Editing Prince Claus of the Netherlands (section)

==Biography==
Klaus-Georg Wilhelm Otto Friedrich Gerd von Amsberg was born on his mother's family's estate, Schloss Dötzingen, [[Hitzacker]], [[Weimar Republic|Germany]], on 6 September 1926.<ref name=marlise>{{cite news|last=Simons|first=Marlise|title=Claus von Amsberg, 76, Popular Dutch Prince|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/07/world/claus-von-amsberg-76-popular-dutch-prince.html|access-date=27 September 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=7 October 2002}}</ref> He was the second child and only son of [[Claus Felix von Amsberg]] and his wife, [[Baroness Gösta von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen]]. His father, by birth a member of [[Amsberg|House of Amsberg]] which belonged to the untitled [[German nobility]] from [[Mecklenburg]], operated a large farm in [[Tanganyika (territory)|Tanganyika]] (formerly [[German East Africa]]) from 1928 until [[World War II]]. His mother belonged to the ancient [[Bussche family|von dem Bussche]] noble family which originated from the [[County of Ravensberg]]. From 1938, Claus and his six sisters grew up on their maternal grandmother's estate in [[Lower Saxony]]; he attended the [[Friderico-Francisceum-Gymnasium]] in [[Bad Doberan]] from 1933 to 1936 and a boarding school in Tanganyika from 1936 to 1938.<ref name="Guardian-Obituary"/>

Claus was a member of such [[Nazism|Nazi]] [[youth organisation]]s as [[Deutsches Jungvolk]] and the [[Hitler Youth]].<ref name=marlise/><ref>[http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/hitleryouth/hj-prelude.htm Hitler Youth: Prelude to War 1933–1939]. The History Place. Retrieved on 23 April 2014.</ref> From 1938 until 1942, he attended the German Baltenschule Misdroy in what is now [[Międzyzdroje]], Poland.

In 1944, Claus was conscripted into the German [[Wehrmacht]], becoming a soldier in the German [[90th Light Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|90th Panzergrenadier Division]] in Italy in March 1945.<ref name="Guardian-Obituary"/> He was taken [[prisoner of war]] by the [[United States|American forces]] at [[Meran]] before taking part in any fighting.<ref name="Guardian-Obituary"/> After his [[repatriation]], he finished school in [[Lüneburg]] and studied [[law]] in [[Hamburg]]. He then joined the German [[diplomatic corps]] and worked in [[Santo Domingo]] and [[Ivory Coast]]. In the 1960s, he was transferred to [[Bonn]].<ref name="WP-Obituary">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2002/10/07/prince-claus-of-netherlands-dies/f6f4271f-bd92-403d-b321-1bf28e91e023/?noredirect=on|title=Prince Claus of Netherlands Dies|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=11 October 2018}}</ref>

Claus met Princess Beatrix for the first time on New Year's Eve 1963 in [[Bad Driburg]] at a dinner hosted by the Count von [[:de:Oeynhausen (Adelsgeschlecht)|Oeynhausen-Sierstorpff]], who was a distant relative of both of them. Claus and Beatrix were also distantly related (5th cousins twice removed), as both being descendants from [[Bussche family|von dem Bussche family]]. They met again at the wedding-eve party of Princess Tatjana of [[Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg]] and [[Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse]], in the summer of 1964. With memories of German oppression still very strong 20 years after the war, sections of the Dutch population were unhappy that Beatrix's fiancé was a German and former member of the [[Hitler Youth]]. Nonetheless, [[Queen Juliana]] gave the engagement her blessing<ref name="Guardian-Obituary"/> after giving serious thought to canceling it. The engagement was approved by the [[States General of the Netherlands|States-General]]—a necessary step for Beatrix to remain in the line of succession to the throne—in 1965. He was granted Dutch citizenship later that year and changed the spellings of his names to Dutch.

The [[Wedding of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus van Amsberg|couple were married]] on 10 March 1966. Their wedding day saw violent protests, most notably by the anarchist-artist group [[Provo (movement)|Provo]]. They included such memorable slogans as "Claus, 'raus!" (Claus, get out!) and "Mijn fiets terug" (Give me back my bike), a reference to the memory of occupying German soldiers confiscating Dutch bicycles. A smoke bomb was thrown at the wedding carriage by a group of Provos.<ref name=marlise/><ref name="Guardian-Obituary">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/oct/08/guardianobituaries1|title=Obituary: Prince Claus of the Netherlands|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Malu|last=Halasa|date=7 October 2002|access-date=11 October 2018}}</ref> For a time, it was thought that Beatrix would be the last monarch of the Netherlands.

However, over time, Claus became accepted by the public, so much so that during the last part of his life he was considered by some to be the most popular member of the [[Dutch royal family|royal family]].<ref name="Guardian-Obituary"/><ref>{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/binnenland/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/12_december/13/binnenland/maxima.xml Máxima en Claus populairste Oranje-leden]</ref> This change in Dutch opinion was brought about by Claus's strong motivation to contribute to public causes (especially [[Third World]] development, on which he was considered an expert), his sincere modesty and his candor (within but sometimes on the edge of royal protocol).

The public also sympathised with Claus for his efforts to give meaning to his life beyond the restrictions that Dutch law imposed on the royal family's freedom of speech and action. However, these restrictions were gradually loosened; Claus was even appointed as senior staff member at the Department of Developing Aid, albeit in an advisory role.

One example of his attitude toward protocol was the "Declaration of the Tie". In 1998, after presenting the annual [[Prince Claus Awards]] to three [[Africa]]n [[fashion design]]ers, Claus told "workers of all nations to unite and cast away the new shackles they have voluntarily cast upon themselves", meaning the [[necktie]], that "snake around my neck,"<ref name=marlise/> and encouraged the audience to "venture into open-[[collar (clothing)|collar]] [[paradise]]". He then removed his tie and threw it on the floor.<ref>{{in lang|nl}} [http://nos.nl/video/47116-prins-claus-wars-van-protocol-2002.html Claus' speech in which he removes his tie, among other video fragments] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112084738/http://nos.nl/video/47116-prins-claus-wars-van-protocol-2002.html |date=12 January 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nos.nl/l/261282|title=Prins Claus werpt stropdas af (1998)|website=nos.nl|date=6 April 2011 |language=nl|access-date=18 September 2019}}</ref>

Claus battled depression for a number of years, and underwent surgery in 1998 to remove his prostate. In 2001, he underwent another surgery to remove one of his kidneys. He eventually died on 6 October 2002 from Parkinson's disease and heart failure.<ref name="WP-Obituary"/>

===Activities===
As a husband of the heir, Claus was a member of the National Advisory Council for Development Cooperation and its Bureau, and was a chair of the National Committee for Development Strategy 1970‑1980 and the Netherlands Development Organization. He also worked as special advisor to the Minister for Development Cooperation. He held these positions until 1980.<ref name="royalhouse2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.royal-house.nl/members-royal-house/in-memoriam/prince-claus/work-until-1980|title=Prince Claus's Work until 1980|website=Dutch Royal House Official Website|date=20 January 2015 |access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref>

On 30 April 1980, Claus' mother-in-law, Queen Juliana, abdicated in favour of Princess Beatrix, who became Queen of the Netherlands.<ref name="royalhouse3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.royal-house.nl/members-royal-house/in-memoriam/prince-claus/prince-claus-and-queen-beatrix|title=Prince Claus and Queen Beatrix|website=Dutch Royal House Official Website|date=20 January 2015 |access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref> After the investiture, the couple visited the [[Netherlands Antilles]] and [[Aruba]].<ref name="royalhouse3"/> As a prince consort, Prince Claus frequently visited public organisations, commercial and industrial enterprises, and companies in the agriculture and fisheries sector.<ref name="royalhouse3"/>

In 1984, Claus became the Inspector General for Development Cooperation, member of the Board of Directors of De Nederlandsche Bank N.V. (until 1998), member of the Board of Directors of Royal PTT Nederland, and Chair of the Transport and Public Works Platform.<ref name="royalhouse"/>

Claus was an honorary chair of the National Coordinating Committee for the Protection of Monuments and Historic Buildings and the King William I Foundation. He was also a patron of the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Scouting Netherlands.<ref name="royalhouse">{{Cite web|url=https://www.royal-house.nl/members-royal-house/in-memoriam/prince-claus/public-appointments|title=Prince Claus's Public appointments|website=Dutch Royal House Official Website|date=20 January 2015 |access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref>

On Claus' seventieth birthday, the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development was established on the initiative of the Dutch government. The fund focused on enhancing understanding of cultures and promoting interaction between culture and development.<ref name="royalhouse"/>

===Declining health and death===
[[File:Funeral of Prince Claus of the Netherlands.jpg|thumb|250px|Funeral of Prince Claus]]

Claus suffered various health problems, such as [[depression (mood)|depression]], [[cancer]] and [[Parkinson's disease]]. He died of complications of [[pneumonia]] and Parkinson's at the [[Academic Medical Center]] in [[Amsterdam]] on 6 October 2002 after a long illness, aged 76.<ref name="WP-Obituary" /> He died less than four months after the birth of [[Countess Eloise of Orange-Nassau|his first grandchild]].

Claus was interred in the royal family's tomb in [[Delft]] on 15 October. It was the first full [[state funeral]] since [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands|Queen Wilhelmina]]'s in 1962.