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Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands has entered a new decade! Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander ’s eldest daughter turned 20 on Thursday, Dec. 7. Days after celebrating her birthday, the Dutch Royal House released a personal message from the Princess of Orange, along with a black-and-white photo of the future Queen.
“Many thanks for all the congratulations I received on the occasion of my 20th birthday. All the heartwarming messages made my day even more special,” Amalia said (translated to English).
The Royal House marked the Princess’ birthday last week with a portrait of Amalia dressed in a black pantsuit. The past year has included glittering tiara appearances for Amalia at royal wedding celebrations and at fellow future monarch Prince Christian of Denmark’s 18th birthday gala dinner. On the eve of King Charles’ coronation in May, Amalia joined her grandmother Princess Beatrix and foreign royals at a reception at Buckingham Palace.
The 20-year-old Princess, who is the eldest of Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander’s children, is first in line to the Dutch throne. Amalia began her studies at the University of Amsterdam last year, but moved back home due to threats made against her.
Earlier this year, the Dutch Princess spoke about missing “normal life, life of a student.” She confessed (translated to English via NOS ), “I’m going to be very honest that I am still having a very difficult time.”