Princess Catharina-Amalia Of The Netherlands Reveals She Gave Up Her $2 Million Allowance Until She Takes On Royal Duties
Jun. 15 2021, Published 3:10 p.m. ET
Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands is unlike any other kid! The heir to the Dutch throne — her parents are King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima — is giving up her $2 million allowance until she takes on royal duties.
"On 7 December 2021 I will be 18 and, according to the law, receive an allowance," she wrote in a hand-written letter to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday, June 11. "I find that uncomfortable as long as I do not do anything for it in return, and while other students have a much tougher time of it, particularly in this period of coronavirus."
The princess added that she is planning on taking a gap year before she starts her undergraduate studies. Additionally, she will repay the $400,000 she was entitled to during her time as a student and would not take the $1.6 million in expenses "until I incur high costs in my role as Princess of Orange."
This is the first time a royal has waived their allowance.
Of course, Rutte appreciated the princess' decision and said she will become a "great queen."
Last week, Amalia passed her final exams at the Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet in The Hague, graduating cum laude.
Her family shared the video in which she raised the country's flag along with her backpack after she completed school — a Dutch tradition.
“I just got a call with the news that I passed! I want to congratulate all other graduates and wish other students good luck with any re-sits in the second period," she captioned the post.
It's no surprise that Amalia wants to globe-trot, as she previously gushed about what the future holds.
“I still want to learn, but just not at school, although I have enjoyed it for the past fourteen years,” she told Netherland News Live. “I want to travel a little, discover the world, do things that I may not be able to do in twenty years' time.”
