A creation of:

Mabel Wisse Smit

Mabel Martine Los was born in Pijnacker on 11 August 1968, daughter of Hendrik Los and Florence Kooman. Sister Nicoline was born on November 27th, 1970. Henk Los was killed in a tragic speed skating accident on the Loosdrechtse plassen on February 18th, 1978. Her mother then married Peter Wisse Wisse Smit, with whom she got another daughter: Eveline in March 7th, 1981. In 1984 Mabel officially changed her name from Mabel Los to Mabel Wisse Smit.

Young Mabel grew up in het Gooi in the central Netherlands. In 1986 she gained her VWO degree at the Gemeentelijk Gymnasium in Hilversum. She studied economics and political science at the University of Amsterdam, and graduated cum laude in 1993. While still at university, she gained work experience at the United Nations Secretariat in New York, Shell in Malaysia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague and ABN AMRO Bank in Barcelona.

In early 1994, Mabel Wisse Smit founded and became director of the European Action Council for Peace in the Balkans, a non-governmental organisation working towards peace, democracy and stability in the Balkans. In 1997 she became director of the Open Society Institute in Brussels. This institute represents the Soros Foundations Network in Western Europe, which promotes democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Mabel Wisse Smit has been director of EU affairs at the Open Society Institute since 2003. She co-founded War Child Netherlands in 1995.

Mabel was introduced to Johan Friso by her good friend, Laurentien Brinkhorst, now wife of Prince Constantijn.

partly taken from the official site of the Royal Family