Born in Palace Soestdijk on 5 August 1939, she was baptised only after the family had fled to England, on 31 May 1940 in the Chapel of Buckingham Palace. The war years were spent in Canada and in 1945 she returned with her family to The Netherlands. In her youth she enjoyed horse-riding and sailing. In Utrecht she studied Spanish and became a qualified interpreter-translator. Quietly she studied the Roman Catholic religion and, in Rome in January 1964, she was baptised by Dutch Cardinal Alfrink. Shortly afterwards her engagement to Prince Charles Hugues de Bourbon-Parma was announced, causing consternation in Dutch Protestant circles. After a short visit of Prince Charles Hugues, both left The Netherlands and, on 29 April 1964 in Rome, were married without anyone of the Dutch Royal Family attending. As she had married without the requisite Parliamentary permission, she lost her rights to the Dutch throne. For many years she assisted her husband in the Spanish Carlist movement. However, their four children were born in The Netherlands. On 27 May 1981 in The Hague, she divorced her husband and returned to live in The Netherlands while her husband moved to the United States. 

Source: Leo van de Pas