William III of the Netherlands

William III (Dutch: Willem III, French: Guillaume III; 19 February 1817 – 23 November 1890) was King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1849 until his death in 1890, and was also the Duke of Limburg from 1849 until the abolition of the duchy in 1866. Having reigned for 41 years, he is the second-longest reigning Dutch monarch, only surpassed by his daughter, Wilhelmina.

William was the son of King William II and Anna Pavlovna of Russia. On the abdication of his paternal grandfather William I in 1840, he became the Prince of Orange. On the death of his father in 1849, he succeeded as king of the Netherlands.

William married his cousin Sophie of Württemberg in 1839 and they had three sons, William, Maurice, and Alexander, all of whom predeceased him. After Sophie's death in 1877, he married Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont in 1879 and they had one daughter, Wilhelmina, who succeeded William to the Dutch throne. He was the last male Dutch monarch until the accession of his great-great-grandson Willem-Alexander in 2013, over 112 years after his death. Meanwhile, being the last agnatic dynastic descendant of Otto I, Count of Nassau, the throne of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg passed to his patrilineal seventeenth cousin once removed (and matrilineal third cousin), Adolphe. As of 2026, he is the last Dutch monarch to die whilst on the throne; all of his successors have abdicated in favor of their children.