Philip William, Filips Willem in Dutch, was born on 19 December 1554 in Buren, Guelders, Seventeen Provinces.

The Spanish king's aim was to keep Philip William in Spain as long as possible in order to erase the memory of his lineage and of the Low Countries.

After completing his studies, Philip William was assigned a new residence in the castle of Arévalo, a fortified town in Ávila province.

He duly made his ceremonial entry into his town of Breda in July 1610 and from then until his death, regularly appointed the magistrates in his lordship.

Though he restored Catholic services in the castle of Breda, he did not try to challenge the ascendancy of the Protestant-Calvinist Reformed Church in the city.

He had to cooperate with the military governor in Breda, his illegitimate half-brother Justinus van Nassau, staunchly loyal to the States-General.

[1] As Lord of Diest and a pious Catholic at the time of his death, Philip William of Orange commanded that the parish church of Saint Sulpice in the same city, should celebrate a yearly Requiem Mass for his soul.