The House of Orange

His Orange family gained its royal title through an association with the minor French city-state of Orange, on the River Rhône. The Orange household’s wealth and prestige enabled it to become established among the great royal families of Europe, and the spouses of the stadtholders played key roles in these networks. By the end of the 18th century, however, it looked like it was all over for the Oranges, when stadtholder William V fled to England and the Dutch declared the Batavian Republic. But in 1813 his eldest son returned to the Netherlands and was crowned King William I. With this, the Netherlands became a constitutional monarchy, and members the Orange-Nassau family have occupied the throne ever since.