Growing up in the public spotlight is a struggle for many members of royal families, but the future queen of the Netherlands, Princess Catharina-Amalia, has faced more challenges than many of her contemporaries. While other future monarchs like Prince William and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium have been enable to enjoy relatively normal college experiences, the Princess of Orange had her world turned upside down in 2022.
Princess Catharina-Amalia, 21—more often called Princess Amalia—is the eldest daughter of King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima, making her the heir to the Dutch throne. At just age nine, Princess Amalia became the Princess of Orange—the title given to the monarch's heir-apparent—when her grandmother, Queen Beatrix, abdicated in favor of Amalia's dad, King Willem Alexander.
The future queen has lived a relatively "normal" and private life with her two sisters Princess Alexia, 19, and Princess Ariane, 18, enjoying plenty of regal pursuits like horseback riding, tennis and playing the violin. She was even dubbed "the cocktail queen" after working a summer job at a beach bar.
But shortly after enrolling at the University of Amsterdam in 2022, the young royal faced a terrifying prospect. As the BBC reported at the time, "Princess Amalia - and the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte - are understood to have appeared in organised crime communications, which indicated they may become a target."
The princess was living in student housing at the time and was forced to move back home with her parents in The Hague. Understandably, it was a difficult time for the family, not only due to the kidnapping scare and increased security presence, but because Amalia was robbed of her university experience.
"No student life for her, like other students have. I'm very proud of her and how she keeps it all going," Queen Maxima said in a candid interview with Dutch news outlet AD (via Hello!) ‘It makes me a bit emotional. It's not nice to see your child live like that. She can go to university, but that's it."
In April 2024, it was revealed that Amalia had actually been secretly living in Spain and studied in Madrid for more than a year. "In the Spanish capital, she had more freedom of movement," Dutch outlet NOS reported, noting that the princess "was having a very hard time" in the Netherlands. "I miss normal life, the life of a student," she said in a 2023 interview, via NOS. "Walking through the streets, being able to go to a store."
Princess Amalia returned to Amsterdam in 2024 to finish her education at the university, where she's studying politics, psychology, law, and economics. Per NOS, "the threat has not disappeared, but she can live and study in the Netherlands again" thanks to unknown "measures" that were taken.
On April 7, 2025, Amalia returned to Madrid to dedicate a special tulip garden she gifted to the city. "Madrid is like a second home to me, especially in a time that was difficult in the Netherlands," she said at the event, via Tatler. "In this very Dutch way, I want to thank everyone who took care of my safety and well-being in Madrid."
Now Princess Amalia has been able to settle back into her studies and life in Amsterdam—she's pursuing a degree in politics, psychology, law and economics—as well as the occasional royal duty. On April 26, the poised princess joined her parents and sister Alexia for King's Day festivities honoring King Willem-Alexander's birthday, and earlier in the month, she donned a diamond tiara for a state visit from the Sultan of Oman.
Amalia has proven to be a thoroughly modern princess, turning down her $1.8 million annual income until she becomes a full-time working royal and praising the benefits of therapy. "If I need it, I'll make an appointment...talking to a professional every now and then is quite normal," she said in her authorized biography, via the BBC.
Although it will likely be decades before Princess Amalia takes the throne, the Netherlands does have a history of abdication, unlike Britain—her father was just 46 when Queen Beatrix abdicated in his favor. But whenever the Princess of Orange's time comes, the crown appears to be in more than capable hands.
"If I can avoid a bad situation through diplomacy, then I have made the world a little bit better, I'm happy," she said.
