0
0
Read Time:36 Second
Dutch Queen Beatrix announced Monday that she will abdicate on April 30 after 33 years as head of state, clearing the way for her eldest son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, 45, to become the nation's first king in more than a century. The announcement, in a televised speech just days before she turned 75, signalled an end to the reign of one of Europe's longest-serving monarchs.
The widely expected abdication comes at a time of debate over the future of the largely ceremonial Dutch monarchy. But it also comes as calm has descended upon the Netherlands after a decade of turmoil in which Beatrix was the glue that held together an increasingly divided society.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
Facebook Comments