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The Dutch Royal Family has historically been members of the Dutch Reformed Church, which became the Protestant Church in the Netherlands after its 2004 merger with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church. While the Dutch Royal Family is predominantly Protestant, some members are Roman Catholic. Queen Máxima, the wife of the current monarch, King Willem-Alexander, is Roman Catholic, although her children were christened as members of the Protestant Church. Princess Irene, the sister of former Queen Beatrix, also converted to Catholicism in the 1960s, which was considered politically problematic at the time.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Religion of the Dutch Royal Family | The Dutch Royal Family are members of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. |
| History of the Dutch Royal Family's Religion | The Dutch Royal Family were historically members of the Dutch Reformed Church, which merged with other churches to become the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004. Some members of the Royal Family are Roman Catholic. |
| Royal Family's Involvement with the Dutch Government | Constitutionally, only the monarch and the heir-apparent are involved with the Dutch government. Other members are responsible for their own conduct and income. |
| Royal Family's Public Religiosity | The public religiosity of the Royal Family is minimal. |
| Religious Demographics of the Netherlands | Catholicism is the country's biggest religious denomination, comprising 22% of the population as of 2018. |
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What You'll Learn
The Dutch royal family are members of the Protestant Church
Historically, the Dutch Royal Family has been members of the Dutch Reformed Church. The Dutch Reformed Church was the traditional church of the Dutch Royal Family. However, following its merger with other Protestant churches in 2004, the family became members of the newly formed Protestant Church in the Netherlands.
The Dutch Royal Family's membership of the Protestant Church aligns with the religious landscape of the country. While the Netherlands was historically a very Catholic country, particularly in the southern region, the country has become increasingly secular over time. As of 2018, Catholics made up 22% of the population, while the combined Protestant denomination accounted for 14.7%. The Dutch Royal Family's liberal Protestant faith fits well with the religious landscape of the country, where the majority of the population is atheist.
While the Dutch Royal Family is part of the Protestant Church, some members of the family are Roman Catholic. Queen Máxima, the wife of the current monarch, King Willem-Alexander, is Roman Catholic. She retained her religion after her marriage, but their children were christened as members of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.
There is no law in the Netherlands that dictates the religion of the monarch. However, until 1983, the constitution stipulated that marriage to a Catholic meant a loss of rights to the throne. This was changed in 1983, requiring only that potential heirs seek parliamentary approval before marriage to retain succession rights.
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Some members of the royal family are Roman Catholic
The Dutch Royal Family has historically been members of the Dutch Reformed Church, which became the Protestant Church in the Netherlands after its 2004 merger with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Netherlands. However, some members of the royal family are Roman Catholic.
For example, Princess Margriet, sister of former Queen Beatrix, and her husband, Pieter van Vollenhoven, have four sons. Princess Margriet is in line to the throne behind her niece Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, and her two other nieces, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane. Princess Margriet's two other sisters, Irene and Christina, lost their rights to the throne because their marriages were not approved by the States-General. They both married Roman Catholics, and Irene herself converted to Roman Catholicism.
Queen Máxima, the wife of the current monarch, King Willem-Alexander, was born in Argentina and was raised Roman Catholic. She retained her religion after her marriage, but her children were christened as members of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.
There is no law in the Netherlands stipulating what religion the monarch should be, although the constitution stipulated up to 1983 that marriage to a Catholic meant a loss of rights to the throne. This was changed in 1983 to a requirement that potential heirs must seek parliamentary approval before marriage to retain succession rights.
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The Dutch royal family has little to do with the running of the Netherlands
The Dutch royal family has historically been members of the Dutch Reformed Church, which became the Protestant Church in the Netherlands after its merger with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 2004. While there is no law in the Netherlands dictating the religion of the monarch, the constitution previously stipulated that marriage to a Catholic resulted in a loss of rights to the throne. This was amended in 1983 to require parliamentary approval for a potential heir's marriage in order to retain succession rights.
The Dutch royal family has little to do with the running of the country. While the monarch and heir-apparent hold constitutionally defined roles, other members of the royal family have no official duties within the government and are responsible for their conduct and income. They may be called upon to accompany the monarch on state visits, but this is a personal favour rather than an official duty. The royal family is not exempt from taxation, and many members hold significant positions in civil society, often as patrons of charitable organisations or the arts.
The current monarch, King Willem-Alexander, is married to Queen Máxima, who was born and raised as a Roman Catholic in Argentina. Although she retained her religion after their marriage, their children were christened as members of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. This reflects the country's religious demographics, where Catholics make up the largest religious denomination, followed by Protestants.
The Dutch royal family has become quite extensive, and changes in the law in 2002 limited membership of the royal house, which includes those in line for the throne and their spouses. While the family has little official involvement with the Dutch government, the monarch plays an important constitutional role. The monarch and heir-apparent are prohibited from holding paying jobs to avoid entanglements and receive stipends from the government. Their spouses are also forbidden from earning an income and are provided with stipends.
The royal family has certain privileges, such as access to a private three-car royal train and waiting rooms at specific train stations. The monarch can also use a Boeing 737 Business Jet, which King Willem-Alexander is licensed to fly. Historically, the Dutch monarch was legally protected against lèse-majesté, with prosecutions brought against citizens for publicly insulting the sovereign or their family, although sentences tended to be light.
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The monarch and heir-apparent receive a government stipend
The Dutch royal family has become quite extensive, with many members holding or having held significant positions within civil society, usually as the head or spokesperson of charitable organisations, patron of the arts, and similar endeavours. While the family as a whole has very little to do with the Dutch government or the running of the Netherlands, the monarch and heir-apparent are exceptions to this rule. The monarch plays an important constitutional role, and the heir-apparent is deemed to be preparing for their eventual ascent to the throne, with some limited tasks and a number of limits on them.
Since neither the monarch nor the heir-apparent may hold jobs, they receive a stipend from the government. Their spouses are similarly forbidden from earning an income and receive a stipend as well. Article 40 of the constitution states that the monarch is to receive an annual stipend from the kingdom (or wages, though this term is avoided to prevent implying that the monarch is employed by the government). The exact rules surrounding these stipends are to be determined by law, as is the list of members of the royal house who also receive them. Under current Dutch law, the monarch receives their annual stipend as part of the annual budget, as do the heir-apparent (if of age), the spouse of the monarch, the spouse of the heir-apparent, the former monarch, and the spouse of the former monarch. In practice, as of June 2019, this meant King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, and Princess Beatrix. The monarch receives this stipend constitutionally, while the others receive it because they are not allowed to work for anybody due to their positions.
The official royal budget for 2021 was €47.5 million, not including the cost of state visits or palace upkeep. The King's salary was €998,000, with a further €5.1 million in official allowances for staff and expenses, while the Queen received €1.1 million. The King's salary is tax-free, and the increase in their income was 5% compared to just 0.8% for the average Dutch citizen. The Dutch government has agreed to review the annual cost of the royal family following pressure from the opposition party. However, Prime Minister Mark Rutte has expressed concerns that revealing the exact amount received by the King and Queen from the Dutch taxpayer might spark calls for a vote on the costs of the monarchy.
Historically, the Dutch royal family has been members of the Dutch Reformed Church, which became the Protestant Church in the Netherlands after its 2004 merger with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Some members of the royal family are Roman Catholic, including Queen Máxima, the wife of the current monarch, King Willem-Alexander, who was born and raised Catholic in Argentina. She retained her religion after her marriage, but her children were christened as members of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. While there is no law in the Netherlands stipulating what religion the monarch should be, the constitution stipulated up to 1983 that marriage to a Catholic meant a loss of rights to the throne. This was changed in 1983 to require that potential heirs must seek parliamentary approval before marriage to retain rights of succession.
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The public religiosity of the royal family is minimal
The Dutch Royal Family has historically been members of the Dutch Reformed Church, which merged with other churches in 2004 to become the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. However, some members of the royal family are Roman Catholic. For example, Queen Máxima, the wife of the current monarch, King Willem-Alexander, was raised Roman Catholic and retained her religion after her marriage. Nevertheless, their children were christened as members of the Protestant Church.
The Dutch royal family's liberal Protestant affiliation aligns with the religious landscape of the country, where Catholics are the largest religious denomination, comprising 22% of the population, while Protestants make up 14.7%. However, the majority of the country is non-religious, with an overwhelming majority being atheists.
While the royal family has very little official involvement with the Dutch government, they hold significant positions within civil society. Many members are active as heads or spokespersons for charitable organizations, patrons of the arts, and supporters of personal causes. Constitutionally, the monarch and the heir-apparent have important roles and are forbidden from holding paying jobs, receiving stipends from the government instead.
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Frequently asked questions
The Dutch Royal Family are members of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, formed in 2004 by the merger of the Dutch Reformed Church, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Netherlands. However, some members of the royal family are Roman Catholic.
The Dutch Royal Family was historically members of the Dutch Reformed Church. The Domkerk in Utrecht, where some members of the royal family were christened, was originally a Roman Catholic church but has been Protestant since 1580.
Yes, some members of the Dutch Royal Family are Roman Catholic. Queen Máxima, the wife of the current monarch, King Willem-Alexander, was born in Argentina and was raised Roman Catholic. Princess Margriet's sisters, Irene and Christina, also lost their rights to the throne after they married Roman Catholics and Irene converted to Roman Catholicism.
The Dutch Royal Family has very little to do officially with the Dutch government or the running of the Netherlands. The monarch and heir-apparent receive a stipend from the government and have some constitutional involvement, but other members of the royal family have no official tasks within the government and do not receive stipends.
