Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Prince consort, Nazi past, war hero, WWF co-founder, scandal.
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (later Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands; 29 June 1911 – 1 December 2004) was the husband of Queen Juliana and served as Prince of the Netherlands from her accession on 6 September 1948 until her abdication on 30 April 1980. The couple had four daughters, including the future Queen Beatrix.
Born into the German princely House of Lippe-Biesterfeld, he was a nephew of Leopold IV, the last sovereign prince of Lippe. At birth, he held the title Count of Biesterfeld because his parents’ marriage was initially considered morganatic. In 1916, his uncle elevated him to princely rank with the style of Serene Highness. He studied law and worked as an executive secretary at IG Farben’s Paris office. In 1937, he married Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and was immediately granted the title Prince of the Netherlands with the style of Royal Highness. When his wife became queen in 1948, he became prince consort.
Bernhard was an early member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and also belonged to the Sturmabteilung (SA), serving as an officer in the Schutzstaffel (SS). After the German invasion of the Netherlands, he switched his allegiance to the Allies. Until his death, he denied ever being a member of the NSDAP or holding a party membership card. During the war, he was respected for his performance as a combat pilot and for his work as a liaison officer and personal aide to his mother-in-law, Queen Wilhelmina. He served on the London-based Allied war planning council and saw limited active combat as an honorary wing commander in the Royal Air Force, flying both fighters and bombers. He also held the rank of honorary general officer in the Dutch army and acted as an observer in negotiating the surrender of Nazi forces in the Netherlands. For his wartime bravery, leadership, and loyalty, he was appointed a Commander of the Military William Order, the Netherlands’ oldest and highest honor. After the war, Queen Elizabeth II made him an honorary air marshal of the RAF. In 1969, he received the Grand Cross (Special Class) of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In 1976, Bernhard became entangled in the Lockheed bribery scandal for secretly promoting the sale of Lockheed and Northrop aircraft in exchange for money. As a result, he was stripped of all his military functions and banned from wearing any military uniform for life
- born
- 29 June 1911, Jena, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empire
- died
- 1 December 2004
- field
- Royalty, military, business
- nationality
- German (later naturalized Dutch)
- known_for
- Prince consort of the Netherlands, early Nazi Party member, WWII combat pilot, co-founder of the World Wildlife Fund and Bilderberg Group, Lockheed bribery scandal
Lore & Background
Prince Bernhard was born Bernhard Leopold Friedrich Eberhard Julius Kurt Karl Gottfried Peter, Count of Biesterfeld in Jena on 29 June 1911, the elder son of Prince Bernhard of Lippe and Baroness Armgard von Sierstorpff-Cramm. His parents' marriage was initially deemed morganatic, but his uncle Leopold IV raised him to princely rank in 1916. He studied law at universities in Lausanne, Berlin, and Munich, and worked as an executive secretary at the Paris office of IG Farben. In 1937 he married Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, becoming Prince of the Netherlands with the style of Royal Highness, and upon her accession in 1948 became prince consort.
Bernhard was an early member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and the Sturmabteilung (SA), and served as an officer in the Schutzstaffel (SS). He switched allegiance to the Allies after the invasion of the Netherlands. During the war, he served as a combat pilot and liaison officer, was part of the London-based Allied war planning council, and was an observer in negotiating the surrender of Nazi forces in the Netherlands. He was appointed a Commander of the Military William Order for bravery and leadership. After the war, he helped found the World Wildlife Fund in 1961 and co-founded the Bilderberg Group in 1954. In 1976, he became entangled in the Lockheed bribery scandal for secretly promoting airplane sales, leading to his degradation from all military functions and a lifelong ban on wearing military uniform.
Reader's Guide
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld remains a complex and contradictory figure in Dutch and European history. His early membership in the Nazi Party and SS, which he denied until his death, contrasts sharply with his respected wartime service for the Allies and his post-war role in reconstruction. His involvement in founding the World Wildlife Fund and the Bilderberg Group highlights his influence in global environmental and political networks, yet the Lockheed bribery scandal tarnished his reputation and forced his resignation from those organizations. The discovery of his original NSDAP membership card in 2023 underscores the ongoing reassessment of his legacy. Bernhard's life illustrates the moral ambiguities of a German prince who navigated Nazi affiliations, wartime loyalty, and post-war prominence, leaving a legacy marked by both achievement and controversy.
Did You Know?
- Bernhard was an early member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and the Sturmabteilung (SA), and served as an officer in the Schutzstaffel (SS).
- He helped found the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 1961 and co-founded the Bilderberg Group in 1954.
- In 1976, he was involved in the Lockheed bribery scandal for secretly promoting airplane sales, leading to a lifelong ban on wearing military uniform.
- His original NSDAP membership card was discovered in his old residence in Germany in October 2023.
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