Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will abdicate the throne for her son William

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands announced to his people through a television message she is abdicating the crown for his eldest son, Prince Willem, who will take office as the new King of the Netherlands from April 30, 2013 .

Queen Beatrix was born in The Hague on January 31 1938. She ascended the throne after the abdication of his mother, Queen Juliana, on April 30, 1980. She married in 1966 to Prince Claus, who died last 2002 and had three children, Willem, Friso and Constantine.

“Not because the burden of office is too heavy, but because of the conviction that the responsibility for our nation should now lie in the hands of a new generation” stated the queen who also said that both Prince William, and his wife, Maxima of the Netherlands, are “fully prepared for this task.”

Beatrix of the Netherlands is the first queen to abdicate in this century and is one of the most popular queens within the European monarchies. She is also known as “Princess Smile”.