Princess Mabel Wisse Smit has turned 52: a profile

The announcement of the couple’s engagement.

Marriage or throne?

More details about the relationship between Mabel and Bruinsma came out later. As it turned out, the two knew each other better than the princess initially claimed. For that reason, the government did not authorize the marriage of Mabel and Friso. As a result, Prince Friso had to choose: the right to succession to the throne or his marriage.

Marriage.

Ski accident

He chose the latter, and Mabel and Friso married in 2004. The couple had two daughters: Luana in 2005 and Zaria in 2006. Years later, in 2012, Friso had a skiing accident during the royal family’s annual skiing holiday in Lech . The prince was hit by an avalanche and fell into a coma. Almost 1.5 years later, he died from the consequences of this accident.

family

Mabel then went through a rough patch, she said a year ago LINDA.172 ‘Princess Mabel’. “There are several things that have kept me going,” said the princess. “My children, of course, but also family and a group of close friends. And by family I mean both families, both my in-laws and my own family. ”

At Prince Friso’s funeral.

United Nations

But Mabel isn’t just ‘our princess’. She is also a woman with a special career. She worked for the United Nations before her marriage and was committed to building peace in the Balkans. Mabel also founded the Dutch foundation in 1995, together with good friend Willemijn Verloop War Child on. This foundation stands up for children in war zones.

Collaborate with world leaders

For a number of years, Mabel was also director of ‘The Elders’: a group of ‘wise people’ engaged in promoting justice, peace and human rights. In this, the princess worked with world leaders such as Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

Girls Not Brides

And it didn’t stop there. The princess also founded the organization Girls Not Brides She is committed to abolishing child marriage worldwide. And you would think she is busy enough already, but Mabel has also been working hard for years to eradicate AIDS.

Eliminate AIDS

In 2018, for example, she participated in the Towards ZERO Together AIDS march from Brussels to Amsterdam. The princess wants to break the stigma on AIDS and ensure that AIDS is completely gone by 2030. “The political will is not there yet, but we can jointly ensure political will,” said Mabel during the march.

The princess during the Towards ZERO Together AIDS march.

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‘Looking forward to the years ahead’

And this is just a small selection from the life of our princess. All her hard work has made her appear in influential lists. She was one of 100 Global Leaders For Tomorrow. She was also named one of the most influential women in the United Kingdom by Harpers Bazaar in Britain. And Mabel’s ambitions go much further. “Now, at the age of 50, I dare to say that I have got my life back on track,” she said in our Mabel number two years ago. “I’m looking forward to the years ahead.”

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