Amalia de Orange, heir to the throne of the Netherlands, was 14 years old when she explained to her father, the current King William, that she had reconciled with her destiny: to reign when he abdicates. Guillermo laughed and told him that he had accepted it long before he did. The princess turns 18 on December 7, and has followed the tradition of lending herself to a long talk with a writer to make herself known to her compatriots. He has done it by breaking a taboo. He has entrusted Claudia de Breij —author of the book published on Tuesday and which collects these encounters— that he visits a psychologist from time to time to vent his emotions. He is a very perfectionist and mental health seems as important to him as physical health, so he sees no problem in telling it.

The book is titled Amalia and it is an official presentation of the eldest daughter of the kings Guillermo and Máxima, who until now had only spoken in public in small interviews with her parents. Queen Beatrix, William’s mother, did the same in 1955 near the age of majority, and ended up befriending the writer, Hella Haasse. The book was titled Portrait of Princess Beatrice. In 1985, her son had his own book, signed by author Renate Rubinstein. In this case, the writer took an 18-year-old nephew to meet the prince to better capture him. The work, titled Alexander (Guillermo Alejandro is his full name) was a bestseller. At the age of nine, during her father’s enthronement, Amalia saw the reality of what her life would be like from then on. It was in 2013, and she was sitting next to her sisters, Alexia and Ariane, and her grandmother, Beatriz, who had abdicated and is now a princess. That was “like a blow to the face,” he says. “Everyone was looking at me, but it was also a push in the opposite direction. I wanted to help my parents, and instead of weighing it down, I started to see it as an honor. “

The young woman has taken a sabbatical year after passing high school and has not yet decided what content she wants to give to her future role. But you already know some of the conditions. “I will not do it without the approval of the Government or the approval of the citizens, and that goes a long way; They can lead me in many directions, up to a point, of course, ”he says. He assures that “he could not sign a law against freedom of expression.” And he justifies himself: “It goes against my conscience, and in the oath as kings it is said ‘God help me’. It is not an empty phrase ”. He believes that he can help his country “to solve a problem through diplomacy.” “If I can improve the world a little bit, I am satisfied. I am at the service of my land; I give my life to the Netherlands ”, he assures. The author wonders if it is not a somewhat melodramatic phrase, to write after Amalia is aware of what awaits her.

During their encounters, they both went to the royal stables where Amalia rides a horse named Mojito. He likes the hockey, playing tennis and sailing, as well as off-piste skiing. The latter can be dangerous and is a sensitive issue in your family. In 2013, her uncle Friso, her father’s brother, died in such an accident, and she assures that she has followed “a special training, with everything necessary on top and always with a guide.” They were also on the beach, where a friend’s parents have a beach bar and it is easy to mix with people without protocol. At one point, the author, who is a well-known humorist in the Netherlands, confirms the adolescent’s singing skills. “It has a volume and a special timbre; a voice that turns chairs on television shows, ”he writes.

In the narrative, which spans 112 pages, there are childhood memories. Like when the first tiara was tried on. She was a girl of just nine years old, her mother was putting makeup on and she put it on. Laughing, he assures that he loves them and that he knows them thoroughly. “I am able to recognize all the European ones”, he assures. In one of the photos in the book, which includes a series of images from his private collection, he appears with the ornament on his head. At another time, she states that she has built a kind of wall around her so that she is not affected by the inconveniences of all kinds that appear on social networks about her. That they try to get into your private Instagram account is another of the intrusions that disturbs you the most. And although she is committed to her destiny, if something unexpected happened to her father too soon, she would rather have her mother take over as regency. “At least for a couple of years.” So he asks the king “to eat a good diet and play sports.”

In the book he also talks about his religious beliefs. He says that he does not think that there is “a man in the clouds”, but “something else”, to which he does not need to “put a name”. In a lighter tone, she acknowledges that her mother once told her that family is the place to rehearse conflicts, and she often has them with her mother. She calls her little sister, Ariane, a “dreamer,” and assures that she gets along better with her middle sister, Alexia, since they go out together sometimes. This, a student at Atlantic College in Wales – the school that Princess Eleanor also attends – continues her two years of Baccalaureate there. The author admits that Amalia is “incredibly sincere”, and has not written everything she has said “to protect the privacy of the teenager, not the princess.”

They have also talked about what will happen when choosing a partner. This October, the acting prime minister, Mark Rutte, assured that he will also be able to reign if he marries a woman. Amalia has never commented on her sexuality nor has she expressed any intention of getting married, but those words generated all kinds of reactions. She explains that she likes well-mannered boys, but doesn’t think that if she had liked another woman, it would have been a problem at home. “My parents have very diverse friends and I have grown up with uncle and uncle, not just with uncle and aunt, for example.” If Parliament did not give him permission to marry the chosen person, he would see “what can be done”. “I cannot choose against myself because that way I could not give the best for our country,” he asserts. This Tuesday, with the copy already in hand, she has described as “incredible” that someone has written a book that talks about her.