While this blog is not about royal news, sometimes events happen in the royal world which are too big not to mention here. A few minutes ago, an unexpected and historic message was delivered from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Like her mother and grandmother before her, this Dutch Queen has decided to voluntarily retire, and will abdicate on April 30, 2013. Her eldest son, Prince Willem-Alexander, and daughter-in-law Princess Maxima, who we featured traveling with her last week in Brunei and Singapore, will become the new king and queen at that time.
Beatrix is turning 75 later this week (stay tuned for a super-post featuring her fantastic hat wardrobe) and is the oldest reigning monarch in Dutch history. She has served her country magnificently during the 33 years of her reign and we wish her joy and peace as she makes this historic transition from monarch back to princess.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Queen’s Day celebrations April 30, 2012
Images by Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
Sad to hear about this. I really like her. I really hope her son and Maxima do as good a job.
It’s a retirement that’s well deserved, but it certainly is bittersweet to see her go. Thankfully, it’s not a permanent goodbye!