William III of the Netherlands

William III
Photograph by Maria Hille, c. 1887
King of the Netherlands
Reign	17 March 1849 – 23 November 1890
Inauguration	12 May 1849
Predecessor	William II
Successor	Wilhelmina
Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Reign	17 March 1849 – 23 November 1890
Predecessor	William II
Successor	Adolphe
Duke of Limburg
Reign	17 March 1849 – 23 August 1866
Predecessor	William II
Born	(1817-02-19)19 February 1817 Palace of the Nation, Brussels, United Kingdom of the Netherlands
Died	23 November 1890(1890-11-23) (aged 73) Het Loo Palace, Apeldoorn, Netherlands
Burial	4 December 1890 Nieuwe Kerk, Delft, Netherlands
Spouse	Sophie of Württemberg ​ ​ (m. 1839; died 1877)​ Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont ​ ​ (m. 1879)​
Issue among others...	William, Prince of Orange Prince Maurice Alexander, Prince of Orange Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands
Names Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk
House	Orange-Nassau
Father	William II of the Netherlands
Mother	Anna Pavlovna of Russia
Religion	Dutch Reformed Church
Signature

William III (Dutch: Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk; English: William Alexander Paul Frederick Louis; 19 February 1817 – 23 November 1890) was King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1849 until his death in 1890. He was also the Duke of Limburg from 1849 until the abolition of the duchy in 1866.

William was the son of King William II and Anna Pavlovna of Russia. On the abdication of his 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. 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 2024^[update], he is the last Dutch monarch to die whilst on the throne as all his successors have abdicated in favor of their children.