His personal name was Alidius Warmoldus Lambertus, while Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer [nl] was his noble and peerage title.

After completing his studies, he interned at several law firms from 1911 to 1913 and provided professional assistance to the then Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Reneke de Marees van Swinderen before deciding to prepare for the diplomatic service.

In 1921, Tjarda was contacted by Foreign Minister Herman Adriaan van Karnebeek to accompany the Dutch delegation to the Washington Naval Conference.

In this post he campaigned hard for the water connection with the Zuiderzee, organized the provincial school doctor service, the academic hospital and the university, of which he was curator from 1928.

After an international career, in 1924/25, he was at the Dutch Legation in Berlin and.he was appointed Queen's Commissioner (royal governor) for the Province of Groningen (1925-1933), succeeding his father, and Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Brussels (1933-1936).

In September 1933, van Starkenborgh was appointed Extraordinary Ambassador and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Belgian and Luxembourg courts.

He boarded the Johan van Oldenbarnevelt for the Dutch East Indies after saying goodbye to Queen Wilhelmina at a meeting on 24 August 1936.

[9] Starkenborgh, recognizing the absolute impossibility of the allied troops and the local population to defend themselves as they were short of ammunition and exhausted by disease, negotiated the surrender.

[13] This action was used as a basis for the Dutch to transfer civilian power to Lieutenant Governor-General Hubertus van Mook who had exiled himself to Australia.

He entered Japanese custody after the unconditional surrender of the entire Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in the Capitulation of Kalijati on 8 or 9 March 1942.

[14] Tjarda van Starkenborgh, his family, and other Dutch East Indies military and government personnel were then taken prisoner.

[18] After his retirement as a diplomat, he accepted a new appointment by the government as Minister of State from 28 June 1956 to 16 August 1978 and became a member of the Beel committee.