William III of the Netherlands

William was born on 19 February 1817 in the Palace of the Nation in Brussels, which was one of the capitals of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. He was the eldest son of the future king William II of the Netherlands and Anna Pavlovna of Russia. He had three brothers, one of whom died in infancy, and one sister. William was particularly close to his brother Alexander, who was only 18 months his junior and for the most part was raised alongside him. As adults the two princes shared a passion for outdoor pursuits like shooting, riding and falconry as well as horse racing. Both were active members of the Royal Loo Hawking Club, which drew a large crowd of hunting enthusiasts to Het Loo Palace during the 1840s and early 1850s. William and Alexander also shared a deep frustration at not being given any meaningful tasks in the military. Alexander, who had a lively, amiable, tactful personality, got on well with his hot headed, capricious brother. His death at age 29 was a great loss to William, who counted him a true friend. He never became close to his youngest brother Henry, who was painfully shy, easily embarrassed and anxious to avoid incurring William's wrath.

William and his brothers were raised by military men (their governors were distinguished officers decorated with the Military Order of William) and expected to join the military. In 1827, at the age of ten, William was made an honorary colonel in the Royal Netherlands Army by his grandfather. In the 1830s, he served as lieutenant in the Grenadiers Regiment and studied at Leiden University for a while, though without attempting to attain any degree. In 1834, during a visit to his maternal uncle Tsar Nicholas I, he was made honorary commander of the Grenadiers Regiment of Kiev nr. 5 in the Imperial Russian Army.

He married his first cousin, Sophie, daughter of King William I of Württemberg and Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia, in Stuttgart on 18 June 1839. This marriage was unhappy and was characterized by struggles about their children. Sophie was a liberal intellectual, hating everything leaning toward dictatorship, such as the army. William was simpler, more conservative, and loved the military. He prohibited intellectual exercise at home, for which action Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, who corresponded with Princess Sophie, called him an uneducated farmer. His extramarital enthusiasms, however, led The New York Times to call him "the greatest debauchee of the age". Another cause of marital tension (and later political tension) was his capriciousness; he could rage against someone one day, and be extremely polite the next. The situation was made worse by Sophie, who made no secret of the fact she had never wanted to marry William in the first place and considered herself intellectually superior to him. She could be very dramatic, often complaining about her suffering and her wish to die and expressing negative opinions about pretty much everyone who crossed her path in The Netherlands, especially her inlaws.

William struggled with his position as heir to the throne. Upon his father's investiture as king in 1840 he was made Inspector-General of Infantry and promoted to Lieutenant-General. The position was purely honorary and William relinquished it only 5 years later. His father gave him no role in politics and did little to prepare him for his future role.

William loathed the 1848 constitutional changes initiated by his father (William II) and Johan Rudolf Thorbecke. His father saw them as key to the monarchy's survival in changing times. Sophie, who was a liberal, also shared this view. William himself saw them as useless limitations of royal power, and would have preferred to govern as an enlightened despot in the mold of his grandfather, William I.

He considered relinquishing his right to the throne to his older son. His mother convinced him to cancel this action. The Dutch constitution provided no way to relinquish one's claim to the throne.

On 17 March 1849, his father died and William succeeded to the throne of the Netherlands. He was at that moment a guest of the Duchess of Cleveland in Raby Castle. Representatives of the Dutch government traveled to London to meet their new king. William was reluctant to return, but he was convinced to do so. Upon arrival the new queen welcomed her spouse with the question "did you accept?". The new king nodded, but he remained uncertain about the matter for some time.

Of William III's four legitimate children, three reached adulthood, two sons from his marriage to Queen Sophie and one daughter from his marriage to Queen Emma:

Willem Nicolaas Alexander Frederik Karel Hendrik (1840–1879), heir apparent to the throne from 1849 to his death

Willem Frederik Maurits Alexander Hendrik Karel (1843–1850)

Willem Alexander Karel Hendrik Frederik (1851–1884), heir apparent to the throne from 1879 to his death

Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria (1880–1962), Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948

Standing at 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) he was an exceptionally large and strong man. William III was known to be a philanderer and had several dozen illegitimate children from various mistresses.