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The Life Of Beatrix, Queen Of Holland
Some memories of people that day are very pleasant to hear - from which is being proved, how much the fate of a heiress to the throne is already definite before the birth. Famous Dutch columnist, Karel van Dreve, wrote at the eve of the celebration of Beatrix fiftieth birthday: 'The government, in her great benevolence, did announce that on the day of the royal birth, school-aged children did get a day off. But that announcement gave reason to a severe feeling of awkwardly with the school-aged children. What was going to happen, when the announcement is being made at three o'clock in the afternoon. Then we are free for the rest of the day, i.e. an half of an hour. It would be very bitter. The cabinet met to talk about the problem en they came up with a submission to arbitration - the cabinets in those years were always inclined to a submission of arbitration. When the happy news was announced before the midday, then the youth would be free the rest of the day. But would the princes or prince be born after noon, then the youth would be free the rest of the day plus the following day.The mathematicians amongst us had calculated that an announcement at a quarter past twelve would be the most profitable, while an announcement at a quarter to twelve would mean a national school disaster, because we then had just one midday off. We understood that we had to deal with a situation, in which a justifiable and for everybody acceptable outcome would not belong to the possibilities of the moment.' This last formulation of Prof. Dr. Karel van Dreve is therefore very striking because Beatrix has dealt later in her life with this kind of situations more often - but perhaps that's the case with every human being. Anyway, Beatrix was born that morning. Beatrix first years went by in a tempestuous sort of way. When she reached the age of two the Germans invaded our country. The second world war has begun.Together with her mother, Queen Juliana, and her sister princess Irene, who was born in 1939, princess Beatrix found a shelter in Canada. It was there were in 1942 princess Margriet was born. After the war the royal family returned to Holland, where in 1947 it had an addition with a fourth daughter: princess Marijke, who was later named 'Christina'. Also because of the interference of Queen Juliana it has been possible, that Beatrix good lead a reasonable normal life during the years she prepared herself for the kingship. She visited an elementary- and secondary school with other kids and so she succeeded in developing herself in a manner that did not deviate from the school learning and growing up of other children. From her eighteenth birthday Beatrix went out into the public and filled in her role in the monarchy. At least, to the extend that she could combine it with her study on the university of Leiden, with which she started in 1956. With the coming out of her companionship with Prince Claus in 1965 she became the focus of an enormous public interest. This was also being fed because of the great objections there were in Holland against a marriage of a Dutch throne pretender with a German. The second world war was only twenty years ago and because a lot of wartime suffering was still tangible, anti-German sentiments were very common. Nevertheless the marriage was contracted - disfigured by riots and a smoke bomb - in 1966, in Amsterdam. That she had a mind of her own, was proved by the fact that she hold on to Amsterdam as the place of her marriage, this against the desire of the government. Claus turned out to be a very charming prince consort with an intelligent mind, great diplomatic gifts, humor and a lot of other qualities. His popularity rose, in spite of the initially raised objections against his person, to great heights. In the years to come, which Beatrix and Claus consider as the happiest of their live, three sons were born and they lived, as much as possible, in relative isolation an harmonious life of a 'normal' family on castle Drakensteyn. In 1980 Beatrix accepted the throne, as the successor of her mother, Juliana, who after a period of 32 years stepped down as monarch of Holland. The inauguration, just like her marriage, attended with big riots. The squad-movement of Amsterdam toke hold of the ceremonies for a manifestation of their dissatisfaction, which nobody could escaped. Beatrix experienced this as very painful. As sovereign Beatrix gave to her position a businesslike and more direct involved meaning. She moved to The Hague and toke possession of a 'working' palace at the Noordeinde, on walking distance at the Binnenhof and the Raad van State. With this she confirmed the understanding of her job as serious, devoted and explicit present head of the state. On the other hand she showed her spontaneous side to the country she reigned, for instance through her unexpected visit to the Amsterdam free market at the thirtieth of April 1988, and also by means of the direct examination of the consequences of the plane crash in the Bijlmermeer in 1994. Especially the first years of the 21first century must have been a burden for Beatrix. The partner which throne pretender Willem-Alexander had chosen, the Argentinean Máxima Zorreguieta, brought up a discussion in the media, mainly because of the function her father hold under the regime of general Videla. As a consequence the father of Máxima was not allowed to attend the wedding of his daughter and Willem-Alexander. Also the marriage of Prince Johan Friso didn't work out smoothly, because the media revealed sensational matters to the broad daylight. The matter concerning princes Margarita and her husband De Roy van Zuydewijn got a grip on the Dutch people for a couple of weeks. After a long period of problems with his health, Prince Claus died in September 2002. And in 2004 both parents of Beatrix died at a high age. And last but not least there was a deadly incident on Queens day 2009, when a car drove into a parade, were also the royal family was part of, in the city of Apeldoorn. Eight people got killed. On the other hand life brought delight: Beatrix became grandmother and she got some very prestigious decorations. But the most important of everything is, that she succeeded in fulfilling the kingship in a way that made big impression everywhere and command respect, by which Beatrix gained her a position as symbol of national dignity. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com The author Dick Lukas works for Tijl-Publishers which is publishing books about Dutch politics and the house of Orange. Some titles will also be translated in English in the near future and will be sold at Amazone.com |
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