From: The Web site of the Dutch Royal House (www.koninklijkhuis.nl)

Mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven

Pieter van Vollenhoven was born in Schiedam on 30 April 1939, the second son of Pieter van Vollenhoven senior and Jacoba Gijsbertha Stuyling de Lange.

He attended primary school in Rotterdam and went on to the Montessori Lyceum, where he obtained his secondary leaving certificate in science subjects and classics in 1959. Mr Van Vollenhoven then enrolled at Leiden University, where he studied Dutch law. His special subjects included the statutory organisation of industry and the organisation of the Dutch police.

At university, Mr Van Vollenhoven took a very active part in student life and held the position of assessor secundus on the committee of the Leiden Students' Association in 1963 and 1964. He was also president of the Netherlands Students' Sports Trust in 1964. In 1965, Mr van Vollenhoven was awarded a degree in Dutch law.

On graduating, he worked for a short time as a legal officer with the Council of State. He was called up for National Service in the spring of 1966 and served in the legal department of the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. In the same year, he conducted an investigation of aircraft accidents for the Air Defence Command at Zeist.

In 1967, Mr Van Vollenhoven received Air Force Pilot training at Gilze-Rijen and obtained his Military Pilot's Licence. In 1968, he was appointed as reserve officer (pilot) in 300 Squadron at Deelen airbase.

Pieter van Vollenhoven met Princess Margriet of the Netherlands at Leiden University. Their engagement was announced on 10 March 1965 and on 10 January 1967 they were married in The Hague. By Royal Decree, Mr Van Vollenhoven became a member of the royal house.

Princess Margriet and Pieter van Vollenhoven have four sons: Prince Maurits, born in 1968, Prince Bernhard, born in 1969, Prince Pieter-Christiaan, born in 1972 and Prince Floris, born in 1975.

After completing his National Service, Mr Van Vollenhoven occupied several different positions. He worked for enterprises such as the Nederlandse Heidemaatschappij, Akzo and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, as well as for the organisation responsible for introducing compulsory annual technical inspections for motor vehicles. In 1975, the Minister of Transport, Public Works and Water Management invited Mr Van Vollenhoven to act as advisor to the Minister on road safety and in 1977 he was appointed Chair of the Road Safety Council, a position he occupied until the Council was disbanded on 1 January 1997. On 1 January 1999, Mr Van Vollenhoven became Chair of the Dutch Transport Safety Board, an independent body responsible for investigating the causes of accidents and incidents in the aviation, shipping, rail and road sectors, as well as in transport by pipeline and underground.

Mr Van Vollenhoven also occupies a number of international posts in the field of transport safety. He is Chair of the International Transportation Safety Association and a member of the Board of the European Transport Safety Council.

As a member of the royal house, Pieter van Vollenhoven has many official duties. With Princess Margriet he nearly always takes part in the reception of foreign heads of state on official visits to the Netherlands. He is also active in many other fields. In addition to road safety, he is involved in the funding of nature conservation and the preservation of historic buildings, police organisation and victim support.

Mr Van Vollenhoven chairs the National Restoration Fund, from which grants are allocated for restoration projects. In this capacity, he devotes considerable attention to the restoration of historic buildings during his many working visits. He is also interested in other, less tangible aspects of the cultural heritage, such as folklore. He performed the opening ceremony of the 1996 World Folkloriada in Brunssum. He is also chair of the Green Fund.

Mr Van Vollenhoven is very interested in the work of the police. He is Chair of the Community, Safety and Police Association and honorary chair of the National Organisation of Police Volunteers. He also chairs the Victim Support Fund.

Mr Van Vollenhoven is a keen music lover. For many years he formed a trio - De Gevleugelde Vrienden - with two of the country's leading pianists and gave concerts both at home and abroad in aid of the Victim Support Fund. Despite the premature death of one member of the trio, the concerts have continued. De Gevleugelde Vrienden have released many recordings, and have been awarded three gold discs.

Mr Van Vollenhoven is interested in the culture, flora and fauna of the Arctic, in particular the national parks, the traditional life of the eskimos and dogsled racing. His favourite sports are golf, diving and flying.