‘Auntie Marijke’, the people of Leeuwarden affectionately called her. When they met her on the street, men doffed their caps and women curtsied. The old lady always responded with a kindly smile. She’d give any poor widow a coin, and small children would get a few slices of bread. Auntie Marijke knew that with great privilege comes a need for charity and kindness. Her full name was Marie-Louise of Hessen-Kassel, and she was a Princess of Orange. She may have been modest and generous, but in the 18th century she was also the country’s most powerful woman.