The young countess stays out of the spotlight as much as possible.
Today is Countess Luana’s party! The daughter of Princess Mabel and the late Prince Friso is celebrating her nineteenth birthday today. That’s why we delved into the archives and took a look at how the birthday boy or girl is doing now!
Little Luana
On March 26 she was born, the young Emma Luana Ninette Sophie van Oranje-Nassau van Amsberg. As the first daughter of Prince Friso and Princess Mabel, she was the fourth grandchild of the then Queen Beatrix.
Nevertheless, she did not have to count on a place in the line of succession, like her nephews and nieces: because Friso and Mabel were married without parliamentary permission, Luana is part of the royal family, but not the Royal House. Important difference!
Over the years we have seen Luana and her sister, Countess Zaria, occasionally at family functions. Here we see the little girl staring a bit shyly at the press prior to the baptism of niece Leonore in 2006.
At the baptism of niece Eliane van Vollenhoven, Luana looked sweet and matched with her sister, and she had a nice time with grandma Beatrix.
Luana was also photographed on board the Groene Draeck, where she had a nice time with her nieces.
Royal in London
Special detail: although most Oranges have ‘simply’ settled in the Netherlands, Luana was born and raised in London. Father and mother had completely found their niche in the business world here. An extra bonus: in the United Kingdom, as an Oranje you attract slightly less attention. After the tragic death of Prince Friso, Princess Mabel remained in the British capital with her daughters.
She now reportedly lives with her mother and sister Zaria in the Hammersmith district, and Bea visits regularly. Appearances in the Netherlands are few and far between. For example, the snapshot below of the countesses with their mother at Beatrix’s eightieth birthday was for a long time one of the most recent public appearances of the young Orange.
In London, Luana attended Sevenoaks School, where she was involved in the school newspaper, The Penny Argus, and showed a particularly gifted sailing talent. She even managed to win a prestigious competition for her school in 2022. Besides these small details, Princess Mabel’s daughters stay out of the spotlight as much as possible.
Family visit
Yet we recently saw Luana appear at one of the biggest spectacles in our little country. The countess appeared side by side with nieces Amalia and Alexia, uncle Willem-Alexander and aunt Máxima at the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort!
Young adult countess
Nowadays, Luana still stays out of the spotlight as much as possible. Although the Countess has an Instagram page, it is – wisely – protected. In her bio text, ‘Lu’ reveals that she considers both the Netherlands and London her home, and that she expects to complete her studies at ‘St A’ (we’re guessing at the prestigious St Andrews University) in 2028. Who knows what we will hear from Luana in the coming years.
For now, the Glamial editorial team wishes her a very happy birthday. Cheers, to your health!
Source: Blauw Bloed, Glamial archive | Image: NL Image
