The Netherlands applied Salic law until 1884 when King William III's last male heir died and Staten General adopted agnatic primogeniture making Princess Wilhelmina heiress presumptive. No males were born into the royal family until 1967. In 1982 the Netherlands adopted full cognatic primogeniture (the eldest child is heir).

For the successor of Beatrix the following order of priority applies:

1. HRH Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg (eldest son of Queen Beatrix)
2. HRH Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau (eldest child of Prince Willem-Alexander)
3. the unborn child of Willem-Alexander and his wife Máxima
4. HRH Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg (youngest son of Queen Beatrix)
5. Countess Eloise of Orange-Nassau , Jonkvrouw van Amsberg (daughter of Prince Constanijn)
6. Count Claus of Orange-Nassau , Jonkheer van Amsberg (son of Prince Constanijn)
7. HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld (daughter of Queen Juliana)
8. HH Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (son of Princess Margriet)
9. HH Prince Bernhard of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (son of Princess Margriet)
10. HH Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (son of Princess Margriet)
11. HH Prince Floris of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven (son of Princess Margriet)

Thus, after Willem-Alexander come his daughter, his unborn child, a brother, a niece, a nephew, an aunt, and four cousins, in that order.

Notes:

• Queen Beatrix's second son Prince Johan-Friso of the Netherlands was removed from the succession when he married without government approval in 2004.
• the children of Bernard are not in the list, because the kinship with Beatrix is of the fourth degree, the maximum is third degree.
• for the same reason, if and when Willem-Alexander becomes king, then for his successor only nrs. 2 - 7 apply (and possible new born and unborn children of him and of Constantijn), his cousins (nrs 8 -11) will be removed from the list
• nrs 10 and 11 will be dropped from the list because of marriages without official consent necessary for being kept on the list