Princess Ariane of the Netherlands is taking a gap year following her recent completion of the International Baccalaureate at the United World College Adriatic in Italy.
The decision follows a difficult time for her family after her sister, Princess Catharina-Amalia, 21, was forced to leave her university accommodation over a kidnapping plot before becoming a ‘victim of a horrific deepfake porn attack’.
Following a string of incidents, Princess Ariane, 18, the youngest daughter of Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander, will now enjoy some downtime, during which she plans to travel, according to Blauw Bloed.
Ariane is following in her sisters’ footsteps, with both Catherina-Amalia and Princess Alexia having taken one year out following their high school graduations.
It’s thought that Ariane will continue to study further once she’s finished the year-long break.
She will no doubt be spending time supporting her sister following her recent difficulties, which started in 2023 when she became the centre of a gangster plot to kidnap her.
The then-19-year-old, who started a degree in politics, psychology, law and economics at the University of Amsterdam in 2022, moved out of her student accommodation and returned to her home in The Hague in October 2023.
At the time, several Dutch media outlets reported that the princess, whose formal title is Princess of Orange, was under heightened security due to fears that criminal gangs may target her for kidnapping or an attack.
Princess Ariane of the Netherland is taking a gap year following her graduation from the United World College Adriatic in Italy (seen from L to R with Princess Catherina-Amalia and Princess Alexia in April last year)
During her tour of the Caribbean later that year, the royal briefly touched on her heightened security, and in a clip sharing by Dutch media site NOS, said: ‘I’m going to be very honest, I’m still having a very hard time.
‘I miss the normal life, the life of a student. Walking the streets, being able to go to a store.’
Officials would not confirm details of Amalia’s initial departure from her studies in Amsterdam, but the move came weeks after reports that Amalia and Prime Minister Mark Rutte were mentioned in communications by organised crime groups – leading to fears of kidnappings.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at the time: ‘I’m very sorry for her and I’m obviously very concerned about it.’
He added that Dutch authorities were doing everything to ensure that the princess is safe.
‘She can’t live in Amsterdam and she can’t really go outside (the palace)… It has enormous consequences on her life. There is no student life for her like others have,’ said an emotional Queen Maxima at the time.
Then last month, Princess Catharina-Amalia was subjected to a horrific ‘deepfake’ porn attack.
The 21-year-old royal, who is heir to the Dutch throne, featured ‘in the starring role’ in the manipulated videos, according to Seher Og Hor, a Norwegian news outlet.
It’s thought that the 18-year-old royal (seen in November last year) will continue her studies once the year is up
Ariane’s decision follows a difficult period for her family after Catherina-Amalia fell victim to a ‘deepfake porn attack’ (seen with Queen Maxima, Alexia, and Catherina-Amalia in August)
Ariane will no doubt be supporting her sister during her year off (seen together in Rotterdam in 2023)
Authorities in the Netherlands and the FBI have since worked together to shut down websites including MrDeepFakes, which had circulated the videos of the princess and 70 more Dutch women.
Using AI, the deepfake videos saw the face of the Princess edited over the bodies of actors to create intimate and misleading footage.
She is now being supported by her parents, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.
Princess Amalia was previously reported to have been victim to similar attacks in 2022, according to Netherlands’ Panorama.
She even wrote about the topic herself as part of her studies for a degree in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at Amsterdam University.
In July, the Dutch royal house shared a photo of the Princess with her completed thesis, which was titled: ‘Beyond Disclosure: Bridging the Gap Between the Artificial Intelligence Act and the Charter of Fundamental Rights with Deepfaked Bodies.’
In the Netherlands, the creation of such content is a criminal offence and punishable with up to a year in prison, with further sentences for repeated offences. There are currently yet to be any arrests.
Over the next academic year, Princess Amalia is set to study for a bachelors in Dutch Law, also at the University of Amsterdam, the Royal House revealed earlier this year.
Queen Maxima and Princess Catharina-Amalia pose for the media during the annual summer photo shoot in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, June 30, 2025
Princess Catharina-Amalia (pictured), 21, had her arm in a sling during an outing in June after breaking her arm
Princess Amalia is the eldest daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima and has siblings Princess Alexia, 19, and Princess Ariane, 18.
Amalia, who is first in line to the throne, is said to speak fluent Spanish thanks to her mother, who is Argentine by birth.
Following her facing a kidnapping plot, her father, King Willem-Alexander, said in the podcast Through the Eyes of the King that the situation had ‘had a very hard impact’ on his daughter and his family.
‘The uncertainty, the lack of freedom, that is not how you want to raise your children and what you want to pass on to your children,’ he said.
The Minister for Justice and Security, Dilan Yesilgöz, told reporters in the weeks following Amalia’s withdrawal from studies in Amsterdam: ‘I guarantee that our security services work hard day and night to guarantee her safety.
‘It is terrible that this is necessary, in the first place for the Crown Princess herself.’
NOS later said that Amalia was able to return from Madrid to live and study in the Netherlands again – though the threat had not completely disappeared.
Amalia had also been shielded for years from the public eye after being the victim of cruel body shaming on social media.
The future Queen was accompanied by her father, King Willem-Alexander (pictured), who was dressed in full military regalia
King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Princess Amalia and Princess Alexia on King’s Day in April
In February 2023, Princess Catharina-Amalia was the subject of cruel body-shaming on social media, which prompted royal fans to jump to her defence.
One wrote on X: ‘People who are body shaming Princess Amalia of Netherlands are the same who body shaming Princess Catherina because she is too skinny with no curves.
‘That’s the reality in this social media, people hate that you are happy with yourself and that somebody loves you for the way you are.’
Another added: ‘I think she is absolutely beautiful!’
In July 2020, Portuguese magazine Cara issued an apology to Princess Amalia after they labelled the 16-year-old ‘plus-sized’ on a front cover and claimed she had ‘defended her figure of “real women”‘.
One critic wrote on Instagram: ‘Who gave you permission to comment on the body of a 16-year-old girl?’
Another added: ‘They are talking about the body of a minor, adolescent and growing.’
But in recent months she’s delighted royal fans by coming into her own – and in April donated a garden of tulips to the city of Madrid.
In June, she had her arm in a sling as she made her first public appearance after a horse riding accident.
The future Queen attended a military ceremony at the Prince Bernhard Barracks in Amersfoort, Utrecht.
Accompanied by her father, King Willem-Alexander, 58, Catharina-Amalia looked delighted to be at the presentation of a new standard to the Princess Catharina-Amalia Hussar Regiment, despite having fallen off her horse and broken her arm the previous Wednesday.
