Dutch Queen Beatrix will be stepping down from her throne this April.
According to the BBC , Queen Beatrix will abdicate her crown after 33 years to her son Prince Willem-Alexander.
Queen Beatrix said:
“Responsibility for our country must now lie in the hands of a new generation … I am deeply grateful for the great faith you have shown in me in the many years that I could be your Queen.”
The Queen will officially hand over the crown to Prince Willem-Alexander during a ceremony on April 30.
Sky News reports that the Dutch people have been expecting the announcement for a long time. At 75-years-old, Beatrix is the oldest monarch to rule over the Netherlands. Queen Juliana resigned the throne at the age 0f 70 in 1980 and Queen Wilhelmina gave up her crown at the age of 68 in 1948.
Many believe that Beatrix waited so long to abdicate her crown because she didn’t want her departure to increase tensions in the country. Others believe that the Queen wanted to give her son a few extra years to enjoy fatherhood.
Queen Beatrix is the sixth monarch from the house of House of Orange-Nassau. Prince Willem-Alexander will be the first King of the Netherlands since 1890 when Willem III ruled over the country.
