Marriage and family

On 7 January 1937 Prince Bernhard married Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and was accorded the title of Prince of the Netherlands. The royal couple chose Soestdijk Palace as their home.

Four daughters were born to Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard: Princess Beatrix (1938), Princess Irene (1939), Princess Margriet (1943) and Princess Christina (1947-2019).

After the German invasion on 10 May 1940, the royal family was forced to flee to the United Kingdom. For safety reasons, Princess Juliana and her children departed for the Canadian capital, Ottawa, while Prince Bernhard stayed with his mother-in-law Queen Wilhelmina in London. Between 1940 and 1945, he played an active part in the Allied struggle against Nazi Germany, both in London and, from September 1944, in the Netherlands. As Supreme Commander of the Netherlands Armed Forces, he was present when the terms of surrender were negotiated in Wageningen in May 1945. He was reunited with his wife and family in the Netherlands in August 1945.