Beatrix [key], 1938–, queen of the Netherlands (1980–2013). The oldest daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, she received a law degree from the Univ. of Leyden (1961). In 1966 her marriage to German diplomat Claus von Amsberg, once a member of the Hitler Youth and the German army but cleared of charges by an Allied court, caused considerable controversy. The following year she gave birth to a son, Willem Alexander Claus, the first male heir in the line of succession since 1884; she also has two other sons. In 1980, Juliana abdicated in favor of Beatrix; Beatrix abdicated in 2013 in favor of her son, who became King Willem-Alexander.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Benelux History: Biographies
