On Monday, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands announced that she would be abdicating her throne and passing on the crown to her eldest son Prince Willem-Alexander. In a televised speech announcing her abdication, the queen said that she would step down on April 30, the 33rd anniversary of her coronation.
"This doesn't mean that I'm taking leave from you," Queen Beatrix said, CNN reported. "I still will be able to meet many of you. I am deeply thankful for the faith that you've had in me...in all these years that I've been able to be queen."
The queen, who turns 75 on Thursday, will pass on the reign to her eldest son Prince of Orange Willem-Alexander and his wife, Princess Maxima, an Argentine former investment banker. "It is with great confidence that on April 30 this year I will pass my kingship to my son, the Prince of Orange. He and Princess Maxima are fully prepared for their future task. They will serve our country with devotion, faithfully serve the constitution and with all their talents give substance to their kingship," she said during her announcement.
The queen assumed the throne on April 30, 1980, when her mother, Queen Juliana abdicated the throne. She married German-born diplomat Claus von Amsberg on March 10, 1966. He passed away in 2002.
According to CNN, under the Dutch Constitution, the reigning king or queen is the head of state but is politically neutral.
Prince Willem-Alexander, who holds the title of Prince of Orange, holds a history degree from Leiden University and is a member of the International Olympic Committee, as well as a pilot and water management expert, Fox News reported. According to CNN, the prince served in the Dutch Royal Navy from August 1985 to January 1987.
Princess Maxima, who married Prince Willem-Alexander in February 2002, will become the first Argentine queen of the Netherlands. Maxima was born in Buenos Aires to a politician who had served as a minister during the 1976-1983 Argentinean military dictatorship, CNN reported. The soon-to-be queen holds a degree in economics and previously worked for HSBC and Deutsche Bank.
The Argentine princess met Willem-Alexander during a party and was engaged to her him in March 2001. The coupe have three daughters, Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane. Their eldest daughter, Catharina-Amalia will assume the title of Princess of Orange when her father rises to the throne in April and will become the second in line.
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