Kings, queens, princes and princesses

Soestdijk Palace has a centuries-old history. It is the beloved winged palace in the heart of the Netherlands where stadtholders, kings, queens, princes and princesses lived between 1674 and 2004. Here they enjoyed the peace and the beautiful nature and gave their personal touch to the design of the palace and the gardens.

What started as a farmstead grew into a palace with colonnades. Everyone can now experience the rich history of the palace and gardens: from grandeur to cosiness, from hunting grounds to rhododendrons and from Stuczaal to state affairs. After a long Orange history, Soestdijk has started a new chapter with exhibitions and events. Inspired by the past, the palace is ready for the future.

Here follows a list of (royal) residents of Soestdijk Palace. It was mainly the women who left their mark on the interior of the palace. Their taste, influence and choices are still visible in the style and atmosphere of the rooms. That is why these distinguished ladies are mentioned first.

Construction Soestdijk

Catharina Hooft, Lady of the Lordship of Purmerend and Ilpendam (1618 – 1691)
Wife of Cornelis de Graeff, lord of Polsbroek, mayor of Amsterdam (1599 – 1664)

Buy Soestdijk

Mary II Stuart Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland (1662 – 1695)
Wife of William III Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau, King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1650 – 1702)

Inheritance Soestdijk

Maria Louise Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (1688 – 1765)
Wife of Johan Willem Friso Prince of Nassau-Dietz, (from 1702) Prince of Orange (1687 – 1711)

Inheritance Soestdijk

Anna, Princess of Great Britain and Ireland, Princess Royal, Princess of Hanover, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1709 – 1759)
Wife of William IV Prince of Orange, Prince of Nassau (1711 – 1751)

Inheritance Soestdijk

Wilhelmina Princess of Prussia (1751 – 1820)
Wife of William V (calling himself William Batavus), Prince of Orange, Prince of Fulda, Count of Corvey 1802, Prince of Nassau (1748 – 1806)

Disposition of Soestdijk

Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland (1783 – 1837)
Wife of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, King of Holland (1778 – 1846)

Soestdijk as a national gift

Anna Paulowna Grand Duchess of Russia (1795 – 1865)
Wife of William II, King of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Duke of Limburg (1792 – 1849)

Inheritance Soestdijk

Amalia Princess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1830 – 1872)
Wife of Hendrik Prince of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau (1820 – 1879)

Inheritance Soestdijk

Emma Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1858 – 1934), Queen Regent
Wife of King William III, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Duke of Limburg (1817 – 1890)

Inheritance Soestdijk

Juliana Queen of the Netherlands, Princess of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Duchess of Mecklenburg, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1909 – 2004)
Wife of Bernhard Prins (1916) of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1911 – 2004)

Owner, winner of the Pitch of the Central Government Real Estate Agency

Maya Meijer-Bergmans and Ton Meijer

The current owners want to preserve a restored Soestdijk Palace for future generations, with a sustainable and meaningful purpose.