It was announced yesterday that Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands will stand down from her duties on the 30th April - 33 years to the day of her coronation and her son Willem-Alexander will be King of The Netherlands - the first king in this country for 123 years since the death of his great great grandfather William III.
Queen Beatrix will be celebrating her 75th birthday on the 31st of January. In her televised broadcast she said it was not because the role was too heavy for her but she had been thinking about stepping down for some time now and with this year marking the anniversary of the monarchy's 200 years - she thought it was an appropriate time to do so. In her words, "The responsibility of the country should now lie with a new generation".
Having a monarchy in a country is an important symbol of tradition and Independence - I know how proud I feel when I see our Queen in the UK - so I can totally understand how the Dutch feel about their Royal family.
New beginnings ahead for The Netherlands.
God bless Queen Beatrix for the service she has given to this country and God bless King Willem for the times that lie ahead with his reign - may he be guided always on the right path.
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