Biography
Youth
Prince Claus was born on 6 September 1926 as Claus von Amsberg on the estate of his mother's family in Dötzingen, Hitzacker, in Lower Saxony. The only son of Claus von Amsberg and Frau Gosta von Amsberg, Freiin von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen, Prince Claus had six sisters.
From 1933 to 1937 Prince Claus attended
primary school, first in Bad Doberan in Mecklenburg and then in
Lushoto in Tanganyika, where his parents had settled in 1928. In
1938 he returned to Germany, and until 1943 received his secondary
education at the Baltenschule, a boarding school at Misdroy in
Pomerania. From January to August 1943 he attended secondary school
at Bad Doberan, Mecklenburg, and from August 1943 to January 1944
he served as a naval auxiliary near Kiel.
In January 1944 he was called up for a two-month period of service
in the Labour Corps in Königsberg/Neumark. He then returned to
secondary school and was awarded his (wartime) school-leaving
certificate in July 1944. Immediately after leaving school he was
called up for military service, and served in Reserve Armoured
Division no. 6 in Neuruppin from July 1944 to March 1945. He
attended the Armoured Vehicle Training School at Viborg in Denmark
for three months of this period. From March to May 1945 he served
with the 90th Panzer Division in Italy, but did not see active
combat.
He was captured by the Americans near Merano in early May and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp at Ghedi near Brescia, where he was employed as a driver and interpreter. In September 1945 the Americans transferred him to the US base at Latimer Camp near Amersham in the United Kingdom to work as an interpreter. After his release in December 1945 Prince Claus returned to Hitzacker.
All young men who wished to enter university just after the war had to be cleared by a denazification court established by the Allies, and Prince Claus was no exception. Like most secondary school pupils he was automatically a member of the Nazi youth organisations Jungvolk and Hitlerjugend. He was fully cleared by the court.
Before being admitted to university he had again to sit the school-leaving examinations, as the certificate awarded him during the war was not officially recognised. He took a special course for ex-servicemen and passed the examinations in Lüneburg in 1947.
Prince Claus originally wanted to study mechanical engineering, but as the German universities were overcrowded and priority was being given to older candidates, he was unable to enrol in 1947. He therefore began the year's work experience placement which was prescribed as part of the university course, taking a job at an engineering works at Winsen/Luhe, near Hamburg. At the end of 1948, however, he decided to enrol in the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the University of Hamburg. He sat his first law examination (Referendar) in 1952 and his second (Assessor) in September 1956, after having gained the necessary practical experience in a number of law courts and in a firm of lawyers in Hamburg. During this period he went on a four-month study trip to the United States.
In early 1957 he passed the competitive examination for entry into the German Foreign Service and passed the Diplomatic Service (Attaché) examination in May 1958. From May 1958 to March 1961, he was successively Third Secretary and Second Secretary at the German Embassy at Ciudad Trujillo (now Santo Domingo), Dominican Republic. In April 1961 he was posted to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, as Second Secretary. He remained in Africa until January 1963.
Later the same year he was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bonn, where he worked in the department responsible for economic relations with Africa south of the Sahara until August 1965.
Marriage and family
On 28 June 1965, the engagement was announced of Claus von Amsberg and Princess Beatrix, heiress to the Dutch throne. On 10 November 1965, the Lower House of the States General passed a bill introduced by the government consenting to the marriage. The bill was passed by the Upper House on 8 December 1965 and two days later Claus von Amsberg became a Dutch citizen. The civil marriage ceremony was conducted by the Burgomaster of Amsterdam, Gijsbert van Hall, in Amsterdam City Hall on 10 March 1966. The marriage was blessed during a service in the Westerkerk, which was conducted by Rev. H.J. Kater, with a sermon by Rev. J.H. Sillevis Smitt. On this occasion, Claus von Amsberg received the title of Prince of the Netherlands and the designation Jonkheer van Amsberg. The royal couple took up residence in Drakensteyn Castle in Lage Vuursche, Princess Beatrix's home since 1963.
Three sons were born to Prince Claus and Princess Beatrix: Prince Willem-Alexander in 1967, Prince Johan Friso in 1968 and Prince Constantijn in 1969.
Immediately on his arrival in the Netherlands the Prince had devoted his energies to learning the Dutch language and familiarising himself with every aspect of Dutch society. During the early years of their marriage, Prince Claus and Princess Beatrix devoted much of their time to the upbringing of their children. They went on various visits, not only to Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles but also to many other countries and international organisations.
The Prince was involved in a variety of activities, but he was particularly interested in development cooperation. This was a field in which the knowledge and experience he had gained during his diplomatic career could be put to good use. He was appointed member of the National Advisory Council for Development Cooperation and its Bureau, and he was Chair of the National Committee for Development Strategy 1970-1980, Chair of the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), and special adviser to the Minister for Development Cooperation. In these capacities he visited a number of countries targeted by Dutch policy, such as India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Zambia.
Prince Claus and Queen Beatrix
On 30 April 1980, at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, Queen Juliana abdicated in favour of her daughter Princess Beatrix, who became Queen of the Netherlands. After the investiture, the Queen and Prince Claus visited the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. They also paid state visits to, for example, Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Israel, South Africa and Indonesia.
Social involvement
The Queen and Prince Claus took an interest in important events in the Netherlands and kept themselves fully informed of social and economic developments in the country and the concerns of its people. They regularly visited the provinces. During these working visits, Prince Claus devoted particular attention to technological innovation and music. He was also interested in the preservation of historic buildings, nature conservation, the environment and urban and regional planning. He frequently visited public utility organisations, commercial and industrial enterprises, companies in the agriculture and fisheries sector, and organisations in the commercial sector.
Posts
In 1984, Prince Claus accepted four new posts in addition to his post of Special Adviser on Development Cooperation. In that year, he became Inspector-General for Development Cooperation, member of the Board of Directors of both De Nederlandsche Bank N.V. and Royal PTT Nederland, and Chair of the Transport and Public Works Export Platform. The Prince resigned from the boards of De Nederlandsche Bank N.V. and Royal PTT Nederland in 1998 on reaching the statutory retirement age of 72.
The Prince was also Honorary Chair of the King William I Foundation and the National Coordinating Committee for the Protection of Monuments and Historic Buildings, and patron of the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Scouting Netherlands.
Prince Claus Fund
To mark Prince Claus's seventieth birthday, the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development was established on the initiative of the Dutch government. The objective of the Fund is to enhance understanding of cultures and to promote interaction between culture and development. Prince Claus occupied the post of Honorary Chair.
Leisure time
Prince Claus was interested in photography, reading and music. He was also keen on golf and tennis. Whenever possible, the royal couple spent their holidays at their farm in Tuscany; they went skiing every winter in Lech, Austria.
His Royal Highness Prince Claus of the Netherlands passed away at the AMC university hospital in Amsterdam on 6 October 2002.