because of the Princess's status overshadowing his medical career. They remain friends and on amicable terms.
Second marriage
Monika remarried in 2006 to American venture capitalist Tony Hsieh. They would later divorce in 2009. She was known from that time as Monika Hsieh and did not use her title or style. She frequently traveled between Cordonia and the United States which was described as a transnational marriage. Monika retained her main residency in Cordonia while Hsieh spent his time at his Connecticut home. According to Monika's daughter Julaine, she considered moving full-time to be with Hsieh but King Constantine convinced her to stay part-time in Cordonia. This was despite that the king "slimmed down" the Cordonian royal family members and made them private citizens with the exception his immediate family after the 1993 Cordonian attempted coup d'état.
In 2022, after Monika's nephew King Liam ascended the throne, he signed a royal decree repealing the policy of King Constantine, expanding royal status and duties to Cordonian royal family members who wished to be active in the monarchy again. It was reportedly said that she told her nephew "absolutely not" in response to the King inviting the Princess to become an active member again.
Titles and styles
- 23 December 1961 – 23 December 1979: Her Royal Highness Princess Monika of Cordonia
- 23 December 1979 – August 1980: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange
- August 1980 – November 1996: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange, Mrs Niklas Bader
- November 1996 – 2006: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange
- 2006 – 2009: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange, Mrs Tony Hsieh
- 2009 – 2010: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange, Mrs Monica Hsieh
- 2010 – present: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Monika does not need to use a family name as it is not required for members of the royal family. If one is needed, it is Ryan. Monika is officially Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange on legal documents. However, she uses the name Monika Ryan and has done so publicly since 2010 and previously used the married name Monika Heisch from 2006–2010. She decided to use a surname and drop HRH because she has been a private citizen since the 1995 (although this did not affect the status of her title or style).[1]
References
- ↑ Monika, Princess of Orange (22 July 2007). "A conversation with Cordonian royal Princess Monika Ryan Hsieh. National Public Radio (interview). Interviewed by Terry Gross. Philadelphia. "...technically I was still a part of the royal family but also a private citizen. Everyone was in this weird limbo state because my brother passed a royal assent that 'slimmed down' the monarchy. Basically he, his wife and children were the only ones with royal duties and responsibilities...I believe he did this out of paranoia after the coup attempt in '93. But I decided to use my new married name after Tony and I got together because I wasn't even a working royal anyway. But I still did retain my title and sometimes used it, but liked the idea of being Mrs Hsieh".
External links
- Monika, Princess of Orange [@monikaryan] on Twitter