Yesterday the Dutch Queen Beatrix announced
her abdication in favor of her eldest son Prince Willem-Alexander in an address
to the nation.
"I have the greatest confidence to
hand over the throne to my son, the Prince of Orange. He and Princess Maxima
are prepared for their tasks. With all their talents, they will choose their
own approach. I hope to meet you very often and I am grateful for the
confidence and the many years that I have been the Queen," she said.
The resignation from the throne will take
place on April 30 this year.
She went on with: "On Thursday, I hope
to celebrate my 75th birthday. I am grateful that I can do this in good health.
At the end of this year, our Kingdom will last two hundred years. These two
things made me decide to step aside from the throne."
Beatrix is the eldest daughter of late
Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. In 1966, Beatrix
married Prince Claus van Amsberg from
Beatrix was crowned Queen of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands April 30, 1980 , as successor of
her mother Juliana. During the investiture, some people used the occasion to
protest against poor housing conditions in the country and against the monarchy
in general. The rioters clashed violently with the police.
The traditional Dutch Queen's Day will not
longer be celebrated on April 30, the birthday of Juliana. Instead, from 2014
on, the King's Day will be celebrated on April 27, the birthday of
Willem-Alexander, said the Government Information Service (RVD).
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