Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands: The King of “Oranje” You Cannot Resist

Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, full name Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand, has been the King of the Netherlands since 2013. He is the first king of the Netherlands in over a century and has an impressive resume as a water-management expert, pilot, and biker.

Born into a royal family, Willem-Alexander was destined for great things from birth. However, he had to wait quite a while before making it to the throne. In his youth, he was quite the party animal, with a penchant for beer and dancing the night away. In fact, he once famously declared that he would rather be called the “Prince of Beer” than the “Prince of Orange”. Who wouldn’t want to party with this guy?

Eventually, Willem-Alexander ditched the partying to pursue his love of flying. He became a military pilot and was even part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Bosnia during the 1990s. However, his piloting career wasn’t always smooth sailing. In 1999, he was caught flying a KLM passenger jet incognito, causing quite the scandal. We can only hope he didn’t make any wild party promises to his passengers.

In addition to flying, Willem-Alexander is known for his water-management expertise. He has served as the chair of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation and is passionate about ensuring that people have access to clean water. Oh, and did we mention he once led a royal delegation on water skis? We can’t decide if that’s impressive or just plain ridiculous.

Despite his love of water, Willem-Alexander is also an avid biker. He has been known to ride his motorcycle to official events, and even participated in the 2015 Amsterdam City Swim, a fundraising event to support ALS research. We can only imagine him arriving at the palace on his Harley, wearing a leather jacket and aviator sunglasses.

Overall, Willem-Alexander may not be your typical king, but that’s what makes him so lovable. He’s a party animal turned water-management expert, pilot, and biker. What more could you want? If you ever find yourself in the Netherlands, be sure to raise a glass of beer to the “Prince of Beer” and current King of “Oranje”.