Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands has abdicated her throne. No, it’s not one of those national crisis/Edward VIII in 1936/King’s Speech kinda things, it’s actually kind of a smart thing. Her mother Queen Juliana did it in 1980, as did her Grandmother Queen Wilhelmina in 1948. The famously progressive Netherlands have been ruled by women for more than a century. When her son Willem-Alexander accedes the throne as king, he will be the first male monarch since William III of The Netherlands died in 1890.
In her speech here, she makes an interesting point about leaving – saying it isn’t because the job has become too much, just that it’s time to hand it over to a younger generation.
It’s a sentiment shared by very few Queens.
