Special - Edition Dutch King's inauguration

Tuesday, april 30, 2013 The Morning news special ediTion - Inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands 2

A new era has begun

The couple will become kingand queen when currentmonarch Beatrix, who hasbeen on the throne for 33years, abdicates on 30 April.Her decision was announcedin January and marks the be-ginning of a new era for theDutch royal family.

Despite the momentousoccasion, the incoming kingand his queen were relaxed,happy and laid back duringtheir chat with Dutch journal-ists Marielle Tweebeeke andRick Nieman.

"People can address meany way they see fit,"Willem-Alexander began, es-tablishing a humble tone."I'm not obsessed with proto-col. I will be king, but also ahuman being."

He continued, "I want tobe a king who accepts tradi-tion, who follows the line ofconduct of his predecessors,and represents consistencyand stability in his nation.But at the same time, I wantto be a 21st century king,someone who inspires andaccurately represents Dutchsociety."

The heir to the throne also

revealed he won't be referredto as King William IV of Hol-landbecause he doesn't wantto be just "a number".

His wife Maxima was in

agreement. "People in thestreet call me Maxima. At theend of the day, it's not thatimportant to be calledprincess or queen. The im-

portant thing is the title werepresent."

The Argentinian royal alsorevealed she is putting thecouple's young daughters –Amalia, nine,Alexia, seven,and Ariane, who is five –through their paces in pre-ceremony rehearsals.

Maxima said it was impor-tant her daughters "knowwhat to do at all times"adding, "It's not very compli-cated, but they have to dowell."

Amalia will be styled thePrincess of Orange on 30April, but her father insiststhere will be no special treat-ment.

"Our daughters are ourdaughters and we love themall equally," the prince said."There isn't the slightest dif-ference.

"Amalia's title will bemade formal when she'seighteen and she enters the

State Council. Until then, wewill protect her as much aspossible.

"That means she won'tparticipate in official engage-ments, or as little as possible.Her environment right nowshould only include her par-ents, her sisters, and herfriends."

The interview hit a sadnote when the couple dis-cussed Prince Johan Friso.Willem-Alexander's brotherhas been in a coma since hewas buried under an ava-lanche in the Austrian Alpslast winter.

Maxima fought back tearsas Willem-Alexander dis-cussed his sibling's condition,which he described as "agreat tragedy".

"For over a year, we'vebeen living with this terriblesituation during which mymother and [Prince Friso'swife] Mabel have been doingeverything humanly possibleto be by my brother's side.

"Every day, they are wait-ing for him. For my part, all Ican do is support them – andmake sure I do my best on 30April."

TuesDAy, April 30, 2013 The Morning neWs speciAl eDiTion - Inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands 3

'I'll be king, but also human': Willem-Alexander and wife Maxima on the Dutch inauguration

Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and hiswife Princess Maxima in an exclusive TV interview on

the royal inauguration

4 The Morning news special ediTion - Inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands Tuesday, april 30, 2013

THE HAGUE (AFP) - TheNetherlands' energetic QueenBeatrix, who abdicated infavour of crown princeWillem Alexander has wonmany Dutch hearts in her al-most 33 years on the throneby giving the monarchy amodern, hard-working image.

Stepping into the shoes ofher much loved mother Ju-liana in 1980 at the age of 42,Beatrix quickly set out tomake her mark on the coun-try she was destined to ruleby birth.

Contrary to her mother'sunobtrusive style of rule,Beatrix refused to be rele-gated to ribbon-cutting;changing the mode of addressfrom "madam" to "majesty",and transforming one of theroyal palaces in The Hague,the seat of government, into aworking palace.

Here she received heads ofstate in her affable thoughformal manner and metweekly with successiveprime ministers to discussmatters of government, earn-ing the nickname "chief exec-utive officer of theNetherlands".

She also signed laws andplayed an important role inDutch politics by appointingthe so-called "formateur"who explores possibilities forcoalition government aftergeneral elections.

Last year's polls in whichPrime Minister Mark Ruttewas elected to head govern-ment for a second time,marked the first time she wasnot actively involved in theformateur's appointment.

Born on January 31, 1938as the first child of queen Ju-

liana and prince Bernhardt,Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard,princess of Orange-Nassau,lived with her family in exilein Britain and Canada duringWorld War II.

After completing her lawstudies, she married WestGerman diplomat Claus vonAmsberg in March 1966 --prompting violent demon-strations against the futurequeen's union with someonewho had worn a Hitler Youthuniform as a boy.

Riots also preceded Beat-rix's coronation on April 30,1980 following her mother'ssurprise abdication after a 31-year reign, when Amsterdamsquatters protested the highcosts of the ceremony.

But the new Queen's hum-ble approach soon startedwinning over her calvinistsubjects.

"Not power, personal de-sire nor a claim to hereditarypower but only the desire toserve the community cangive substance to a modernmonarchy," she said in hercrowning speech.

An opinion poll in April2009 found that 85 percent ofDutch citizens felt Beatrixwas performing well as headof state.

Known colloquially as"Trix", the queen radiates abourgeoise allure in her im-maculately pressed, practicaldresses and suits and a stiffhelmet hairdo that a stagger-ing collection of hats cannottease out of place.

"Only perfection wasgood enough for her. Sheworked very systematically,high in the sky like a bird ofprey, no detail on the ground

escaped her," a formerprime minister, Driesvan Agt, has said ofthe queen.

"The (royal) courtis really run like abusiness," accordingto Henk Wesseling,historian and courtadvisor.

A former servantsaid: "She can getpretty angry whenthings around her gowrong or if she is con-fronted with unex-pected situations.Under all circum-stances she wants tobe in control of thesituation."

American magazineForbes in 2008 listed Beatrixas the world's 14th wealthiestroyal with an estimated networth of 300 million dollars(214 million euros).

She has three sons, the old-est of whom, Willem-Alexan-der (born 27 april 1967), willsucceed her as monarch.

A spate of misfortunes inthe later years of her careerwas met with an outpouringof sympathy from her sub-jects.

The latest tragedy strucklast year when her middleson, Friso was left brain-damaged after being buriedby an avalanche while skiingoff-piste in Lech in Austria in

February last year.Her husband prince Claus

died at the age of 76 in 2002,followed by the Queen'smother and then her father in2004.

And on Queen's Day,April 30, 2009, the nationwas plunged into shock whena man ploughed his car intofestivalgoers in the centralcity of Apeldoorn, narrowlymissing an open bus trans-porting Beatrix and membersof her family.

Seven bystanders werekilled in what the driver con-fessed was an attack on theroyal family.

In an emotional, televisedaddress to the nation shortlyafterwards, Beatrix spoke of

her "deep shock".Opinion polls in the fol-

lowing days said support forthe Queen had spiked, with43 percent saying she shouldstay on the throne -- up from27 percent before the attack.

Beatrix, however, hasnever been a slave to polls.

"I find popularity danger-ous ... superficial and tempo-rary," she once said in aninterview with Dutch NOSpublic television.

Speculation rose over anabdication when in 2006 ren-ovations were announced atBeatrix's distinctive octago-nal-shaped Drankensteyncastle southeast of Amster-dam in 2006, where she isnow expected to live.

Beatrix: a Queen who transformed Dutch royalty

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on the day that she wassworn in as the Queen of the Netherlands and Head ofState on April 30, 1980.

The Royal Dutch Mint unveiled on February 6,2013, the first official legal tender coin markingthe royal Succession. The new coin, a €2 piece,includes the double portraits of the currenthead of State, Queen Beatrix along with hersuccessor, Willem-Alexander, the Prince ofOrange.

The new coin includes the text“WILLEM-ALEXANDER PRINS VANORANJE – BEATRIX KONINGIN DERNEDERLANDEN” the legend is sepa-rated with a small crown at the top of thecoin, the date of the announcement “28JANUARI” appears below the two con-joined portraits which are facing to the left. Inaccordance with Dutch numismatic tradition,all official circulation coinage issued bearing theportrait of the new King Willem-Alexander will faceto the opposite direction of the previous monarch, in thiscase, he will face to the right.

The coin are available in Proof, FDC and circulation quality strikes and will be pack-aged in variations according to their quality. A mintage of 20,000,000 pieces has beenauthorized and allocated to their respective qualities:• 10,000 – Proof,• 25,000 – BU in coin-card,• (Mintage un-specified) Circulation quality – bag of 100 coins• Rolls, 2,500 pieces - Circulation quality – rolls of 25 coins

The future Dutch king alsodeveloped an interest in watermanagement, an effort re-warded in 2006 with his ap-pointment as chairman of theUN Secretary-General's Advi-sory Board on Water and Sa -nitation.

But it was his meeting withMaxima in 1999 and their sub-sequent marriage in February2002, that changed his imageinto that of a serious royal andfamily man, worthy of theDutch throne.

Willem Alexander was "in-telligent, tender and strong andhas both feet on the ground,"Maxima once said of her hus-band in an interview.

Seen as more progressiveand closer to ordinary peoplethan even his mother, WillemAlexander has further stampedmodernity on the Royal Housethrough his visits abroad andan online blog.

Holding various ranks inthe Dutch armed forces, he fre-

quently visits Dutch navyvessels, air and army bases,including in Afghanistanand along the Somali coast,where the Dutch navy ispart of the EuropeanUnion's anti-piracy opera-tions.

He has a military andcivil pilot's licence, mean-ing he can fly commercialjets. He has been known tofly official aircraft as wellas planes belonging to theRoyal Dutch Airlines(KLM).

The royal family'slifestyle however has notbeen without criticism.

Willem Alexander inNovember 2009 sold hisluxurious holiday house asit was under constructionon the Mozambican coastunder pressure from hostilepublic opi nion who saw it

as a garish asset in the poverty-wracked southeastern Africancountry.

Last year, the future kingpublicly confessed to beingashamed after taking part in atraditional Dutch "toilet-throwing" contest in a smalleastern village during Queen'sDay celebrations on April 30.

"Here in the Netherlandsthere are towns that take part inthe throwing of toilet-bowlsfor a laugh," he said.

"I participated with a smile,but not without shame in thin -king about the some 2.6 billionpeople around the world thatdo not have this most basic in-frastructure to fulfil a dailyneed with dignity," he said.

Future Dutch king WillemAlexander, 45, has undergonea remarkable transformationfrom his image of a boozingCasanova, ill-equipped for thethrone, into that of a serious,responsible family man well-loved by his people.

Due to take over the reinsfrom his mother, Queen Beat-rix, he has been preparing forhis accession by taking onmore and more duties in a bidto shake off his immature re -putation.

The oldest of three sons,Willem Alexander had a diffi-cult adolescence, and was sentto complete his high school inWales.

Upon return to the Nether-lands for his military service inthe Navy and then to study,Willem Alexander built animage in the Dutch media as ahard-partying and troublesomeroyal, earning him the nick-name of "Prince Pils" after aparticular beer.

But after graduating in1993, he started travelling thecountry and took steps to shakeoff his negative image.

In 1998 he got the parlia-mentary nod to become amember of the InternationalOlympic Committee (IOC).


Willem Alexander: From 'Prince Pils'

to Dutch king

First Dutch Coin Marking theRoyal Succession

of earrings, a necklace and abrooch at her coronation in1980.

although pearls would bethe obvious choice for Max-ima, the Princess has alsosported an array of colourfuljewels including sapphires,emeralds and rubies. However,diamonds are always the focalpoint in each of these head-resses and so the floral motifdiadem which Maxima woreon a state visit to Quatar maybe a contender.

Combination photo gives afull gallery of the tiarasPrincess Maxima may wear atthe Dutch inauguration.

often chooses them to be thecentral feature in the tiaras thatshe wears. Beatrix, the oldestreigning monarch of theNetherlands, chose a classictiara decorated with pearls anddiamonds with a matching set

When Princess Maxima be-comes the Netherlands' Queenconsort, she will wear a head-dress worthy of that title.

Gone will be the delicatetiaras that were the hallmarksof her years as Crown Prin -cess, replaced by a more dazz -ling headpiece that reflects herroyal promotion.

Maxima may well be in-spired by her mother-in-lawwhen choosing a headpiece onthe day her husband CrownPrince Willem-alexander iscrowned King.

Pearls remain a sentimentalfavourite of both Maxima andQueen Beatrix. The Princess

popular royal according toopinion polls, even more sothan the much-admired QueenBeatrix and a long way aheadof her husband, whose youth-ful reputation as a boozingCasanova was transformed byhis relationship with Maxima.

The princess has investedtime in development projects,supporting micro-credit initia-tives in developing countriesand the emancipation ofwomen of immigrant origin.

But she has not been en-tirely without controversy.

in 2007, commenting on theissue of Dutch identity, shesaid: "The Dutch person doesnot exist, no more than the ar-gentinian." The remark sparkedcriticism that she was speakingout of turn.

Born on May 17, 1971 inBuenos aires, where she grewup, Maxima Zorreguieta metWillem alexander throughmutual friends in Madrid in1999. Having received an eco-nomics degree in 1995, Ma -xima worked for a string ofinternational banks in Buenosaires, New York and Brussels.

Since getting married, thecouple have been living inWassenaar, an upmarket sub-urb of The Hague, the seat ofgovernment and the city whereQueen Beatrix lives andworks.

They have three daughters,Catharina-amalia, 9, who asthe heir apparent will becomethe Princess of Orange, alexia,7, and ariane, 5.

"People are incredibly kindto me," Maxima said of life inthe Netherlands, praising thefact that she was not chasedaround by photographers.

"it's fantastic that i canmove around freely here in theNetherlands and that i can takemy children to school and doshopping," she said of life in acountry where royalty is ex-pected to tread a fine line be-tween normalcy and majesty.

MaxiMa, the argentine-bornfuture queen of the Nether-lands, has worked hard to winover Dutch hearts and is im-mensely popular despite herfather's murky role in hiscountry's military junta.

as the wife of CrownPrince Willem alexander, for-mer investment banker Max-ima Zorreguieta, 41, will onapril 30 become queen of theDutch.

The couple had a fairytaleromance and were married in2002, with Maxima beinggiven Dutch nationality and al-lowed to remain a Catholic inthe staunchly Protestant Houseof Orange.

But the run-up to the mar-riage was overshadowed bythe past of Maxima's father,Jorge Zorreguieta, who was ajunior agriculture ministerunder the notorious argentineregime of general Jorge Videlain the 1970s.

The junta, which Videla ledfrom 1976-81, is held respon-sible for the disappearance ofup to 30,000 people during theso-called "Dirty War" againstpolitical opponents.

amid popular outcry in thepolitically correct Netherlands,Maxima's father was told hecould not attend his daughter'swedding in amsterdam, andher mother also stayed awayout of solidarity.

Maxima said at the time shewas "ready" to accept the deci-sion, but television cameraslingered on her tears as her fa-ther's favourite tango "adiosnonino" (Goodbye father) wasplayed during the wedding ce -remony.

The Dutch cabinet evencommissioned historianMichiel Baud to look into theextent of Zorreguieta's in-volvement in the junta.

He concluded that Zor-reguieta must have knownsomething about the tortureand the thousands that disap-peared at the time, but was al-most certainly not personallyinvolved.

While Zorreguieta has beenaccused of involvement insome disappearances and con-tinues to be investigated, hehas never been charged. How-ever, Dutch media have re-ported that he will not bewelcome at the april 30 hand-ing-over ceremony.

With her easy charm andready smile, Maxima wasquick to win over the Dutchpeople, immersing herself inthe language and culture, evenswimming in an amsterdamcanal for charity.

She's the country's most


Dutch love Argentinequeen-to-be despite

father's past

A look at the tiaras Princess Maxima

may wear to the Dutch inauguration


Members of the royal familywho marry without permis-sion of Parliament forfeittheir right to succeed to thethrone and their membershipof the Royal House.

Now that the Prince of Or-ange is King, the children ofPrince Constantijn andPrincess Laurentien will berelated to the monarch in thethird degree. They will stillbe in line to succeed to thethrone, but they will not bemembers of the Royal House.While their grandmother re-mains Queen, they are relatedto the monarch in the seconddegree, thus members of theRoyal House.

The order of successionto the throne

The right to the thronepasses to the eldest descen-dant of the monarch and, inturn, to his or her descen-dants. Accordingly, the firstin line to the throne is cur-rently the Prince of Orangeand, after him, his children,Princess Catharina-Amaliabeing the eldest.

After the children of theheir apparent, the next in lineto the throne is the next de-scendant of the monarch. As

Prince Friso is no longer inline to succeed, Prince Con-stantijn is the first in line afterthe children of the Prince ofOrange. After Prince Con-stantijn come his children,then the descendants of theprevious monarch (Queen Ju-liana) up to and including rel-atives in the third degree ofconsanguinity.

The spouses of themonarch's relatives to thesecond degree are membersof the Royal House, but arenot in line of succession tothe throne.

Current line of succes-sion to the throne

King Willem-AlexanderPrincess Catharina-Ama-

liaPrincess AlexiaPrincess ArianePrince ConstantijnCountess EloiseCount Claus-CasimirCountess LeonorePrincess MargrietPrince MauritsPrince BernhardPrince Maurits and Prince

Bernhard will no longer beeligible to succeed to thethrone now the Prince of Or-ange is King.

Succession to thethrone

Koninginnedag or Queen's Day is a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Celebrated on 30 April (the 29th if the 30thfalls on a Sunday), Koninginnedag is Queen Beatrix's official celebration day. Though Queen Beatrix was born on 31 January, the holidayis observed on 30 April as it was the birthday of her mother and predecessor, Juliana. Many of the traditional activities are held outside,and observing the holiday in April makes suitable weather more likely.

In 2014, the holiday will become known as Koningsdag or King's Day following the investiture of Willem-Alexander as king of theNetherlands on April 30th, 2013. Koningsdag will be celebrated on 27 April, Willem-Alexander's birthday. However, the first Koningsdagwill be held on 26 April 2014 because 27 April is a Sunday.

The holiday was first observed on 31 August 1885 as Prinsessedag or Princess's Day, the fifth birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, heiressto the Dutch throne. On her accession, the holiday acquired its present name, Koninginnedag. Following the accession of Wilhelmina'sdaughter Queen Juliana in 1948, the holiday was moved to her birthday. Her daughter, Beatrix retained the celebration on 30 April aftershe ascended the throne in 1980. Beatrix altered her mother's custom of receiving a floral parade near a Royal palace, instead choosing tovisit different Dutch towns each year and join in the festivities along with her sons. Koninginnedag is known for its nationwide vrijmarkt("free market"), at which many Dutch sell their secondhand items. It is also an opportunity for "orange madness" or oranjegekte, for thenational colour, when the normally strait-laced Dutch let down their hair, often dyed orange for the occasion.

Koninginnedag

The royal coat of arms datesfrom 1815, when the King-dom of the Netherlands wasfounded. It is the same as theDutch national coat of arms.In 1907 it was changed, andin 1980 once again laid downby Royal Decree.

The crowns and the royalmantle were added to indi-

cate that the House of Or-ange-Nassau had been ele-vated to royal status. Theroyal coat of arms takes itscomponent parts from threeother coats of arms:

The motto Je Maintiendrai("I will maintain") comesfrom the coat of arms of theHouse of Chalon.

The lion comes from thecoat of arms of the House ofNassau.

The sword and sheaf of ar-rows in the lion's paw comefrom the coat of arms of theStates General of the Repub-lic of the United Provinces(17th and 18th centuries).The seven arrows stand forthe seven provinces. The ar-rows also symbolise cooper-ation: individually they arevulnerable, but together theyare strong.

Je maintiendraiThe motto "Je main-

tiendrai" (I will maintain / Iwill maintain) is derivedfrom the motto that René ofChalon carried in his arms.The last Prince of Orangefrom the House of ChalonChalon was Filibert. He diedchildless in 1530. His heirwas his cousin René of Nas-sau, son of Count Henry IIIof Nassau and Filibert's sisterClaudia of Chalon. René in-herited the Principality of Or-ange under the condition thathe would adopt the name andarms of Chalon. He is there-fore known as René ofChalon. He also carried theweapon from Chalon, withthe motto "You maintiendrayChalons". When René him-self died in 1544 withoutleaving any legitimate chil-dren behind, his cousinWilliam of Nassau, becamehis heir, son of his uncleWilliam "the Rich" and Ju-liana of Stolberg. This heirwas known as William of Or-ange. William of Orange tookhis own weapon, andchanged the motto of René to"You maintiendray Nassau".By his successors, the wordNassau was omitted.

Coat of arms

Queen Beatrix uses three palaces: Noordeinde Palace,Huis ten Bosch Palace and the Royal Palace in Ams-terdam. These palaces belong to the State.

Royal residences of theDutch Monarchy

tion, will remain in their homeWassenaar Eikenhorst, but willlater transfer to Huis ten Boschroyal Palace in The Hague"when it is suitable", accordingto a statement released by theDutch Parliament.

Whilst their move date dateis currently unknown, thesprawling property will still beused as the venue for recep-tions and other official events.

Following the news of QueenBeatrix's abdication, the DutchRoyal Household has begunimplementing several changesin preparation for PrinceWillem-Alexander's accessionto the throne.

The order of successionwill now change as the Princeof Orange prepares to becomeKing of the Netherlands. WhenWillem-Alexander is inaugu-rated on April 30, his wife,Princess Maxima, will becomeQueen consort. In accordancewith the country's constitutionthe couple's eldest daughterPrincess Amalia, who is nine-years-old, will then becomethe heir apparent.

The youngster, whose fullname is Cathalina-AmaliaBeatrix Carmen Victoria, wasborn on December 7, 2003 ayear after Willem-Alexanderand Maxima’s wedding. Shewas baptised on June 12, 2004in the church of St. James inthe Dutch capital, Amsterdam.

Amalia's sisters Alexia,seven and five-year-old Arianewill follow their elder sister inthe succession. The trio, affec-tionately known to their par-ents as the 'Triple A's', havebeen given as normal a life aspossible, away from the mediaspotlight.

For the time being, Maximaand Willem-Alexander, whowill become King Willem-Alexander upon his inaugura-


Queen Beatrix, whose title willchange to Princess Beatrix,will also be relocating and willcall castle Drakensten LageVurrrche her home from April30 onwards, the date her sonofficially becomes king.

The castle, which was Beat-rix and her husband PrinceClaus' first residence together,has recently undergone a majorrenovation.

The Netherlands make changes forKing Willem-Alexander

The Royal Palace in Amsterdam (Dutch: KoninklijkPaleis Amsterdam or Paleis op de Dam) is one of threepalaces still in use by the Dutch royal family. It is usedfor state visits, award ceremonies and other official re-ceptions. When the palace is not being used by the royalfamily, it is open to the public. Visitors can explore themagnificent interior and discover the rich history of thebuilding.

The Noordeinde Palace, located in The Hague in theprovince of South Holland, it has been used as the"working palace" for Queen Beatrix since 1984. It hasbeen a palace of the Royal House since 1609 when thestate presented it to William of Orange’s widow as a gift.

Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague is the residence ofQueen Beatrix. She and her family moved into thepalace in 1981. Before that, Queen Beatrix, Prince Clausand their children lived in Drakensteyn Castle in Baarn.Huis ten Bosch Palace is situated in the Haagse Bos for-est and is only a 15-minute drive from De Horsten Estatein Wassenaar, where Prince Willem-Alexander and hisfamily live


The Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden commonly known as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territoryin Western Europe and in the Caribbean.

The four parts of the Kingdom – Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten – are referred to as countries and participate on a basis of equality as partnersin the Kingdom. In practice, however, most of the Kingdom affairs are administered by the Netherlands (which comprises roughly 98% of the Kingdom's land area and pop-ulation) on behalf of the entire Kingdom, with Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten being dependent on the Netherlands.

The vast majority of the country of the Netherlands is located in Europe, with the exception of its three special municipalities (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba)that are located in the Caribbean. The countries of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are located in the Caribbean as well.

ArubaAruba is a centralized unitary state. Its administration consists of the Governor, who represents the Monarch, and the (Aruban) Council of Ministers, headed by a Prime

Minister. The people are represented in the Estates of Aruba. The Governor of Aruba is Fredis Refunjol, and the Prime Minister is Mike Eman. It has the Aruban florin as itscurrency.

CuraçaoCuraçao is a centralized unitary state, with similar administrative characteristics to Aruba. It has the Netherlands Antillean guilder as its currency.Sint MaartenSint Maarten is a centralized unitary state, with similar administrative characteristics to Aruba. It has the Netherlands Antillean guilder as its currency.NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a representative parliamentary democracy organized as a unitary state. Its administration consists of the Monarch and the Council of Ministers, which

is headed by a Prime Minister. The people are represented by the States-General of the Netherlands, which consists of a House of Representatives and a Senate. The Netherlandsis divided into 12 provinces: Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, and Zuid-Holland.The provinces are divided into municipalities. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is Mark Rutte. It has the euro as its currency, except in the special municipalities of theBES islands in the Caribbean, where the Netherlands Antillean guilder has been replaced by the US dollar in 2011.

Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and SabaThe special municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba are part of the Netherlands proper but do not form part of a province. They resemble ordinary Dutch mu-

nicipalities in most ways (with a mayor, aldermen, and a municipal council, for example) and are subject to the ordinary Dutch legislative process, although most of the lawsof the former Netherlands Antilles are still in force as the result of an agreed "legislative restriction" until 2015. Residents of these three islands are also able to vote in Dutchnational and European elections. There are, however, some derogations for these islands. Social security, for example, is not on the same level as it is in the Netherlands. InNovember 2008 it was decided to introduce the U.S. dollar in the three islands. The date of introduction was 1 January 2011. The Netherlands carries the risk of exchange ratefluctuations regarding cash flows between the state and the islands.

The Dutch Kingdom

Queen Beatrix’s decision tohand over the throne to hereldest son may have historicalsignificance, but the actualprocess and ceremony is verysimple.

On April 30, she will signa document – the act of abdi-cation – and Willem-Alexan-der automatically becomesking, although he still has tobe inaugurated. His oldestdaughter, Catharina-Amalia,will automatically becomefirst in line to succeed him.

Willem-Alexander will besworn in in the Nieuwe Kerkin Amsterdam, but it will be asecular rather than a religiousceremony.

The inauguration takes theform of a meeting of theupper and lower houses ofparliament – as set down inthe constitution. This meansall members of the lower andupper houses of parliamentwill be there as will a limitednumber of other guests.

The new king will thenswear to be faithful to theconstitution and to fulfil hisrole properly.

SymbolsThe crown, sceptre and orb

– traditional signs of royalty –as well the kingdom’s sword,symbolizing his power, willbe laid out in front of Willem-Alexander, as will a copy ofthe constitution. But thecrown will not be placed onhis head and is never worn.

King

Willem-Alexander

will have an

inauguration not

a coronation

have tried to give Amalia andher two younger sisters, Alexiaand Ariana, as normal a child-hood as possible. However,both are aware of the role thattheir daughter will have to playin the future, so the presence oftheir eldest child at officialfunctions is becoming increa -singly common.

As delicate as the balancingact is, Amalia's increasing pro-file is the perfect training forher new royal role as thePrincess of Orange.

Upon her father's accession,she will continue to reside inWassenaar, but will eventuallymove along with her family toHuis ten Bosch. Princess

Catharina-Amalia will as-sume a seat in the Advisory Di-vision of the Council of Stateof the Netherlands upon reach-ing the age of majority at 18.

She isn't even ten yet, and al-ready a huge responsibilityfalls on the small shoulders ofthe Netherlands' PrincessAmalia.

On April 30, the youngsterwill be styled as the newPrincess of Orange, and be-come the heir to the Dutchthrone when her father is inau-gurated as William IV of Hol-land. Her future, and that of herfather, has been brought sharplyinto focus following the abdica-tion of her grandmother, QueenBeatrix.

The future Princess of Or-ange was born on December 7,2003, in The Hague, receivingthe name Catharina-AmaliaBeatrix Carmen Victoria. Shewould later be baptized onJune 12, 2004, in Amsterdam'sSt. James' church.

Since then, her parents

Princess Amalia: The little

girl who will become heir

to the Dutch throne

Châlon-Orange. His-tory knows him there-fore as René ofChâlon. After thedeath of René in 1544his cousin William ofNassau-Dillenburg in-herited all his lands.This "William I of Or-ange" - in English bet-ter known as Williamthe Silent - becamethe founder of theHouse of Orange-Nas-sau.

William was bornin Nassau in Germany.The king of Spainmade him stadtholder(a sort of leader) aboutseveral Dutch pro -vinces. But Williamconverted to Protes-tantism, the religion ofthe Dutch people andjoined their struggle

for independence. The kingof Spain offered a reward forthe person who would killWilliam. In 1584 Williamwas shot by Balthasar Ger-ards in his house in Delft.

In the Netherlands, peopleoften call him "Father of thefatherland". The Dutch na-tional anthem, the Wilhel-mus, is about William.

ity of Orange from hismother's brother, Philibert ofChâlon. As the first Nassau tobe the Prince of Orange,René could have used "Or-ange-Nassau" as his newfamily name. However, hisuncle, in his will, had stipu-lated that René should con-tinue the use of the name

The House of Orange-Nassau, a branch of theEuropean House ofNassau, has played acentral role in the poli-tics and government ofthe Netherlands — andat times in Europe —especially since WilliamI of Orange (also knownas "William the Silent"and "Father of the Fa-therland") organized theDutch revolt againstSpanish rule, whichafter the Eighty Years'War led to an independ-ent Dutch state.

Several members ofthe house served duringthis war and after asgovernor or stadtholderduring the Dutch Re-public. However, in1815, after a long periodas a republic, theNetherlands became amonarchy under the House ofOrange-Nassau.

The dynasty was estab-lished as a result of the mar-riage of Hendrik III ofNassau-Breda from Germanyand Claudia of Châlon-Or-ange from French Burgundyin 1515. Their son René in-herited in 1530 the Principal-


House of Orange-Nassau

William the Silent


Wilhelmina (Wilhelmina He-lena Pauline Maria; 31 Au-gust 1880 – 28 November1962) was Queen regnant ofthe Kingdom of the Nether-lands from 1890 to 1948. Shereigned for nearly 58 years,longer than any other Dutchmonarch. Her reign sawWorld War I and World WarII, the economic crisis of1933, and the decline of theNetherlands as a major colo-nial power. Outside theNetherlands she is primarilyremembered for her role inWorld War II, in which sheproved to be a great inspira-tion to the Dutch resistance.

Early lifePrincess Wilhelmina He-

lena Pauline Maria of theNetherlands, Princess of Or-ange-Nassau, was born on 31August 1880 in The Hague,Netherlands. She was theonly child of King William IIIand his second wife, Emma ofWaldeck and Pyrmont. Herchildhood was characterisedby a close relationship withher parents, especially withher father, who was 63 yearsof age when she was born.

King William III had threesons with his first wife, So-phie of Württemberg. How-ever, when Wilhelmina wasborn, William had already

outlived two of them andonly the childless PrinceAlexander and the King'suncle Prince Frederick of theNetherlands were alive, sounder the Semi-Salic systemof inheritance that was inplace in the Netherlandsuntil 1887, she was third inline to the throne from birth.When Prince Frederick dieda year later in 1881, she be-came second in line. WhenWilhelmina was four,Alexander died and theyoung girl became heiresspresumptive.

King William III died on23 November 1890, and, al-though Princess Wilhelminabecame queen of the Nether-lands instantly, her mother,Emma, was named regent.

In 1895, Queen Wil-helmina visited Queen Vic-toria of the UnitedKingdom, who penned anevaluation in her diary:

The young Queen ... stillhas her hair hanging loose.She is slender and graceful,and makes an impression as avery intelligent and very cutegirl. She speaks good Englishand knows how to behavewith charming mannersMarriage and succession

Wilhelmina was enthronedon 6 September 1898. On 7

February 1901 in The Hague,she married Duke Henry ofMecklenburg-Schwerin. Ninemonths later, on 9 November,Wilhelmina suffered a mis-carriage, and on 4 May 1902she gave birth to a prematurestillborn son. Her next preg-nancy ended in another mis-carriage on 23 July 1906.During this time period, Wil-helmina's heir presumptive

was her first cousin onceremoved WilliamErnest, Grand Duke ofSaxe-Weimar-Eisenach,and next in line was hisaunt (and Wilhelmina'scousin) Princess MarieAlexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. As itwas assumed that theformer would renouncehis claim to the Dutchthrone, and that the latterwas too elderly andsickly to become Queen,Marie Alexandrine's eld-est son Prince HeinrichXXXII Reuss ofKöstritz stood in line tosucceed Wilhelmina, as-suming she had no sur-viving children.Heinrich was a Germanprince with close associ-ations with the Imperialfamily and the military;and there were fears thatwere the Queen to re-

main childless, the DutchCrown "was bound to passinto the possession of a Ger-man prince, whose birth,training, and affiliationswould naturally have led himto bring Holland within thesphere of the German Empire,at the expense of her inde-pendence, both national andeconomic", according to one

contemporary publication.The birth of Juliana, on 30April 1909, was met withgreat relief after eight years ofchildless marriage. Wil-helmina suffered two furthermiscarriages on 23 Januaryand 20 October 1912.

ReignTactful, and careful to op-

erate within the limits of whatwas expected by the Dutchpeople and their elected rep-resentatives, the strong-willedWilhelmina became a force-ful personality who spoke andacted her mind.

Queen Wilhelmina alsohad a keen understanding ofbusiness matters and her in-vestments made her theworld's richest woman, a sta-tus retained by her daughter,Juliana, and by her grand-daughter, Beatrix.

Before the First World Warstarted, the young Wilhelminavisited the powerful GermanEmperor Wilhelm II, whoboasted to the Queen of a rel-atively small country, "myguards are seven feet tall andyours are only shoulder-highto them." Wilhelmina smiledpolitely and replied, "Quitetrue, Your Majesty, yourguards are seven feet tall. Butwhen we open our dikes, thewater is ten feet deep!”

Longest reigning Dutch monarch

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

The Netherlands has preparedfor the biggest event in its royalcalendar this year. With the inau-guration of Prince Willem-Alexander commemorativememorabilia honouring the oc-casion has been released to thepublic.

From scarves to iPad covers,mouse mats to mugs, fans ofQueen Beatrix, Princess Max-ima and her husband and king-to-be, Willem-Alexander, will

be able to keep asouvenir of themomentous oc-casion.

The me-mentos havebeen manufac-tured and soldby Dutch com-pany ProBadge viatheir website.The Woerden-based businessoffer badges ofthe royals andtheir childrenfor €2, iPhonecases for €9.95

and royal blue cushions for€14.95.

Images of the royal coupleand their ‘triple A’ daughters,Amalia, Alexia and Ariana,feature on money pouches,mugs and a framed title thatcould hang in the home of anenthusiastic royal watcher.

money pouches, mugs anda framed title that could hangin the home of an enthusiasticroyal watcher.

Princess Maxima and PrinceWillem-Alexander emblazonedon inauguration memorabilia

with a stylized initial of“W” placed to the left of theyear and a small crownplaced to the right.

Also included on the re-verse design are the portraitsof the country’s previousthree kings, those of WillemI, Willem II and Willem IIIwhich are overlapped andfacing to the right. A ribbon-like banner containing theirnames is positioned belowtheir portraits with a detailed

crown placed above all threeportraits. Below the portraitsis a sty lized “W” and finallythe mintmarks of the RoyalDutch Mint can be seen to ei-ther side of the “W” initial.

Struck to proof quality insterling silver, the medalweighs 31.1 grams and has adiameter of 38.1 mm. A totalmintage of just 2,000 pieceshas been authorized and theRoyal Dutch Mint have indi-cated that the portrait is infact a pre-curser to the offi-cial portrait which may beused on circulation typecoinage for the Netherlands.

This medal design is alsoavailable in a smaller size (30mm) and struck in cupro-nickel with a coin-card pack-age.

King’s great-great grandfa-ther died in 1890 leaving thethrone to his 10 year olddaughter who was QueenWilhelmina. It is expectedthat shortly after the CrownPrince’s day of accession, hisinvestiture and swearing-in tothe States General assemblywill follow soon thereafter.

The medal, designed byGraphic artist and RoyalMint-trained engraverMichael Guilfoyle is one ofthe country’s most prolificand well known coin de-signer, depicts a detailed pro-file of Willem-Alexander in amore traditional style. Thetext “WILLEM ALEXAN-DER KONING DER NED-ERLANDEN” appearsaround the portrait with theyear of accession of “2013”included below the portrait

behest."The personal lives of the

Dutch royal family must be re-spected... and left alone at suchtimes when they step into thepublic eye in their private ca-pacity," the code states. If themedia transgresses "suitablesteps can be taken" including atemporary or permanent with-drawal of accreditation forroyal events "or a lawsuit."

Dutch media have largelyrespected the code, snapping away at official shoots inclu -ding of the royal family on hol-iday, but US news agencyAssociated Press bore the bruntof the royals' wrath when in2009 they ran "unauthorised"photographs of the fa mily ski-ing in Argentina.

The prince won the ensuinglawsuit, with an Amsterdamjudge saying the pictures didnot contribute to public debateand ordering AP withdraw theshots.

The royal Dutch press codealso had another unexpectedresult: it cultivated a mix of thealoofness of royalty with theinformality of a normal mo dernfamily, analysts said.

But historian Van Breewarned that the royals shouldnot become too attached tobeing "normal": "It should notbe too simple. If the monarchyloses its luster, it loses its ex-ceptional side."

The royals themselves havenevertheless not always ma -naged to avoid the pitfalls ofclose media scrutiny. In 2009they were forced to sell asumptuous villa on the Mo -zambican coast after a mediastorm erupted about the luxuryproject in the impoverishedAfrican country.

And last year, Willem-Alexander admitted shameafter he was pictured playing atraditional Dutch game of toi-let-bowl tossing in a smalltown he was visiting during theannual Queen's Day celebra-tions.

When Willem-Alexander andMa xima next week becomeEurope's youngest king andqueen, they will already havedealt with arguably the great-est challenges facing a 21stcentury monarch: taming themedia.

Unlike British royals, re-lentlessly stalked by the pa-parazzi many still blame forthe 1997 death of princessDiana, the Dutch royal cou-ple appear to have estab-lished the ground rules fortheir relationship with thepress.

But it has not always beenplain sailing. The symbiosisbetween the Dutch royal fa milyand the media has been tumul-tuous in the past, even descend-ing into legal disputes orvio lence, particularly whenWillem-Alexander, now 45,was involved.

Things got off to a bad startfor the crown prince when asan 11-year-old, apparently frus-trated with yet another officialphoto call, shouted: "All Dutchmedia go to hell."

In the 1980s a youngWillem-Alexander was fre-quently portrayed as a hard-partying royal and when aphotograph of him as a beer-swigging student appeared inthe press, it landed him themonicker of "Prince Pils".

An allegation by late Dutchglamour and paparazzi kingJoop van Tellingen that ayouth ful Willem-Alexandertook a swing at him at Zurichairport while apparently wai -ting for a girlfriend, also didnot help.

"I think in his youth,Willem-Alexander learnt thehard way that the media is im-portant in terms of his image,"said Han van Bree, a Dutch his-torian who specialises in theroyal family.

The future king in an inter-view in 1997 said: "My imageis not something that keeps mebusy every day. But I find it sadthat one picture in a paper ofme hol ding a glass of beer hasmore influence on my imagethan four years of training to bethe future king."

After marrying Argentine-born Maxima Zorreguieta in2002, interest in the royal cou-ple intensified, especially afterthe birth of their daughters, fu-ture heir to the throne Catha-rina-Amalia, princess Alexiaand princess Ariane.

By 2005 after several inci-dents and a lawsuit, the Dutchgovernment information ser -vice unilaterally introduced apress code at the royal family's


Dutch Crown Prince

tames paparazzi en

route to throne

The Royal Dutch Mint haslaunched a medal which willmark the occasion of the fourkings of the Netherlands aswell as the accession of thePrince of Orange, Willem-Alexander to the throne of theNetherlands on the 30th Aprilof this year. Prince WillemAlexander has been crownprince since his mother’s ownaccession to the Dutch throneon the 30th April 1980.

The medal includes an of-ficial portrait of the soon-to-be King, who according toDutch numismatic tradition,will face to the opposite sideas the previous Monarch, thatis, to the right. Crown PrinceWillem-Alexander will on hisday of accession, be thecountry’s first King in morethan 123 years, as the lastKing, Willem III – the new

“Four Kings” Medal for King

Willem-Alexander

Tuesday, aprIl 30, 2013 The MornIng news specIal edITIon - Inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands 13

After she has signed the in-strument of abdication, theformer Queen will have thetitle of Her Royal HighnessPrincess Beatrix of theNetherlands, Princess of Or-ange-Nassau. She will be ad-dressed as Your RoyalHighness.

From that moment on, thenew monarch will be referredto as His Majesty the King.His official title will be HisMajesty King Willem-Alexander, King of theNetherlands, Prince of Or-ange-Nassau, etc., etc., etc.He will be addressed as YourMajesty.

As the King's wife,Princess Máxima will be re-ferred to as Her Majesty theQueen. Her official title, likethat of the wives of KingsWillem I, Willem II andWillem III, will be HerMajesty Queen Máxima,Princess of the Netherlands,Princess of Orange-Nassau.She will be addressed as YourMajesty.

This does not mean thatshe will become the head ofstate or have the same powersand responsibilities as the

monarch. It is a courtesy titlefor the wife of the King.

Immediately after the ab-dication, Princess Catharina-Amalia, the eldest daughterof the new King and Queen,will become Her Royal High-ness the Princess of Orange,in accordance with section 7of the Membership of theRoyal House Act.

SuccessionThe titles and names of the

other members of the RoyalHouse will not change afterthe abdication. What willchange, however, is the mem-bership of the Royal House.From that moment on, underthe Membership of the RoyalHouse Act, the children ofPrincess Margriet and Profes-sor Pieter van Vollenhovenand the children of PrinceConstantijn and PrincessLaurentien will cease to be

members of the Royal House,which will then comprise:

- the King, the Queenand their children

- Princess Beatrix- Prince Constantijn

and Princess Laurentien- Princess Margriet

and Professor Pieter van Vol-lenhoven.

In addition, the Constitu-tion stipulates that the title tothe throne is reserved toblood relatives of themonarch up to the third de-gree of consanguinity as de-fined in Dutch law. Thismeans that Prince Mauritsand Prince Bernhard will nolonger be in the line of suc-cession to the throne.

When the Prince of Or-ange becomes King, the lineof succession will start withhis children: the Princess ofOrange, Princess Alexia andPrincess Ariane. Next in linewill be Prince Constantijn,then his children and finallyPrincess Margriet.

Royal standard androyal coat of arms

From his investiture on-wards, the new King will flythe royal standard and use the

royal coat of arms. The royalstandard is a square orangeflag, divided into four quar-ters by a cross of Nassaublue, with in the centre thearms of the Kingdom of theNetherlands surmounted by acrown and surrounded by theinsignia of the Military Orderof William. Each quarter dis-plays a blue bugle, whichoriginated in the arms of theprincipality of Orange.Queen Wilhelmina adoptedthis standard in 1908, sincewhen it has been flown by thehead of state. It flies abovethe palaces where themonarch resides and workswhen he is in the country.

The royal coat of armswas adopted by King WillemI in 1815 and has not changedsignificantly since 1907. Theroyal coat of arms is the sameas the coat of arms of theKingdom. It depicts acrowned lion rampant againsta background of blue strewnwith golden billets supportedby two lions. A ribbon be-neath the shield bears themotto 'Je maintiendrai' (I willmaintain). The coat of armswill also remain the same.

Royal Titles

The Constitution stipulates that the investiture must take place in the capital city, Amster-dam, at a public joint session of the two Houses of the States General (Parliament) – the Senateand House of Representatives. The monarch swears or affirms allegiance to the Charter forthe Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Constitution. The wording of the oath or affirmationis laid down by statute.

The oath or affirmation of allegiance tothe Charter for the Kingdom of the

Netherlands and the Constitution

'I solemnly swear (affirm) to the peoplesof the Kingdom that I shall constantly pre-serve and uphold the Charter for the King-dom of the Netherlands and theConstitution. I swear (affirm) that I shalldefend and preserve the independence andthe territory of the Kingdom to the best ofmy ability, that I shall protect the freedomsand rights of all Dutch nationals and allpersons living in the Netherlands, and thatI shall employ all means placed at My

disposal by the law to support andpromote the welfare of all, as is incumbent

upon a good and faithful King.So help me God! (This I affirm and promise)'

Investiture ceremony

The ceremony dates from 1815, when Willem I was invested as King of the Netherlandsin the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, the site of every ceremony since then. The ceremony inits present form dates from 1840, the investiture of King Willem II.

Although it takes place in a church, the investiture is purely secular, conducted in accor-dance with constitutional law. During an investiture, the crown, the sceptre and the orb aredisplayed on a credence table, along with the other regalia - the sword of state and the nationalstandard. A copy of the Constitution is also displayed.

Investiture

April 30, 1980 shows Dutch Queen

Beatrix taking the oath next to her

husband Prince Claus

Itinerary King Willem-Alexander and

Queen Máxima tour ofprovinces

After the royal succession on 30 April 2013 the

King and Queen will tour all the provinces of the

Netherlands in May and June, visiting two

provinces a day. The Queen's Commissioners

have been asked to submit suggestions for the

programme.

The royal couple will not just visit the provincial

capitals, but a number of other locations as well.

In mid-November they will tour the Caribbean

part of the Kingdom.

The dates for the visits are as follows:

28 May - Groningen / Drenthe

30 May - Gelderland / Utrecht

12 June - Limburg / North Brabant

14 June - Friesland / North Holland

19 June - Flevoland / Overijssel

21 June - Zeeland / South Holland


Royal Dutch LiqoursThe Netherlands has always played a leading role in the-world of fine spirits. The Dutch were the first to under-stand the art of making excellent spirit from agriculturalproducts, that technology has spread across the world.For example The Dutch were the first liqueur producersin the world.

The coronation / inauguration of King Willem Alexanderand Maxima Queen is the opportunity for many distilleriesto launch special liqours.

Following are the special limited editons of deliciousroyal orange liqueur or orange bitters.

Coronation Willem-Alexander Royal

Orange Liqueur

For the special celebration on 30 April, Royal Suplier Schermer

Distillers-since 1782 from - Hoorn, Netherlands, Holland, de-

signed a special jar.

With permission of the RVD, they have a very nice collec-

tors item made: a 50 cl white jug filled with orange liqueur 23%

vol. and imprinted with black silkscreen. On the jar, you will

find very typical portraits of Queen Beatrix and Willem Alexan-

der with Maxima. Of course, the date 30 April 2013 has a

prominent place on the jar and also the 200 years kingdom of

The Netherlands stated there on.

The beautiful

Coronation of

King Willem

Alexander &

Maxima jug.

Following the me-

morial jars devel-

oped for marrying

our prince Willem

Alexander & Max-

ima and the birth of

two of his daughters,

now a 4th jug has

been made.

A wonderful

stone jug painted in

beautiful colours en

prints. A real collec-

tors item in limited

edition!

Photo history of Prince Willem Alexander

Queen Beatrix and Crowne Prince WillemAlexander at the official opening of the newWillemsbrug in Rotterdam. The event is thefirst official act of the crowne prince.

Prince Willem-Alexander, Queen Beat-rix en Prince Constantijn at a Queen’sDay event in Zuidlaren.

Crowne Prince Willem Alexander and Prince Johan Friso standing in

front of the Natural Bridge during a visit to Aruba.

Netherlands' Queen Beatrix, and her late husband

prince Claus pose with their 15-month-old son Prince

Willem Alexander in July 1968.

Smoking a cigarette

After high school, PrinceWillem-Alexander performedmilitary service in the RoyalNetherlands Navy from August1985 to January 1987. He re-ceived his training at the RoyalNetherlands Naval College andthe frigates HNLMS Tromp andHNLMS Abraham Crijnssen,where he was an ensign. In1988, he received additionaltraining at the ship HNLMS VanKinsbergen and became a lieu-tenant (junior grade)

In honor of Queen Beatrix

Queen Beatrix on her last visit to Aruba as the Dutch Queen in 2012

TuesDay, aPril 30, 2013 The Morning news sPecial eDiTion - Inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands 15

THE HAGUE (AFP) -Famed worldwide for theirmerrymaking abilities, theDutch on Tuesday set topreparing an "unforgettable"party for the coronation oftheir new king WillemAlexander on April 30.

Amsterdam hotels have al-ready been booked up lessthan 24 hours after QueenBeatrix announced she wouldabdicate, and city hall hasbeen overwhelmed by offersof partymaking help.

The coronation is to beheld on the traditional na-tional holiday of Queen'sDay, during which publicdrunkenness is tolerated, andthe Dutch dress up in theroyal colour orange.

Nationwide, streets and

canals throng with sometimesunruly crowds dressed in gar-ish orange scarves, shirts,wigs, even clogs.

Some people fall in thecanals, but the good naturedevent in the well-organisedcountry rarely sees seriousaccidents or fights.

Even Dutch Prime Minis-ter Mark Rutte, 45, and nostranger to some of TheHague's cafes, on Mondaycalled on the Dutch to havean enormous party on theday.

"A party that matches ourfeelings today," Rutte said,although calling for the partynot to be too extravagant be-cause of the state of the econ-omy.

"Amsterdam and Amster-

dammers will, with all theDutch, make April 30 an un-forgettable day," city hall saidin a statement soon afterBeatrix said she would stepdown after almost 33 yearson the throne.

Amsterdam spokesmanBartho Boer said Dutch peo-ple around the country hadbeen telephoning city hall ei-ther to hold events in Amster-dam on the day or to offertheir services as volunteers.

"We're expecting an ex-tremely festive day," Amster-dam Tourist Federationspokeswoman MachteldLigtvoet told AFP.

"There will be more peo-ple attending the party thanduring a normal Queen'sDay," she said, adding that all

hotels in the city centre werealready booked up.

Amsterdam's notoriouscoffee shops will also seeparticularly brisk trade in softdrugs, consumed by theDutch and foreigners alike,and largely tolerated on thestreet on the special day.

In The Hague, the seat ofgovernment, Queen's Night isthe big event, with thousandsthronging the streets of thereputedly staid city for liveconcerts, fairs and otherstreet events.

It's no coincidence thatHolland House, sponsored byDutch beermaker Heineken,at Alexandra Palace was oneof the most sought-after partyvenues during last year'sLondon Olympics.

Popular daily AlgemeenDagblad noted on Tuesdaythat "for many subjects, thereal news of the day wasn'tthe sovereign's abdication,but the fact that Queen's Dayno longer exists."

When Beatrix becamequeen in 1980, her coronationday, which was also hermother Juliana's birthday, be-came Queen's Day. OnceWillem Alexander iscrowned, King's Day will beheld every April 27 of hisreign.

The day is the birthday ofWillem Alexander, nick-named "Prince Pils" in hisyouth because of his ability todrink large quantities of beerat student parties.

Dutch to crown new king with massive party

Princess Masako of Japan isto make her first officialoverseas visit in nearly 11years. The Japanese royal,who suffers from a stress-in-duced adjustment disorderthat has forced her to take abreak from many official en-gagements, will leave Japanfor the Dutch inaugurationthat will see Prince Willem-Alexander become King ofthe Netherlands and PrincessMaxima become his Queenconsort.

Princess Masako, 49, andher husband Crown PrinceNaruhito, 53, will travel toAmsterdam for the ceremonyon 30 April, marking theirfirst joint overseas engage-ment since they toured Aus-tralia and New Zealand inAugust 2002.

Following consultationswith Masako's doctors,Japan's Imperial Householdis said to be in the final stagesof formally replying to theDutch royal invitation andmaking arrangements for thecouple's visit.

Heirs to the Japanesethrone, Naruhito andMasako, enjoy a good friend-ship with the Dutch royals. In

August 2006 Queen Beatrixinvited the pair to spend twoweeks in the Netherlands ona private retreat.

The trip was two yearsafter Princess Masako's ad-justment disorder was diag-nosed in 2004. Masako'scondition has since left herhusband to represent Japan atofficial events including Lux-embourg's royal wedding in2012.

Also confirmed on the in-auguration's royal guest listare Prince Felipe andPrincess Letizia of Spain.

Felipe, 45, and his wife

Letizia, 40, will journey tothe Dutch capital of Amster-dam to see Prince Willem-Alexander and PrincessMaxima become King andQueen of the Netherlands on30 April.

Spain's royal heirs willwitness Queen Beatrix's abdi-cation ceremony in Amster-dam's Royal Palace alongwith dignitaries, members ofparliament and members ofher family. Following a shortaddress by Queen Beatrix,75, the Director of theQueen's Office will readaloud the instruction of abdi-

cation, which the Queen willassent to with her signature.

At 10.30, His MajestyKing Willem-Alexander andHer Majesty Queen Maximawill then appear with Beatrix,now Her Royal HighnessPrincess Beatrix, on the bal-cony of the palace to greettheir people. The former sov-ereign and Willem-Alexanderwill then both give an ad-dress, followed by the na-tional anthem.

Willem-Alexander andMaxima joined the Prince Fe-lipe and Princess Letizia inRome last month for Pope

Francis I's inaugural mass. Inkeeping with Vatican proto-col, Maxima and Letizialooked striking in demureoutfits and distinctive laceveils as they chatted to eachother at the open air mass.

Felipe and Letizia, whowill one day ascend to theSpanish throne, are close totheir European counterpartsand recently joining them inthe Dutch town of Apeldoorn.

Willem-Alexander andMaxima invited their fellowroyal heirs to Het Oude Loo,a former hunting lodge, tospend time together.

Princess Masako of Japan to make her first overseas

visit in 11 years for the Dutch inuaguration

Japanese royalty


Documents

Special - Edition Dutch King's inauguration