Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau

Princess Mabel Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau (more) Spouse Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau Issue Countess Luana Countess Zaria Full name Mabel Martine House House of Orange-Nassau Father Henk Los Mother Flos Kooman Born 11 August 1968 (1968-08-11)

Dutch Royal Family HM The Queen * HRH The Prince of Orange * HRH Princess Máxima * HRH Princess Catharina-Amalia * HRH Princess Alexia * HRH Princess Ariane * HRH Prince Friso HRH Princess Mabel Countess Luana Countess Zaria HRH Prince Constantijn * HRH Princess Laurentien * Countess Eloise * Count Claus-Casimir * Countess Leonore * Extended royal family HRH Princess Irene HRH the Duke of Parma HRH The Duchess of Parma HRH the Countess of Colorno Tjalling ten Cate HRH the Count of Bardi HRH the Marchioness of Sala HRH Princess Margriet * Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven * HH Prince Maurits * HH Princess Marilène * HH Prince Bernhard * HH Princess Annette * HH Prince Pieter-Christiaan HH Princess Anita HH Prince Floris HH Princess Aimée HRH Princess Christina Bernardo Guillermo Eva Prinz-Valdes Nicolás Guillermo Juliana Guillermo * Member of the Dutch Royal House

Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau (née Mabel Martine Wisse Smit, born Mabel Martine Los, 11 August 1968, Pijnacker, Netherlands) is the wife of Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau (second son of Queen Beatrix and the late Prince Claus of the Netherlands).

Early life

She was born Mabel Martine Los to Hendrik Cornelis "Henk" Los (Voorschoten, 27 April 1944 - Loosdrecht, 18 February 1978) and wife Florence Malde Gijsberdina "Flos" Kooman (b. 1944), in turn daughter of Anthonie Kooman (Maastricht, 15 June 1915 - 's-Hertogenbosch, 8 November 1979) and wife Antoinette Petronella van Woerkom. Her father died when she was 9 years old; when her mother married Peter Wisse Smit (15 October 1939 - Hilversum, 11 November 2000) in 1984, Mabel and her sister took their stepfather's surname. Princess Mabel has two younger sisters, Nicoline Los, later Nicoline Wisse Smit (b. 1970) and Eveline Wisse Smit (b. 1982). She grew up in Het Gooi in Central Netherlands.

She studied economics and political science at the University of Amsterdam, graduating summa cum laude in 1993. During her study she also finished internships at the United Nations, Shell, ABN AMRO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition to Dutch, she speaks fluent English, Spanish and French and also learned Slavic languages during her work in the Balkans.

During her university years, she showed special interest in human rights situations around the world, and later specialised in Balkan diplomacy and international relations. In 1995 she was present at the peace conference in Dayton, Ohio.

Work

Wisse Smit was co-founder of the "European Action Council for Peace in the Balkans" in 1994, which was a non-governmental organisation that strived for peace, democracy and stability in the Balkan, and had Margaret Thatcher, Simon Wiesenthal and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing among its members.

In 1995 she was one of the co-founders of War Child Netherlands, she was on the Trustee Board until 1999. In 1997, she was appointed director of EU affairs of the "Open Society Institute" in Brussels, one of the foundations of Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros. From 2002 to 2008, Princess Mabel has worked in the London branch of the Open Society Institute where she is the "International Advocacy Director", she "helps to coordinate all international OSI advocacy activities aimed at international policy change."

The World Economic Forum in Switzerland counted her as one of the hundred "Global Leaders for Tomorrow". She is a member of the worldwide Forum of Young Global Leaders, a thinktank and lobbygroup that aims to tackle global issues.

She is one of the founding members of the European thinktank European Council on Foreign Relations. She is also a member of the Interpeace Governing Council.

As of 1 July 2008 she is the first Chief Executive Officer of the Global Elders, a group of eminent individuals convened by Nelson Mandela to use their wisdom, independent leadership and experience to tackle some of the world's toughest problems. She oversees the day-to-day operations for the Elders.

Controversy

After announcing their marriage Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende wrote in a letter to parliament that Mabel Wisse Smit had given "incomplete and incorrect information" about the duration and extent of her contacts with a known drug trade figure, Klaas Bruinsma, and that because of this, the government had decided not to seek permission for the marriage from parliament. In a letter to the Prime Minister dated 9 October, Prince Friso stated that the couple had given some incomplete information, but had not given any incorrect information nor did they lie. The couple admitted that the sailing friendship with Bruinsma was indeed closer than had been mentioned, but denied a love or sexual relationship. This was later repeated by Wisse Smit in a number of interviews.

According to Dutch law, the government had to submit the couple's marriage to parliament for its approval, a prerequisite for succession to the throne. Prince Johan Friso said he would marry Smit regardless, and as a result lost his right to become king. He had been second in the order of succession, after his older brother, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander.

In a report later issued by the Stichting Nederlandse Nieuwsmonitor (Dutch News Monitor Foundation), it was alleged that the Dutch media had contributed to blowing things out of proportion after the prime minister made 'unnuanced' comments during two news conferences. In this period Wisse Smit also received some negative publicity by revelations about her affair, which started circa 1993, with Bosnian UN Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey.

Marriage and children

Mabel Wisse Smit and Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau married in Delft on 24 April 2004. Because he did not ask the Dutch parliament for permission for the marriage, Prince Friso lost his membership of the Netherlands' Royal House. Therefore, neither Prince Friso, Princess Mabel, nor their children are members of the Royal House or in the Dutch line of succession. Prince Friso and Princess Mabel have been living in London since their marriage.

Issue

Name	Birth	Birthplace
Emma Luana Ninette Sophie	26 March 2005	London
Joanna Zaria Nicoline Milou	18 June 2006	London

The couple have two daughters. The elder, Emma Luana Ninette Sophie was born in London on 26 March 2005. She is called Luana, a Teutonic name meaning 'graceful warrior' (also 'gracious warrior' or 'female warrior'). The only information the couple released to the press after the birth of their daughter were three official photographs. Luana was christened by Huub Oosterhuis on 18 December 2005, in The Hague.

Their second child, a girl named Zaria (full name Joanna Zaria Nicoline Milou), was born in London on 18 June 2006.

Style, titles and names

Styles of Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau
Reference style	Her Royal Highness
Spoken style	Your Royal Highness
Alternative style	Ma'am

• Miss Mabel Martine Los (1968–1984)
• Miss Mabel Martine Wisse Smit (she took her stepfather's surname, 1984–2004)
• Her Royal Highness Princess Mabel Martine of Orange-Nassau, Countess of Orange-Nassau, Mrs. van Amsberg (since 24 April 2004)

Since her marriage, Mabel Wisse Smit may use the courtesy titles of Princess of Orange-Nassau, Countess of Orange-Nassau, Mrs. Van Amsberg. She was not legally created a princess, but received courtesy titles due to her marriage, since it is customary for wives of members of the royal family to take the titles of their husbands. It was decided that their children each would receive the titles of Count or Countess of Orange-Nassau and Jonkheer or Jonkvrouw van Amsberg.

External links

• Royal House of the Netherlands
• The Elders' Official Website
• Mabel van Oranje video talk on how to achieve change at TEDxAmsterdam, 20 November 2009