Dutch Queen Beatrix abdicates; eldest son to succeed
Queen Beatrix, who has ruled the Netherlands for nearly 33 years, said [January 28th] she was abdicating to make way for her eldest son, Willem-Alexander.
Her last day as head of state [was] April 30, when 45-year-old Willem-Alexander [was] crowned Willem IV - the first time the Netherlands has a male monarch in more than 120 years.
It was time "to place the responsibility of the country in the hands of a new generation," Beatrix said in a television address.
Willem-Alexander is married to Argentine-born Maxima Zorreguieta Cerruti and has three daughters - Amalia, 9, Alexia, 7, and Ariane, 5.
Nevertheless, Beatrix has remained active in her role as head of state, having made visits to Singapore and Brunei.
Speculation about Beatrix's future on the throne grew after Prince Friso, her second child, was left in a coma after a skiing accident nearly a year ago. He remains unresponsive in a London hospital.
Beatrix remains popular among a vast majority of citizens, according to recent polls, which also suggest that most Dutch believe Willem-Alexander to be well-prepared for his new role.
Beatrix assumed the throne on April 30, 1980, after her mother Juliana abdicated. Even though it is not Beatrix's birthday, April 30 has been celebrated as Queen's Day because the weather is more suitable for a festival than her actual birthday, January 31.
The holiday will change to Willem-Alexander's birthday April 27 starting in 2014 and become King's Day.
In addition to princes Willem-Alexander and Friso, she has a 43-year-old son, Constantijn. Beatrix's husband, German-born Prince Claus, died in 2002.
As a student, Willem-Alexander main emphasis was water management - a fitting subject in a low-lying, coastal kingdom that for centuries has had to defend itself against the North Sea, accentuated in an era of climate change.
abdicate v.
/ˈæbdɪˌkeɪt/
to leave the position of being a king or queen [no obj]
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