Frans Beelaerts van Blokland


Frans Beelaerts van Blokland was a Dutch politician and diplomat.

Personal life

After attending the private school, Van Bouscholte, and Gymnasium Haganum, Beelaets van Blokland studied at the Rijksuniversiteit Leiden from 1890 to 1895.
In 1905, he married Maria Adriana Snoeck, a courtier of Queen Wilhelmina, with whom he had two sons. The van Bloklands were among the guests at the 1937 wedding of Juliana of the Netherlands with Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld.

Career

Beelaerts van Blokland served as Dutch envoy to China.
Beelaerts van Blokland accompanied in May 1940 Queen Wilhelmina to London as her chief adviser. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs and then became Vice-President of the Council of State, a position he held for 23 years. He died at the age of 84, still in office.
He was a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Dutch Lion and Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau.