Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands | European Queens

Premiered Jan 21, 2025 | Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands - This documentary paints a picture of the life and work of Queen Beatrix, from her birth in 1938 until the moment she announced her decision to abdicate in 2013.

Director: Etienne Glebbeek
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Release Date: 2013

Synopsis:

This documentary paints a picture of the life and work of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, from her birth until the moment she announced her decision to abdicate.

Princess Beatrix became a beloved queen who reigned over the Netherlands from 1980 until 2013.

The documentary includes footage of Beatrix as a baby, her time spent in Canada during the Second World War, her marriage to Prince Claus, as mother of three sons and as grandmother to eight grandchildren. In 2002 she lost her most important advisor, Prince Claus.

In the last year of her reign, her son Prince Friso was buried in an avalanche and has been in a coma ever since. We also see Queen Beatrix from 1980 as head of a nation, as ‘mother of the nation’ and as a monarch who has fulfilled her constitutional duties almost without controversy.

The portrait is built up thematically from 1980, the year of her investiture as queen. We see Queen Beatrix as head of a nation: on the 30th of April, for instance, when she celebrates her birthday at chosen cities or towns in the Netherlands. And as ‘mother of the nation’ offering a comforting shoulder to subjects who have suffered tragedy, adversity or misfortune. We also see Beatrix as head of state, as a monarch who has fulfilled her constitutional duties almost without controversy. Since her investiture, she has had dozens of discussions with ministers and other politicians, she has signed numerous laws and has continued to play a central role on Budget Day when she delivers the ‘Queen’s Speech’. In the past thirty-three years, she has also been on more than fifty state visits.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

Beatrix: The Queen Who Gave Up the Crown: The life of Beatrix, a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013.| Royal Documentary

King Willem Alexander's Investiture & Queen Beatrix’ Farewell Speech (April 29.)

Queen Beatrix Makes Farewell Address On Eve Of Abdication

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands attended a banquet in her honour on the eve of her abdication. Within hours she officially passes the crown on to her son Prince Willem-Alexander.

Royal couples from Europe and beyond were invited to the glittering occasion in the newly renovated Rijksmuseum.

In her final address before the ceremonial handover she thanked the Dutch people and urged them to support her son:

"Since I announced my intention to retire, I have been struck by overwhelming expressions of heartfelt affection. This was accompanied by a broad understanding for the desire to hand over my role to the Prince of Orange. By being intensely active in the national arena and through his broad interest in issues of the day, he is well prepared in all aspects."

Queen Beatrix is to retire after 33 years in the job. During that time she has been a popular fixture of Dutch life. Although largely exercising a ceremonial role, Beatrix has used her influence with captains of industry and political figures and made her views known on such issues as the environment.

Guests Arrive for the Dutch Royal Banquet

Read the Mail Online article here | Jill Reilly | Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Dutch abdication: Willem-Alexander becomes Europe's youngest monarch
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has officially abdicated in favour of a "new generation", with her son Willem-Alexander becoming king.

Read the The Daily Telegra[h article here | Bruno Waterfield, Amsterdam | Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Queen Beatrix Thanks Dutch People On Eve Of Abdication

BBC: Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has made a farewell national address on the eve of her abdication and investiture of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander.

The queen thanked the Dutch people for their "heart-warming displays of affection" and also paid tribute to her late husband, Prince Claus.

The queen was also attending a sumptuous gala dinner in her honour at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

She has been head of state since 1980, when her mother abdicated.

In her televised address, Queen Beatrix said that the people's devotion had given her the strength to carry on.

"Without your heart-warming and encouraging displays of affection, the burdens, which certainly have existed, would have weighed heavily."

Paying tribute to her late husband, Prince Claus, who died in 2002, she said he had helped modernise the House of Orange.

"Perhaps history will bear out that the choice of my partner was my best decision."

Monday evening's gala dinner was being attended by her family and other invited royals and high-ranking dignitaries. » | Monday, April 29, 2013

It's 2013. Abolish the Dutch Monarchy.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL – OP ED: In a nation of equals, I shudder to hear fellow citizens addressed as 'your royal highness.'

In my country, one family has a monopoly on the position of head of state. No, I'm not from North Korea, but from the Netherlands, where after 30 years on the throne, Queen Beatrix of Orange will abdicate at the end of this month to her son Willem-Alexander.

The ceremony will receive world-wide attention—and since this is royalty we're talking about, expect it to be fawning. Television will present the fairy tale of a happy nation united under its new king.

Well, count me out. I am one of many Dutch citizens who think it is time for us to do what America and most other countries did long ago: take leave of our monarchs.

The United States made me a republican. (With a small R, that is.) Having lived there for 30 years, I can no longer tolerate a system that has just one requirement for the top job: being from the right family. Most republics select their heads of state based on merit, but in Holland no special talents are needed to become king.

Indeed, even monarchists have questioned whether Willem-Alexander is up to the job that he will inherit and from which he cannot be fired. They console themselves with the thought that Maxima, his Argentine wife and our future queen, is smart enough to pick up the slack if needed.

How is it possible that the Dutch continue to set such a low bar for their democracy? I don't want to call my countrymen brainwashed, but I have noticed that geographic distance has given me and many other Dutch émigrés a different perspective on the monarchy. As Americans living abroad know, it becomes easier to question one's national values when you are not constantly exposed to messages reinforcing them. In Holland the queen's face is on euro coins and on postage stamps, the national anthem is an ode to her family, and the Dutch observe the Queen's birthday in the way Americans celebrate Independence Day. Media coverage is by and large reverential if not unctuous. Scandals are quickly forgotten.

In a country known for its outspokenness, the monarchy may well be the last taboo. Unlike the U.K., Holland has no politicians publicly making a case against the monarchy. Ever since the queen announced her decision to abdicate, many aspects of the succession have been debated: May fur be used in the royal robe? Should parliamentarians pledge loyalty to the king? But almost no one has raised the most fundamental and obvious question: Should we call it quits? » | Max Westerman * | Wednesday, April 03, 2013

* Mr. Westerman, a former Newsweek reporter, covered the U.S. for 15 years as a correspondent for Dutch television.

Dutch Queen to Abdicate in Favour of Her Son, Prince Willem-Alexander
The Netherlands will have its first king after more than 120 years. Queen Beatrix is abdicating after thirty years as head of state in favour of her eldest son, Prince Willem-Alexander, who will become the first Dutch king since 1890. The Queen will revert to the title of Princess, but not until the official handover, on April 30. Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan reports.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands Abdicates in Favour of Son

THE GUARDIAN: Beatrix to relinquish crown at end of April after 33 years, leaving monarchy to Crown-Prince Willem-Alexander

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the oldest reigning Dutch monarch, announced her abdication on Monday evening in a sudden move three days before her 75th birthday. After 33 years on the throne following her mother's abdication in 1980, Beatrix said she would relinquish the crown at the end of April, leaving the monarchy to Crown-Prince Willem-Alexander, the oldest of her three sons.

The queen went on national television and radio on Monday evening to announce the departure, having recorded the broadcast earlier in the day. The prime minister, Mark Rutte, delivered a statement on television shortly afterwards, with both stressing that the crown prince had been intensively prepared for the role of monarch.

"The queen was there for us in good times, but also in bad times. Her knowledge and compassion made her an icon of the Netherlands," Rutte said in his statement.

The popular 74-year-old has kept a relatively low profile, aspiring to an image of homely normality by, for example, riding her bike in The Hague. She is also said to be a member of the Bilderberg Group and is ranked among Europe's wealthiest royals. » | Ian Traynor, Europe editor | Monday, January 28, 2013


FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Übergabe nach dreiunddreißig Jahren: Nur drei Minuten brauchte Königin Beatrix, um ihrem Volk die eigene Abdankung nach 33 Jahren Regentschaft zu erklären. Auch im Abschied bleib sie sich treu, auf ihre Weise hat sie sich die Zuneigung der Niederländer erarbeitet. ¶ Dreiunddreißig Jahre wird Königin Beatrix die Niederlande regiert haben, wenn sie in drei Monaten zugunsten ihres Sohnes Prinz Willem-Alexander abdanken wird. Und nur drei Minuten hat sie benötigt, um diese Entscheidung dem Volk mitzuteilen. Ihrem Stil blieb Beatrix in der aufgezeichneten Ansprache treu: sachlich, stolz und doch demütig gegenüber dem Volk. » | Von Andreas Ross | Montag, 28. Januar 2013

Dutch Royal Family 'Overtake Britain's as Most Expensive in Europe'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Dutch royal family has overtaken the British monarchy to become most expensive in Western Europe at a cost of £31 million a year to the country's taxpayers, an international study has found.

In his sixth report on the costs of European heads of state, Herman Matthijs, professor of administrative science and public finances at Ghent University, notes the Royal Family had cut spending .

Queen Elizabeth II's cost to the taxpayer has fallen as result of austerity measures which have been deeper and faster than reductions to the Dutch monarchy's annual bill at a time when belt-tightening is affecting all of Europe's royal families.

Prof Matthijs's research found that the cost of British monarchy, praised as one of the most open about its finances, had been reduced by 16 per cent, falling from £35.5 million to £29.7m over the last year.

The £30.7 million Dutch bill for Queen Beatrix and her children, including £14m in personal allowances, is four times the cost of keeping the Spanish royal family, a country that is at heart of the eurozone's debt crisis.

Moreover, the burden to taxpayers of the Dutch royal family, Europe's most expensive, is proportionately heavier because the population of the Netherlands is almost a third of the size of Spain's and a mere quarter of Britain's. » | Bruno Waterfield | Thursday, July 19, 2012

Niederländische Regierung zurückgetreten

Verwandt »

Regierungskrise in den Niederlanden: Premier Rutte tritt zurück

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Regierung der Niederlande ist am Ende, weil die Haushaltsverhandlungen geplatzt sind. Premierminister Mark Rutte hat bei Königin Beatrix seinen Rücktritt eingereicht. Deutschland verliert damit einen wichtigen Verbündeten in der Euro-Krise.

Amsterdam - Der niederländische Regierungschef Mark Rutte ist nach den geplatzten Haushaltsverhandlungen zurückgetreten. Rutte habe der Königin die Auflösung seines Kabinetts angeboten. Das teilte die Regierung in Den Haag am Montagnachmittag offiziell mit. Zuvor hatte es zahlreiche Medienberichte gegeben, wonach der Premier zurücktreten wolle. » | anr/hen/heb/AFP/dpa/dapd | Montag, 23. April 2012

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte resigns over austerity measures: Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime Minister, handed his resignation to the country’s Queen after European Union demands for austerity measures to bring Holland into line with euro spending rules caused the collapse of his government. » | Bruno Waterfield | Monday, April 23, 2012

Related »

Prince Friso's Family Thank Public for Support

MONSTERS & CRITICS: The Dutch royal family have expressed their thanks for the public support they have received following Prince Johan Friso's skiing accident.

The 43-year-old royal has been in a coma ever since he was trapped under the snow for 15 minutes while skiing off piste in Austria in February and his mother Queen Beatrix and wife Princess Mabel have now expressed their gratitude for the messages they have received.

In a statement, they said: 'Following Prince Friso's accident, we have received messages of sympathy and concern from all over the Netherlands and from beyond our borders.

'We and our family are deeply touched that so many people hold Friso in their hearts and share in our anxieties. All the encouraging words, expressions of hope, moving messages, prayers and flowers are a great support to us and give us courage in a very difficult period, full of uncertainty. Your sympathy means a great deal to us. Read on and comment » | Royal Watch News | Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Comatose Dutch Prince Moved to London Hospital
CBS NEWS: Dutch Prince Johan Friso, in a coma since he was buried under an avalanche on Feb. 17, was transferred Thursday to a hospital in London.

The palace confirmed the transfer, saying: "Wellington hospital was recommended by experts. Considering his condition, Prince Friso will receive the best possible treatment there." » | Friday, March 02, 2012

ROYAL STATEMENT: HET KONINKLIJK HUIS: His Royal Highness Prince Friso, 1 March 2012, 18.18 »

Related material here and here

Prince Friso, a Ski Accident and the Terrible Trauma Facing the Dutch Royal Family
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A skiing accident has left Prince Friso of the Netherlands fighting for his life. And his family is now having to face up to their worst fears, write Harriet Alexander, Adam Lusher and Joan Clements.

His life was one which many would envy. A successful London financier, with a beautiful loving wife and two young daughters, Johan Friso seemed to have the world at his feet as he set off on his annual ski holiday.

But the businessman, better known as Prince Friso of the Netherlands, the second son of Queen Beatrix, was on Saturday night fighting for his life in Austria after an avalanche left him without oxygen for up to 20 minutes. And the Dutch royal family are now facing up to the agonising realisation that the 43-year-old may never recover from his injuries.

His wife, Princess Mabel, a highly-respected human rights specialist and CEO of Nelson Mandela's Global Elders group, has been keeping a vigil at his bedside since the accident. His mother, who has reigned for 22 years, has been seen looking tearful outside the hospital in Innsbruck, her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses.

"The members of His Royal Highness Prince Friso's family need to come to terms with the prince's situation, and to reorganise their lives accordingly," said the royal household in a statement.

And the reorganisation is going to be exceedingly painful and difficult for all concerned.

Prince Friso's doctors have said that he may never regain consciousness after being starved of oxygen for so long. The prince was skiing off-piste in the Lech resort with a childhood friend when the avalanche struck. » | Saturday, February 25, 2012

My comment:

I find this news both extremely sad and very moving. Prince Johan Friso has been in my thoughts ever since the terrible news broke. I have also been following the news direct from Austria about this very unfortunate incident.

One can only imagine how traumatizing this must be for both his wife and Queen Beatrix, his mother; in fact, they must be devastated. My deepest sympathy is with them, and all their family, at this time.

One can only hope that by some miracle the prince will start improving. The outlook, however, appears to be very grim indeed. – © Mark

This comment appears here, too.

Related »

Prince Still Critical after Avalanche
AUSTRIAN TIMES: Dutch Prince Johan Friso is still in hospital after he got caught in an avalanche on Friday. The second oldest son of Queen Beatrix was skiing in Lech am Arlberg, Austria when the avalanche struck.

Prince Johan went for 23 minutes without oxygen before he was recovered from under the avalanche on Friday. As the Austrian Times reported yesterday it has now emerged that the 43-year-old was dug out by a friend who had survived the incidient after wearing a cumbersome avalanche airbag. The unconscious Prince was reanimated by rescue teams at the scene was taken by an emergency helicopter to hospital in Innsbruck. » | Austrian Times | Monday, February 20, 2012


THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dutch prince buried in avalanche is in a coma: Dutch prince Johan Friso is fighting for his life in a coma as Austrian doctors say it will be the end of the week before they can say if he will live or die. » | Bruno Waterfield | Monday, February 20, 2012

NEWS.AT: Familien-Besuch am Krankenbett: Angehörige bangen an Frisos Krankenbett. Auch fünfjährige Tochter besucht Vater. ¶ Die niederländische Königin Beatrix und ihre Schwiegertochter Mabel sind am Montag wieder an der Innsbrucker Universitätsklinik eingetroffen, um den bei einem Lawinenabgang lebensgefährlich verletzten Prinz Johan Friso auf der Intensivstation zu besuchen. Begleitet wurden sie von der fünfjährigen Tochter des Verunglückten, Zaria, und Mabels Mutter. » | Montag, 20. Februar 2012

WELT ONLINE: Johan Friso im Koma, Königin Beatrix trägt Schwarz: Tragödie für das niederländische Königshaus: Prinz Johann Friso befindet nach dem Lawinenunglück im künstlichen Tiefschlaf. 23 Minuten lang soll er unter 40 Zentimeter Schnee gelegen haben. » | Elisalex Henckel | Montag, 20. Februar 2012

PARIS MATCH: Prince Johan Friso, l’interminable attente de Beatrix: Les médecins ne se prononcent toujours pas sur l'état de santé du Prince Johan Friso, victime vendredi d'un avalanche en Autriche. Alors sa mère, la reine Beatrix, attend. » | Clément Mathieu - Parismatch.com | lundi 20 février 2012

Mark Rutte Speaks about Prince Johan Friso after Skiing Accident in Austria


Read the article here | Matthew Day, Warsaw | Friday, February 17, 2012
Related »

Koningin Beatrix en Prinses Máxima dragen een hoofddoek in Oman | Königin Beatrix und Prinzessin Máxima tragen Kopftuch in Oman | La reine Beatrix et la princesse Máxima porter un foulard en Oman | Queen Beatrix and Princess Máxima Wear a Headscarf in Oman

Related »

Dutch Queen Causes Far-right Outcry as She's Pictured in a Headscarf
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dutch Queen Beatrix has sparked a far-right outcry in her country after being pictured wearing a red headscarf on a visit to a mosque in Oman.

"It is really nonsense," the popular 72-year-old monarch said of the furore.

She was quoted by reporters with her on a state visit to Oman, where television pictures showed her at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque sporting a red headscarf draped over her traditional black hat.

She had also worn a headscarf during a visit to Abu Dhabi a few days earlier on the trip accompanied by her son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Maxima, who wore a turquoise headscarf in Oman. » | Thursday, January 12, 2012