Hans Willem Bentinck, son of a Dutch nobleman, first came to the attention of the Prince of Orange in 1664 when he was fourteen years of age and the Prince fifteen.

The Prince made Hans Willem his personal Page of Honour, then later a Nobleman of the Chamber. Bentinck was not only ravishingly beautiful but possessed the rare virtue of constancy. The friendship,
thus begun in adolescence, lasted an entire lifetime and survived the onslaughts of jealousy, the competition of marriage, and even the resentment of the British House of Commons.

When they were both young men there occurred a critical event which was to secure the importance of their relationship. The Prince of Orange almost died of smallpox; were it not for the selfless attentions of Hans Willem Bentinck, he would almost certainly have succumbed. Hans Willem slept with the Prince for sixteen days and nights, not daring to leave his side in an attempt to absorb into his
own body some of the fever which threatened his friend's life. It was an act of great courage and devotion and moreover it worked. Although Hans Willem did catch the fever, both men survived and the affection which had bound them together grew even stronger as a result. According to the British Ambassador, Sir William Temple: "Whether he slept or not, the Prince could not tell, but in sixteen days and nights he never called once that he was not answered by Monsieur Bentinck as if he was awake."

Hans Willem was frequently sent to the Court of St. James as William's personal envoy. It was he who negotiated William of Orange's marriage to Princess Mary of York; he who was instrumental in having
the throne of England offered to William; and he who was the Prince's most intimate councillor. When William became King of England in 1689, Hans Willem Bentinck came to England with him and established there the noble family of Bentinck. The Prince of Orange, now King William III of England, appointed Bentinck Groom of the Stole and First Gentleman of the Bedchamber as well as Keeper of the Privy Purse.

In 1689 he was created Earl of Portland and later received the Garter. As Lieutenant-General he campaigned for William III and was employed on the most demanding diplomatic missions. He was brave, intelligent and faithful and, according to Macaulay, "incapable of stooping to an act of baseness". Partially due to William III's reluctance to trust his English advisors, Hans Willem became perhaps
the most unpopular man in England, being described as a "wooden fellow" by the Duke of Marlborough. Hans Willem neither liked nor trusted his English peers and, being unskilled in the art of flattery,
was unable to conceal his umbrage at William III's friendship with Arnold Joost van Keppel.

After conducting the negotiations which led to the signing of the Peace of Rijswijk with France in 1697, Hans Willem Bentinck went as Ambassador to Paris in 1698. From here, though he got along very well
with King Louis XIV, he was soon recalled, possibly due to rumours spread by Arnold Joost van Keppel. Hans Willem Bentinck, Earl of Portland, then resigned all his royal household duties and intended to give up all employment as he found it difficult to persuade the King to listen to him. However, the King did try to rebuild their friendship, writing him many affectionate letters; but it was only on the King's deathbed that they did eventually become reconciled. From then on Bentinck remained in retirement, most of the time in Holland.

Source: Leo van de Pas