Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld

He was a grandson of Ernest, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld, who was regent of the Principality of Lippe until 1904.

He was also a nephew of the principality's last sovereign, Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe.

Because his parents' marriage did not conform with the marriage laws of the House of Lippe, it was initially deemed morganatic, as Armgard didn't belong by birth to any ruling or the former ruling families of Europe, Bernhard was granted only the title of Count of Biesterfeld at birth.

He and his brother could succeed to the Lippian throne only if the entire reigning House became extinct.

Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (later Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands; 29 June 1911 – 1 December 2004) was Prince of the Netherlands from 6 September 1948 to 30 April 1980 as the husband of Queen Juliana.

Bernhard was born Bernhard Leopold Friedrich Eberhard Julius Kurt Karl Gottfried Peter, Count of Biesterfeld in Jena, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empire on 29 June 1911, the elder son of Prince Bernhard of Lippe and his wife, Baroness Armgard von Sierstorpff-Cramm, member of one of the oldest Lower Saxon noble families, House of Cramm.

From birth he held the title Count of Biesterfeld; his uncle raised him to princely rank with the style of Serene Highness in 1916.

He studied law and worked as an executive secretary at the Paris office of IG Farben.

In 1916, his uncle Leopold IV as reigning Prince raised Bernhard and his mother to Prince and Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld, thereby retroactively according his parents' marriage dynastic status.

The suffix Biesterfeld was revived to mark the beginning of a new cadet line of the House of Lippe.

After World War I, Bernhard's family lost their German Principality and the revenue that had accompanied it, but the family was still reasonably well-off.

Bernhard spent his early years at Reckenwalde castle (Wojnowo, Poland), the family's new estate in East Brandenburg, thirty kilometres east of the River Oder.

He was taught privately and received his early education at home.

When he was twelve, he was sent to board at the Gymnasium in Züllichau (Sulechów).

Several years later he was sent to board at a Gymnasium in Berlin, from which he graduated in 1929.

Bernhard suffered from poor health as a boy.

Doctors predicted that he would not live very long.

This prediction might have inspired Bernhard's reckless driving and the risks that he took in the Second World War and thereafter.

The prince wrecked several cars and planes in his lifetime.

Bernhard studied law at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and in Berlin.

In the latter city, he also acquired a taste for fast cars, horse riding, and big-game hunting safaris.

He was nearly killed in a boating accident and in an aeroplane crash.

In 1937 he married Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, and was immediately given the title Prince of the Netherlands with the style of Royal Highness.

He suffered a broken neck and crushed ribs in a 160 km/h (100 mph) car crash in 1938.

Despite being a member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and serving as an officer in the Schutzstaffel while he was in Germany, Bernhard supported the Allies of World War II after the outbreak of war in 1939.

He was respected for his performance as a combat pilot and his activities as a liaison officer and personal aide to his mother-in-law, Queen Wilhelmina, during the conflict, and for his work during post-war reconstruction.

During the war, he was part of the London-based Allied war planning council, and saw active combat service as honorary wing commander in Royal Air Force (RAF), flying both fighter and bomber planes.

He was also an honorary general officer in the Dutch army and involved in negotiating the terms of surrender of German forces in the Netherlands.

For proven bravery, leadership and loyalty during his wartime efforts, he was appointed a Commander of the Military William Order, the Netherlands' oldest and highest honour.

After the war he was made honorary air marshal of the RAF by Queen Elizabeth II.

Upon his wife's accession to the throne in 1948, he became prince consort.

In 1954, he was a co-founder of the international Bilderberg Group, which has met annually since then to discuss corporate globalisation and other issues concerning Europe and North America.

Bernhard helped found the World Wildlife Fund (WWF, later renamed World Wide Fund for Nature), becoming its first president in 1961.

In 1969, Bernhard was awarded the Grand Cross (Special Class) of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In 1970, along with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and other associates, he established the WWF's financial endowment "The 1001: A Nature Trust".

He was forced to step down from both groups after being involved in the Lockheed Bribery Scandal in 1976.

In October 2023 Bernhard's original NSDAP membership card was discovered in his old residence.

Until his death Bernhard denied being a NSDAP member or holding a NSDAP membership card.

They had four daughters together, including Beatrix, who was Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 to 2013.

Bernhard belonged to the German princely house of Lippe-Biesterfeld and was a nephew of the last sovereign prince of Lippe, Leopold IV.