Queen Beatrix the Netherlands oldest-reigning monarch ever

Posted on Jan 30, 2012 in News | 1 comment

Queen Beatrix the Netherlands oldest-reigning monarch ever

Dutch Queen Beatrix has become the oldest reigning monarch in Dutch history, overtaking King William III.

Tuesday the Queen will celebrate her 74th birthday. Never before the Netherlands had a reigning monarch had at this age.

The Queen reached the historic milestone on November 4 last year. On that day, Beatrix was exactly 73 years and 277 days old and broke the royal age record.

King William III was previously the oldest head of state the Netherlands has ever known. He died on November 23, 1890 as reigning monarch, and was 73 years and 277 days old.

Beatrix is still very active as head of state. Last year she made two state visits, to Germany and Qatar, and she visited the Caribbean. This year she visited Oman and United Arab Emirates in March and is scheduled to visit Luxembourg. It will be her 52nd state visit.

On April 30 it will be 32 years since Beatrix came to the throne. Her mother, Queen Juliana, was almost 32 years on the throne, when she announced to stop in 1980 on her daughter’s 42nd birthday.

More at The Dutch Daily News

Tags: , , , , ,

  • Prof. Dr. S.R.S. Bedi

    Human Dignity of Queen Beatrix. OLD IS GOLD is an ancient proverb. If applied to a living monarch; it is so very apt for Queen Beatrix. Having seen her once rather closely and having known her through public channels for the last 38 years, first as a crown princess and for the last 32 years as a queen, if I have to describe her in two words; the words are human dignity.It is the dignity of a queen that she reflects in the true sense as a representative of the human dignity of 16 million people living in the Netherlands. What I find most disturbing or rather disgusting when people talk about her: when would you hand over the reins to her son. This is an insult to her dignity by the ones who pretend to respect her.If I were her I’ll make it clear; I won’t step down till my last breath in good health. Monarchy is not simply an institution in fiction; it is also a person in living, and more so when the life of that person reflects Human Dignity in all aspects of her own life as well as the life of 16 million people she represents. If I were a noble subject/son of such a noble queen, democracy fully taken into consideration as a system of respect for human dignity; I would earnestly say from the core of my heart: Your Majesty/My Dear Mother, as long as you live and perform in good health for the nation; I would consider it sinful and in guilty conscience even to have the slightest thought of a desire that you step down as a queen. God bless you with many more years and all the good health to be with us and for us as a Queen of the Netherlands/ my dear mother. Herein lies the very human dignity of all 16 million people in this country, including her son Alexander. Do we have that dignity? I wish we did. For that is what the dignity of a son is against her mother and the subjects against their queen. If we do not it is a mockery of human dignity in the first instance and that of true democracy and its monarchy in the second. It should be considered illegal/immoral to expect stepping down from a sincerely serving monarch in the service of human dignity of her subjects and the children, the crown prince included. To rule till the last breath in good health must be considered as a Human Right of a given monarch. And, to talk and even to expect from her/him to step down must be considered as a violation of that right and disrespect to her/his human dignity. Such a legislation by any Dutch government will enhance and enlighten the cause of Human Rights and Human Dignity worldwide. God bless Queen Beatrix and the Netherlands.

    (Professor Dr. S.R.S. Bedi)