Today, after 33 years on the Dutch throne, Queen Beatrix has stepped down. For 123 years Holland has had a Queen, but now we have a King again.
I have never been particularly interested in the Royal Family, but I like Queen B. She is an amazingly strong woman and has done the country proud.
On 30th April 2009 there was an assault on her life. It happened during the Queen’s Day celebrations in Apeldoorn, when a man drove a car at high speed through the crowd who were watching the Queen’s parade. Eight people were killed and several badly injured. Four days later, the Queen attended a memorial service in Amsterdam facing a huge crowd of people to remember the victims of the second world war. The crowd greeted her with a deafening applause.
That’s the kind of Queen she was, always proud to represent her country and not afraid to show her support when it is most needed, regardless of the risks involved.
Enjoy your retirement Queenie, you deserve it! Oh, and keep an eye on that son of yours 😉
Long live The King!
elskenewman.com 
I hope her son, your king, does the country as proud as his mom.
Me too, but I’m sure she’ll put him in his place if he doesn’t, King or not 🙂
Tough lady!
Definately.
pretty cool – we don’t have queens or kings over here.
It’s quite nice in a way, I like it 🙂