Beatrix: A Queen Who Transformed Dutch Royalty

[cinrit]

The Netherlands' energetic Queen Beatrix, who on Tuesday will abdicate in favour of her son Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, has won many Dutch hearts in her almost 33 years on the throne by giving the monarchy a modern, hard-working image.

Stepping into the shoes of her much-loved mother Juliana in 1980 at the age of 42, Beatrix quickly set out to make her mark on the country she was destined to rule by birth.

Contrary to her mother's unobtrusive style of rule, Beatrix refused to be relegated to ribbon-cutting, changing the mode of address from "madam" to "majesty" and transforming one of the royal palaces in The Hague, the seat of government, into a working palace.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130425/beatrix-queen-who-transformed-dutch-royalty 

Cindy