Bernhard Lucas Emmanuel, Prince of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, was born on 25 December 1969 in Nijmegen. Prince Bernhard has three brothers: Prince Maurits, born in 1968, Prince Pieter-Christiaan, born in 1972, and Prince Floris, born in 1975.
Image: © RVD - Jeroen van der Meyde
Prince Bernhard
Education
Prince Bernhard studied economics for a year at Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA. In 1995 he graduated in economics from the University of Groningen.
Marriage and family
The Prince married Annette Sekrève in Utrecht on 6 July 2000. In 2026 Prince Bernhard and Annette Sekrève divorced. Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette have three children: Isabella, born in 2002, Samuel, born in 2004, and Benjamin, born in 2008. By Royal Decree the children bear the surname Van Vollenhoven.
Work
Prince Bernhard is self-employed. While at university he set up his own business, Ritzen Couriers, with friends and went on to co-found Shop.nl and Clockwork. As a member of the management team of Levi9 IT Services, Prince Bernhard is responsible for marketing and expansion of the business. He is also a partner in Pinnacle real estate development in Amsterdam and founder of Lymph&Co, a fund that raises money for fundamental research into lymphoma. The Prince founded Waterdream, which builds and designs aluminium boats, and is joint shareholder in the Circuit Zandvoort race track.