Today, on the 28th of January, in history marks:

• 200th anniversary (1813) of the publication of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice
• 97 years (1916) since Manitobabecame the 1st province in Canada to allow women the right to vote and to hold provincial office. (source: @Royal_beans)
  • Currently, as of this weekend, Ontario has its 1st female and openly gay premiere. Canada’s 4 biggest provinces are currently run by women.
• In 1457, King Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty, was born. In 1547, his son, King Henry VIII, dies and his grandson, King Edward VI, becomes king at age 9.

Today, it was just announced that, after 33 years on the throne, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will abdicate this year in favour of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander. The Queen, who will be turning 75 on 31 January, is the oldest reigning monarch in the Netherlands. She has reigned since 30 April 1980, after the abdication of her mother, Queen Juliana. According to royal historian, Carolyn Harris, there has not been a Dutch king since 1890! Prince Willem-Alexander will become king on 30 April, which is Queen’s Day in the Netherlands. You may read her [Google-] translated speech from 28 Jan 2013 here and watch her abdication video here.

English: Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in Vries Français : La reine Beatrix des Pays-Bas à Vries. Nederlands: Koningin Beatrix der Nederlanden in Vries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Facts about Queen Beatrix:

• Born on 31 January 1938
• Has 3 sisters: Irene, Margriet, Christina
• Attended public nursery and primary schools in Ottawa, Canada during WWII
• Has a law degree from Leiden University
• Married Claus van Amsberg, a German aristocrat and diplomat, in 1966
• Has 3 sons: Willem-Alexander, Friso, Constantijn
• Has 8 grandchildren, of whom 7 are female and 1 is male

Facts about Prince Willem-Alexander (Future King of the Netherlands):

• Born on 27 April 1967
• Did military service after high school
• Has a degree in History from Leiden University
• Is interested in water management issues
• Is an aircraft pilot and sportsman
• Has 3 daughters

Facts about Princess Máxima (Future Queen of the Netherlands):

• Born on 17 May 1971 in Argentina
• Through her father, she is a descendant of King Afonso III of Portugal
• She is Roman Catholic but her children will be raised as Protestants
• She has dual citizenship – Argentinian and Dutch
• She used to work as an investment banker
• Has a degree in Economics
• Has worked in Argentina, New York, and Europe

Facts about Princess Catharina-Amalia (Heiress Apparent to the throne):

• Born on 7 December 2003
• Her full name is Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria
• One of her godmothers is Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
• She has 2 younger sisters, Alexia and Ariane
• She will become the 1st Princess of Orange in her own right when her father accedes to the throne

I hope Queen Beatrix will have a peaceful last few months on the throne before she passes on her reign to her son. 🙂 She deserves her rest now!

Related articles

• Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands to abdicate for son (BBC)
• Dutch Queen Beatrix to give nationally televised speech; speculation grows she will abdicate (timescolonist.com)
• The future King of the Netherlands: Prince Willem-Alexander (itv.com)
• Queen Beatrix to abdicate Dutch throne (National Post)
• Koning Willem-Alexander of koning Willem IV (vernoeming.nl)
• Queen Beatrix abdicates and History is Made (Marilyn’s Royal Blog)
• Netherlands’ Queen Beatrix is a woman of many hats (Vancouver Sun)
• Princess Maxima will be Queen of the Netherlands (Huffington Style)
• Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands to abdicate (Royal Historian)
• Royal Historian’s Interview on CTV: Queen Beatrix Abdicates