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Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard; born 31 January 1938) has been the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 30 April 1980, when her mother, Queen Juliana, abdicated.
Early lifePrincess Beatrix was born as Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, Princess of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau and Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld on 31 January 1938 at the Soestdijk Palace in Baarn, Netherlands. She is the eldest daughter of Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld.[1] Beatrix' five godparents are King Leopold III of Belgium, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, Princess Elisabeth zu Erbach-Schönberg, Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg, and Countess Allene de Kotzebue.[2] When Beatrix was one year old, in 1939, her first sister Princess Irene was born.[1] When World War II broke out in the Netherlands in May 1940, the Dutch Royal Family fled to London, United Kingdom. One month later, Beatrix went to Ottawa, Canada with her mother Juliana and her sister Irene, while her father Bernhard and Queen Wilhelmina remained in London.[1] The family lived at the Stornoway residence. [3] Her second sister Princess Margriet was born in 1943.[1] During their exile in Canada, Beatrix attented nursery and the primary school[4] Rockcliffe Park Public School.[5] The family returned to the Netherlands on 2 August 1945. Beatrix went to the progressive primary school De Werkplaats in Bilthoven. Her third sister Princess Christina was born in 1947.[1] On 6 September 1948, her mother Juliana succeeded her grandmother Wilhelmina as Queen of the Netherlands, and Beatrix became the heir presumptive to the throne of the Netherlands at the age of 10. EducationIn April 1950, Princess Beatrix entered the Incrementum, a part of Baarnsch Lyceum, where, in 1956, she passed her school-graduation examinations in the subjects of arts and classics. On January 31, 1956, Princess Beatrix celebrated her 18th birthday. From that date, under the Constitution of the Netherlands, she was entitled to assume the Royal Prerogative. At that time, her mother installed her in the Council of State. The same year, at Leiden University her university studies began. In her first years at the university, she studied sociology, jurisprudence, economics, parliamentary history and constitutional law. In the course of her studies she also attended lectures on the cultures of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, international affairs, international law, history and European law. The Princess also visited various European and international organisations in Geneva, Strasbourg, Paris, and Brussels . She was also an active member of the VVSL (Female Union for Students in Leiden), now called L.S.V.Minerva. In the summer of 1959, she passed her preliminary examination in law, and she obtained her law degree in July 1961. Political involvement and marriage
Queen Beatrix with her husband, the late Claus von Amsberg An even more violent riot occurred on 30 April 1980, during the investiture (sovereigns of the Netherlands are not crowned as such) of Queen Beatrix. Some people, including anarchist squatters, used the occasion to protest against poor housing conditions in the Netherlands and against the monarchy in general, using the also memorable slogan "Geen woning; geen Kroning" (No house; no coronation). Clashes with the police and security forces turned brutal and violent. The latter event is reflected in contemporary Dutch literature in the books of A.F.Th. van der Heijden. Queen of the NetherlandsOn 30 April 1980, Beatrix became Queen of the Netherlands when her mother abdicated. She approaches her role as queen with more formality than Queen Juliana, and many admire her professionalism. While the monarchy remains popular, in recent years some members of the Dutch media have openly criticized the royal family. Journalists have also published "tabloid" stories, similar to the stories that have covered the British House of Windsor for decades. Some Dutch subjects view the monarchy as an ongoing "soap opera," rather than an institution that plays an important role in Dutch society. As a result, Beatrix's current challenge is to keep the Dutch monarchy modern, efficient, and most of all, in tune with the wishes of the Dutch people. As queen, Beatrix wields more power than most of Europe?s reigning monarchs. In domestic matters, she has little political say; however, in international relations, the queen has much more latitude. It was once reported that she threatened to dismiss a cabinet minister if he turned down her request to open a Dutch embassy in Jordan. On 6 October 2002, the Queen's husband, Prince Claus died after a long illness. A year and a half later, her mother died after a long battle with senile dementia, while her father succumbed to cancer in December 2004. Beatrix is rarely quoted directly in the press, since the government information service (Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst) makes it a condition of interviews that she may not be quoted. This policy was introduced shortly after her inauguration, reportedly to protect her from political complications that may arise from "off-the-cuff" remarks. It does not apply to her son Prince Willem-Alexander. On 8 February 2005, Beatrix received a rare honorary doctorate from Leiden University, an honour the Queen does not usually accept. In her acceptance speech she reflected on the monarchy and her own 25 years as queen.[6] The speech was broadcast live.[7] On 29 April and 30 April 2005, she celebrated her 25th anniversary of her reign. She was interviewed on Dutch television, was offered a concert on Dam Square in Amsterdam, and a celebration took place in The Hague, the country's seat of government. It is not known if Beatrix will follow the example of her mother and grandmother and abdicate. Some people close to her have stated that she has never seriously talked about abdication. Beatrix is an honorary member of the Club of Rome http://www.clubofrome.org/members/members.php?membership=Honorary and a member the Bilderberg Group. Personal wealthPopular myth had for long stated that the queens of the Netherlands were the richest women in the world. Even in the 2005 Forbes website report, the queen's family wealth was estimated at $4.7 billion. Queen Juliana however had sold the remaining royal palaces and had put the cultural assets (paintings, antiques, books, etc.) into non-personal trusts. When the inheritance of Juliana was revealed in 2004 it was a 'mere' $240 million, which the queen had to share with her three royal sisters and her two half-sisters (born to her father's two mistresses).[8] Since 2006, the queen and her family are no longer included in the Forbes list. The personal assets of the queen include several estates, houses and a shares-portfolio. The royal palaces are property of the Dutch state and given in use to the reigning monarch;[9] however, should the monarchy be disbanded, the property would be returned to the royal family. While the House of Orange-Nassau possesses a large amount of personal belongings, items such as paintings, historical artifacts and jewellery are usually associated with the performance of royal duties and/or decoration of royal residences. As such, these items have a cultural significance beyond that of simple artworks and jewellery, and have therefore been placed in the hands of trusts: the House of Orange-Nassau Archives Trust and the House of Orange-Nassau Historic Collections Trust. Part of the collection is on permanent loan to Het Loo Palace Museum in Apeldoorn and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The regalia (crown, orb and sceptre, Sword of State, royal banner, and ermine mantle) have been placed in the Crown Property Trust. The trust also holds the items used on ceremonial occasions, such as the carriages, table silver, and dinner services. Placing these goods in the hands of a trust ensures that they will remain at the disposal of the monarch in perpetuity. [10] The Royal Archives house the personal archives of the royal family.[11] This includes books, photographs, and artworks, as well as the books of the House of Orange-Nassau and the music library. The library was begun in 1813, following the return of the Orange-Nassaus to the Netherlands. King William I allowed the Stadtholder's library to remain part of the Royal Library in The Hague. The library houses a collection of some 70,000 books, journals and brochures. The music library has 6,000 scores, going back to the mid-1700s. Expenditure on the Royal House is governed by or pursuant to the Royal House Finances Act (1972). There are three categories of expenditure: allowances paid to the Queen, the Princes of Orange and Princess Máxima, totalling some ?5.6 million in 2006.[12] Official expenses are incurred in the performance of official duties and are included in the budget of the most relevant ministry. They will total some ?22.5 million in 2006. Other expenses relate to the management of the royal household. Under the Royal House Finances Act, they are not included in the budget of the royal household. They will total some ?71.7 million in 2006. ChildrenThe queen and her late husband, Prince Claus, have three sons:
GrandchildrenQueen Beatrix and her late husband, Prince Claus, have eight grandchildren:
Titles, Styles, Honours and ArmsTitles and StylesQueen Beatrix's titles are: "Beatrix, by the Grace of God Queen of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, etc. etc. etc." The triple 'etc.' refers to the title Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld and the following titles formerly borne by the princes of Orange. These being dormant titles, they are retained in the masculine form.
The queen signs official documents "Beatrix" and is addressed as "Your Majesty" (Dutch: "Uwe Majesteit").[13] Queen Beatrix's mother, Queen Juliana, frowned upon this title. She preferred to be addressed as "Mevrouw", Dutch for "Madam". Queen Beatrix re-introduced the Royal Style of Majesty when addressing her. HonoursQueen Beatrix is Grand Master of the Military Order of William (Militaire Willemsorde) and the other Dutch orders of merit. She is also a supernumary member of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, a Dame of the Order of the Elephant (Elefantordenen) and has received numerous other medals and decorations. Queen Beatrix International Airport in Oranjestad, Aruba, is named after Her Majesty. ArmsAs the Monarch, Beatrix uses the Greater Coat of Arms of the Realm, (or "Grote Rijkswapen"). The components of the coats of arms were regulated by Queen Wilhelmina in a Royal decree of July 10th 1907 and were affirmed by Queen Juliana in a Royal decree of April 23rd 1980. The Arms are blazoned thus:
The seven arrows stand for the seven provinces of the Union of Utrecht. The shield is crowned with the (Dutch) royal crown and supported by two lions Or armed and langued Gules. They stand on a scroll Azure with the text "Je Maintiendrai" (medieval French for "I will endure".) The monarch places this coat of arms on a mantle Gules lined with Ermine. Above the mantle is a pavilion Gules again topped with the royal crown.[14] Ancestry
Patrilineal descentBeatrix's patriline is the line from which she is descended father to son. Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that if Beatrix were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Lippe, as all her male-line ancestors have been of that house. House of Lippe (claimed descent from Saxon kings)
Prime Ministers of the Netherlands during The Queen's reign
ReferencesExternal links
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