Prince Pieter of Holland and Anita van Eijk (AP Photo/EVERT-JAN DANIELS/POOL)

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Under Dutch law if a member of the royal family does not seek parliamentary approval for a marriage then they have to leave the Royal House. Prince Pieter of Holland did not seek this permission, mainly as he felt he was too far down the line for his succession to the throne to be likely. The Prince married Anita van Eijk in a civil ceremony on 25 August 2005 at the Het Loo Palace, Apeldoorn, which was followed by a religious ceremony on 27 August 2005 at the Grote van St. Jeroenskerk in Noordwijk. The ceremony was attended by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Prince's aunt.