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Beatrix of the Netherlands
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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.
cess Beatrix was born as Princess Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands, of Orange-Nassau and 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.
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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 life
Princess Beatrix was born as Princess Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands, of Orange-Nassau and 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. Beatrix' five godparents are King Leopold III of the Belgians, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, Princess Elisabeth zu Erbach-Schönberg, Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg, and Countess Allene de Kotzebue. When Beatrix was one year old, in 1939, her first sister Princess Irene was born.
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 maternal grandmother Queen Wilhelmina remained in London. The family lived at the Stornoway residence. Her second sister Princess Margriet was born in 1943. During their exile in Canada, Beatrix attented nursery and the primary school Rockcliffe Park Public School.
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. On 6 September 1948, her mother Juliana succeeded her grandmother Wilhelmina as Queen of the Netherlands, and Beatrix became the heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands at the age of 10.
Education
In 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 31 January, 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
Her appearance on the political scene was almost immediately marked by controversy. In 1965, Princess Beatrix became engaged to the German aristocrat Claus von Amsberg, a diplomat working for the German Foreign Office. Their marriage caused a massive protest during the wedding day in Amsterdam on 10 March 1966. Prince Claus had served in the Hitler Youth and the Wehrmacht and was, therefore, associated by a part of the Dutch with German Nazism. Protests included "such memorable slogans as "Claus 'raus!" (Claus out!) and "Mijn fiets terug" (Give me back my bike), a reference to the memory of occupying German soldiers confiscating Dutch bicycles. A smoke bomb was thrown at the wedding carriage by a group of Provos causing a violent street battle with the police. As time went on, however, Prince Claus became one of the most popular members of the Dutch monarchy and his 2002 death was widely mourned.
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 Beatrix is a member of the Bilderberg Group. This has lead to controversy since the queen of The Netherlands has to be accountable to parliament. So far this has not been possible concerning her yearly attendance to the Bilderberg Group.
Queen of the Netherlands
On 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. The speech was broadcast live.
On 29 April and 30 April 2005, she celebrated the 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.
Personal wealth
Popular myth had 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. The Queen had to share the inheritance of her father with her three royal sisters and her two half-sisters (born to her father's two mistresses). 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 portfolio of shares.
The royal palaces are the property of the Dutch state and given for the use of the reigning monarch. 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 the 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 Crown Jewels, comprising the 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.
The Royal Archives house the personal archives of the royal family. 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 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.
- Official expenses incurred in the performance of official duties and included in the budget of the most relevant ministry. They will total some €22.5 million in 2006.
- Other expenses relating 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.
In the 2008 edition of Forbes Richest Royals the Queen was number 14 on the list.
Descendants
Children
The queen and her late husband, Prince Claus, have three sons:
| Name | Birth | Notes |
|---|
| Prince Willem-Alexander | 27 April 1967 | is married to Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti since 2002, has issue (three daughters) | | Prince Friso | 25 September 1968 | is married to Mabel Wisse Smit since 2004, has issue (two daughters) | | Prince Constantijn | 11 October 1969 | is married to Laurentien Brinkhorst since 2000, has issue (two daughters and one son) |
Grandchildren
Queen Beatrix and her late husband, Prince Claus, have eight grandchildren:
Titles, Styles, Honours and Arms
Titles and Styles
Queen 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 Queen. These being dormant titles, they are retained in the masculine form.
- Marquis of Veere and Vlissingen
- Count of Katzenelnbogen (now in Germany), Vianden (now in Luxembourg), Diez and Spiegelberg (both now in Germany), Buren, Leerdam, and Culemborg
- Viscount of Antwerp (now in Belgium)
- Baron of Breda, Diest (now in Belgium), Beilstein (now in Germany), the town of Grave and the lands of Cuijk, IJsselstein, Cranendonck, Eindhoven, Liesveld, Herstal (now in Belgium), Warneton, Arlay and Nozeroy (both now in France)
- Hereditary Lord and Seigneur of Ameland
- Lord of Besançon (now in France), Borculo, Bredevoort, Bütgenbach (now in Belgium), Clundert, Daasburg, Geertruidenberg, Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe, 't Loo, Lichtenvoorde, Montfoort, Naaldwijk, Niervaart, Polanen, Steenbergen, Sint-Maartensdijk, Sankt Vith (now in Belgium), Soest, Ter Eem, Turnhout (now in Belgium), Willemstad, and Zevenbergen.
The queen signs official documents "Beatrix" and is addressed as "Your Majesty" (Dutch: "Uwe Majesteit"). 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.
Honours
Queen Beatrix is Grand Master of the Military Order of William (Militaire Willemsorde) and the other Dutch orders of merit. She is also the 975th Member and Lady 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. Among them she is the 1,187th Dame of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain.
Arms
Ancestry
Patrilineal descent
Beatrix's patriline is the line from which she is descended father to son.
House of Lippe
(claimed descent from Saxon kings)
- Hermann I of Lippe, 1071 - 1126
- Hermann II of Lippe, 1119 - 1160
- Bernhard II of Lippe, 1151 - 1224
- Hermann III of Lippe, 1175 - 1229
- Bernhard III of Lippe, 1197 - 1265
- Bernhard IV of Lippe, 1240 - 1275
- Simon I of Lippe, d. 1344
- Otto of Lippe, d. 1360
- Simon III of Lippe, d. 1410
- Bernhard VI of Lippe, 1366 - 1415
- Simon IV of Lippe, 1404 - 1429
- Bernhard VII of Lippe, 1429 - 1511
- Simon V, Count of Lippe, 1471 - 1536
- Bernhard VIII, Count of Lippe, 1527 - 1563
- Simon VI, Count of Lippe, 1554 - 1613
- Simon VII, Count of Lippe-Detmold, 1587 - 1627
- Jobst Herman, Count of Lippe-Sternberg, 1625 - 1678
- Rudolf Ferdinand, Count of Lippe-Sternberg-Schwalenberg, 1671 - 1736
- Friedrich, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld, 1706 - 1761
- Karl, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld, 1735 - 1810
- (Wilhelm) Ernst, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld, 1777 - 1840
- Julius Peter, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld, 1812 - 1884
- Count Ernst of Lippe-Biesterfeld, 1844 - 1905
- Bernhard, Prince of Lippe-Biesterfeld, 1872 - 1934
- Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, 1911 - 2004
Prime Ministers of the Netherlands during The Queen's reign
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