Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma,Marchioness of Sala

Princess Maria Carolina Christina of Bourbon-Parma, Marchioness of Sala (born 23 June 1974), is the fourth and youngest child of Princess Irene of the Netherlands and Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, and is member of the Royal and Ducal House of Bourbon-Parma, as well as of the Dutch Royal Family.

Early Life

Princess Carolina was born at 23 June 1974 in Nijmegen. She has two older brothers, Prince Carlos, the head of the House of Bourbon-Parma, and Prince Jaime. She also has one older sister, Princess Margarita. She was baptized at the Castle of Lignieres in France with Prince Claus of the Netherlands and Princess Christina of the Netherlands as her godparents.

In 1981, when she was six, her parents decided to divorce. She moved together with her mother and her brothers and sister to the Soestdijk Palace (Baarn), the then residence of the former Queen of the Netherlands.

They lived at the palace for a number of years with her grandparents, the in 1980 abdicated Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Berhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Later on they lived for a while in a villa at Wijk bij Duurstede.

Education and Career

Princess Carolina studied political science at University of Amsterdam and Harvard University, and also has an Master of Science in Forced Migration from the University of Oxford.

She has had a career at the United Nations. For this organization she was stationed at the UN headquarters in New York City, as well as problematic areas such as Eritrea, the Gaza Strip, and in Acheh (Indonesia) after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. She is currently employed at the United Nations in Geneva, in the Organization for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Marriage

On 9 January 2012, it was announced Carolina would marry Albert Alphons Ludgerus Brenninkmeijer, (born 16 May 1974), a member of the wealthy Brenninkmeijer family. The civil marriage took place on 21 April 2012 at Wijk bij Duurstede. The church wedding took place at the San Miniato al Monte on 16 June 2012 in Florence, Italy.

On 1 February 2014, it was announced that the couple are expecting their first child, and their daughter Alain-Maria Irene Cecile was born 20 May 2014 in Zurich, Switzerland. She had a double christening with her cousin Princess Zita Clara of Bourbon-Parma on 4 October 2014 at Noordwijk Zee in the Netherlands. Her godparents are Princess Margarita of Bourbon-Parma, Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, Philippe Brenninkmeije and Silvia Brenninkmeije-Arboli. The couple welcomed their second child, a son named Xavier Albert Alphons, on 16 December 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland.

Other Activities

The princess has been seen regularly at important events of the royal house of the Netherlands. In 2001 she was one of the maids of honor at the wedding of Prince Constantijn and Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst; and during the baptism of their daughter, Countess Eloise of Orange-Nassau, she was the godmother of the child. She was a witness at the church wedding of her cousin Prince Floris of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, and in 2010, was named as the godmother of Floris' second child, Eliane.

Titles, Styles and Honors

Honors

-Ducal Family of Parma: Knight of the Parmese Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George

-Ducal Family of Parma: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Louis for Civil Merit

-Netherlands: Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Investiture Medal

23 June 1974-2 September 1996: Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Carolina Christina of Bourbon-Parma

2 September 1996-present: Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Carolina Christina of Bourbon-Parma, The Marchioness of Sala

House: Bourbon-Parma

Religion: Roman Catholic

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