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Known as "Prins Claus" in the Netherlands, he was born in Dötzingen ( Hitzacker ), as jonkheer Claus George Willem Otto Frederik Geert von Amsberg. His father, a farmer, operated a farm in Tanganyika from 1928 until World War II. Claus and his six sisters grew up at their grandparents' manor in Lower Saxony. Claus also attended a boarding school in Tanzania from 1936 to 1938. He was also a member of Nazi youth organisations such as Jungvolk and HitlerjugendThe Hitler Youth Hitler-Jugend HJ was established by the Nazi party in 1926 to create a new youth-training system for young Germans to gain military training and develop their understanding of and obedience to Nazi ideology. The HJ grew out of the Jugendb (said to be automatic for all members of his generation).
In 1944Events World War II January January 4 The Battle of Monte Cassino begins. January 5 Murder of Danish playwright Kaj Munck January 17 British forces, in Italy, cross the Garigliano River. January 20 The Royal Air Force drops 2,300 tons of bombs on Berlin;, he was conscripted to the German WehrmachtThe Wehrmacht (literally defence force or means/power of resistance was the name of the armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It replaced the old Reichswehr and was succeded by the former West German Bundeswehr, and the East German Nationale Vol. He became a member of the German 90th Armored Infantry Division (90. Panzergrenadier Division) in ItalyThe Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Italia is a country in the south of Europe, consisting mainly of a boot-shaped peninsula together with two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Sicily and Sardinia. To the north, where it borders France, Switzer in March 1945Events January January 5 The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet government of Poland. January 7 British General Bernard Montgomery holds a press conference in which he claims credit for victory in the Battle of the Bulge. January 12 World War II:, but was taken as a prisoner of warGeneva Convention Definition A prisoner of war (POW is a soldier who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The laws apply from the moment a prisoner is captured until he is released or repatriated. One of the main by the USA at Merano before taking part in any fighting.
After his release, he finished school in Lüneburg and studied law in Hamburg. He joined the German diplomatic corps and worked in Santo Domingo and Côte d'Ivoire. In the 1960s he was transferred to Bonn.
Claus and Beatrix met at the wedding-eve party of Princess Tatjana Wittgenstein and Prince Moritz of Hesse in the summer of 1964. Part of the Netherlands public was not very happy that Beatrix' fiancé was a German, only twenty years after the end of the war, and there were protests during the wedding celebrations. The two married on March 10, 1966.
Over time, Claus became accepted by the public, even so much that in the last part of his life he was generally considered the most popular member of the royal family. Reasons for this change in Dutch opinion were his strong motivation to contribute to public causes, especially third world development (on which he was considered an expert), his sincere modesty, his candidness (within, but sometimes on the edge of, royal protocol), and his approachability to all layers of society.
The public also sympathized with Claus for his efforts to give meaning to his life beyond the restrictions that Dutch law posed on freedom of speech and action for the royal family (lest they get involved in political controversy). Many also believed that these restrictions were at least partly the cause of his severe depression, which lasted many years. As a result, restrictions were loosened; Claus was even appointed as senior staff member at the Department of Developing Aid , albeit in an advisory role.
A fine example of his mildly rebellious attitude toward protocol was the "Declaration of the Tie". After presenting the annual Claus Award to three African fashion designers, Claus told "workers of all nations to unite and cast away the new shackles they have voluntarily cast upon themselves", meaning the necktie, that "snake around my neck", and encouraged the audience to "venture into open- collar paradise". Then Claus removed his tie and threw in to the ground.
Claus and Beatrix had three children:
Claus suffered various health problems during his life, such as depression, cancer and Parkinson's disease. He died on October 6, 2002 after a long illness. His embalmed body was placed in the royal family's tomb in Delft on October 15. It was the first full state funeral since Wilhelmina's in 1962.
Amsberg, Claus von Amsberg, Claus von Amsberg, Claus von Claus von Amsberg