Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
Princess Ariane of the Netherlands turns 18 today – meaning all three children of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are now officially adults. However, the celebrations for the third in line to the Dutch throne will be low key, in keeping with a princess who has managed to remain quietly under the radar for much of her life.
Princess Ariane Wilhelmina Máxima Inés was born in the evening of 10 April 2007 at HMC Bronovo in The Hague. She was the couple’s third child, following Princess Catharina Amalia in 2003 and Princess Alexia in 2005.
On 29 October, the infant princess was baptised at the Kloosterkerk, the church where her great, great grandmother, Queen Wilhemina, had her first communion and King Willem-Alexander had his first confession.
Her godparents included Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg.
Princess Ariane followed in her elder sisters’ footsteps and attended the Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet, an independent school, in The Hague.
She has also joined several royals, including her father, her sister Princess Alexia, Spain’s Princess Leonor and Princess Elisabeth, heir to the Belgian throne in choosing to attend UWC for her secondary schooling.
In August 2023, Princess Ariane arrived in the Italian village of Duino to begin her studies at UWC Adriatic, the college’s Mediterranean campus. She is completing her two year International Baccalaureate at the school and should be graduating this year.
Her royal family hasn’t yet revealed what she will do once leaving secondary education. As she turns 18, a new chapter begins in the life of a discreet princess.