Bernhard, Prince of the Netherlands

1911–

   Bernhard was the German-born husband of the Dutch heiress to the throne, Juliana. He had married her in 1937 and renounced his German citizenship. After the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940 his family left for Canada but he stayed behind and joined Dutch troops fighting in Zeeland. He left for Britain and trained as a pilot in the RAF. In November 1940 Queen WILHELMINA appointed him liaison officer between British and Dutch forces and during the war he was promoted to Lieutenant General and also Rear Admiral. In August 1944 he visited Dutch troops in Normandy and in September he was appointed Commander in Chief of the Netherlands Forces of the Interior. He set up temporary headquarters in Belgium to direct partisan activities, crossed the Albert Canal on 10 September 1944 and returned to the Netherlands secretly. After the war he received national acclaim for his leadership of the partisans.