Princess Irene of The Netherlands - Since Divorce

Since Divorce

In 1980, Irene and her children returned to live in the Netherlands, initially moving back into the palace and became involved in various personal development workshops, trying to "find herself". By 1981, she and her children had moved to their own home across the street from the palace, where Irene did traditional household chores like grocery shopping. In 1983 and 1985, she publicly spoke out against the additional deployment of NATO missiles at a large anti-nuclear rally in The Hague and with a letter to the newspaper De Volkskrant. Her connection with nature, that she says she had felt since childhood, intensified, and in 1995 she published her book Dialogue with Nature. The book outlined her philosophy that human beings are alienated from the natural world, but the Dutch media seized upon passages that recounted conversations she said she had with the trees and dolphins.

In 1999 Princess Irene purchased a farm near Nieu-Bethesda in South Africa, turning it into a sanctuary. In 2001, she helped establish the NatuurCollege in the Netherlands. She is also the founder of NatureWise, an organization that brings elementary school children in the Netherlands directly in touch with nature. The Princess is an honourable member of the Club of Budapest.