By Toby Sterling
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – In a biography published ahead of her 18th birthday on Dec. 7, the Netherlands’ Crown Princess Amalia says she is not yet ready to become monarch even though she is committed to a life in service to her country.
The book, written with approval of the government’s information service (RVD), which handles publicity for the Royal House, and released Tuesday, is the deepest look to date into the life and character of Amalia, the eldest daughter of King Willem-Alexander.
Apart from excelling at school — which was known — the book revealed that Amalia worked a part time job as waitress at a beach-side cafe. The owner jokingly referred to her as their “cocktail queen.”
And she said that if she were not a future queen, she might pursue a career in singing or horseback riding.
While the House of Orange remains popular with the majority of Dutch people, the monarchy has come under increasing criticism in recent years. Of the possibility republicans could abolish it, Amalia said she could accept that.
“They can do that of course, and then I’ll go on living too.”
The royal family is highly protective of its privacy outside of formal events, and Amalia said she is self-conscious of being recognised in her day-to-day life, for instance while shopping.
“Everyone looks at you like you have a goldfish on your head,” she said.
She said that if her father, 54, were to die or step down unexpectedly, she would ask her Argentine-born mother, Queen Maxima, to assume the throne temporarily.
“But I said to my father: you just keep on eating healthy and exercising a lot.”
The princess currently is hoping to spend her post highschool year in an internship at a multinational company before beginning university studies, probably at Leiden.
(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
