Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette of Orange-Nassau of the Netherlands to divorce after 25 years of marriage

Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette of Orange-Nassau of the Netherlands have announced that they are to divorce after 25 years of marriage. A statement about their marriage was shared on the Dutch royal family's website.

The statement read: “After 25 years of marriage, we have decided to divorce. We are doing this by mutual agreement and with mutual respect.

“We will continue to care for our three children together. Despite this, it remains a difficult step. We therefore ask for everyone's understanding and respect for our privacy.” The statement was from Bernhard van Oranje and Annette Sekrève.”

Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette of Orange-Nassau married in a civil ceremony on July 6, a few days later, their marriage was blessed in the Cathedral of St. Martin in Utrecht. The couple went on to have three children: Isabella, Samuel and Benjamin.

Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette of Orange-Nassau’s children have the last name van Vollenhove and do not have royal titles. Prince Bernhard is the son of Princess Margriet and Pieter van Vollenhoven.

According to the website NOS, “Following her divorce from Prince Bernhard, Annette will no longer hold the title of princess, the Government Information Service (RVD) informed the ANP news agency. After their marriage, she was given the full title of Her Highness Annette, Princess of Orange-Nassau, of Vollenhoven-Sekrève.”

Prince Bernhard c-founded Shop.nl and Clockwork after setting up his own business Ritzen Couriers after university. According to the Dutch Royal Website, “As a member of the management team of Levi9 IT Services, Prince Bernhard is responsible for marketing and expansion of the business. He is also a partner in Pinnacle real estate development in Amsterdam and founder of Lymph&Co, a fund that raises money for fundamental research into lymphoma.”

Princess Annette of Orange-Nassau of the Netherlands was born in The Hague on 18 April 1972 and is the the eldest daughter of Ulrich Sekrève and Jolanda de Haan. She graduated in Psychology from the University of Groningen which is where she met Prince Bernhard.

Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette of Orange-Nassau’s daughter Isabella was born in 2002 followed by Samuel in 2004, and Benjamin in 2008.