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The Netherlands applied Salic law until 1884 when King William III's last male heir died and the Staten-Generaal adopted agnatic-cognatic primogeniture making Princess Wilhelmina heiress presumptive. No males were born into the royal family until 1967. In 1983 the Netherlands adopted full lineal primogeniture (the eldest child is heir).

For the succession of Beatrix the following order of priority applies:

1. HRH Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, Prince of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg (first child of Queen Beatrix)
2. HRH Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau (first child of Prince Willem-Alexander)
3. HRH Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau (second child of Prince Willem-Alexander)
4. HRH the unborn third child of the Prince and Princess of Orange
5. HRH Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg (third child of Queen Beatrix)
6. HE Countess Eloise of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouw van Amsberg (daughter of Prince Constantijn)
7. HE Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg (son of Prince Constantijn)
8. HE Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouw van Amsberg (daughter of Prince Constantijn)
9. HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld (daughter of Queen Juliana)
10. HH Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (son of Princess Margriet)
11. HH Prince Bernhard of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (son of Princess Margriet)

Thus, after Willem-Alexander come his daughters; then Constantijn, his brother; a niece, a nephew, and another niece; an aunt; and two cousins.

Notes

• Queen Beatrix's second son, Prince Johan-Friso of Orange-Nassau, was removed from the line of succession when he married without parliamentary approval in 2004. His two daughters, Countess Luana and Countess Zaria are not in the line of succession.
• Prince Pieter Christiaan of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven and Prince Floris of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (the two younger sons of Princess Margriet) were dropped from the list because they had both decided not to seek parliamentary approval for their 2005 marriages, which is necessary for being eligible for succession.
• Two of Queen Beatrix's sisters, Princess Irene and Princess Christina, were also dropped from the list when they married without parliamentary approval.
• The children of Prince Maurits and Prince Bernhard are not on the list, because their kinship with Queen Beatrix is of the fourth degree, the constitutional maximum being of the third degree.
• For the same reason, if Willem-Alexander becomes king as expected, then for his successor only numbers 2 through 9 apply (and possible future children of him and of Prince Constantijn); his cousins (numbers 10 - 11) will be removed from the list.