In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the monarchy is a constitutional office and is controlled by the constitution of the Netherlands. A distinction is made between members of the royal family and members of the royal house. According to the Membership to the Royal House Act which was revised in 2002, the members of the royal house are:
the monarch (king or queen) as head of the royal house
the members of the royal family in the line of succession to the Dutch throne but limited to two degrees of kinship from the current monarch (first degree = parents and second degree = siblings)
the heir to the throne
the former monarch (on abdication)
the members of the royal house of further degrees of kinship if they were already members of the royal house prior to the revision of the act in 2002, were adults at the time and remain in the direct line of succession.
the spouses of the above
the widows and widowers of the above, provided that they do not remarry, and that their spouses would still qualify if they were still alive today
HM The King (King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands), the current head of the royal house, oldest child of Princess Beatrix
HM The Queen (Queen Máxima), wife of the King
HRH The Princess of Orange (Catharina-Amalia), oldest child of the King and Queen
HRH Princess Alexia, middle child of the King and Queen
HRH Princess Ariane, youngest child of the King and Queen
HRH Prince Constantijn, third and youngest child of Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus
HRH Princess Laurentien, wife of Prince Constantijn
HRH Princess Beatrix, former monarch
HRH Princess Margriet, sister of Princess Beatrix; an exception was made for her when the act was revised
Pieter van Vollenhoven, husband of Princess Margriet
The membership is lost if the right to succeed to the Dutch throne is lost, e.g. marrying without parliament’s approval. This applied to several members of the royal family:
in 1964 Princess Irene married Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma
in 1975 Princess Christina married Jorge Guillermo
in 2004 Prince Friso married Mabel Wisse Smit; the government declined to ask official parliamentary permission for the marriage
in 2005 Prince Pieter-Christiaan married Anita van Eijk
in 2005 Prince Floris married Aimée Söhngen
In addition the membership is lost when a person, who was formerly a member, loses his direct right to succession because he or she is no longer related to the current monarch within 3 degrees of kinship. When King Willem-Alexander assumed the throne in 2013 this applied to:
Prince Maurits and his wife Princess Marilène
Prince Bernhard and his wife Princess Annette
Membership is also lost to persons who are still in the direct line of succession, but are no longer related to the current monarch within 2 degrees of kinship. When King Willem-Alexander assumed the throne in 2013 this applied to:
Countess Eloise of Orange-Nassau van Amsberg
Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau van Amsberg
Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau van Amsberg
All children of Prince Constantijn and his wife.
