Queen Beatrix to abdicate throne

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Listen to this article

noicon

Audio file created from text revision dated 2013-01-30 and may not reflect subsequent edits to this report.

Audio Help / Audio Wikinews

On Monday at 19:00 local time (1800 UTC), Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands held a speech on radio and television, announcing she will abdicate the throne on April 30. Prince Willem-Alexander is to become King of the Netherlands.

Prior to the Queen's announcement, local media suggested she would abdicate. Following the Queen's address, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte's response was broadcast.

In her speech, she stated her main considerations for laying down the Crown were the culmination of several events; among those are her 75th birthday on January 31, and the upcoming celebration of the 200-year anniversary of the Dutch monarchy. She also stated the "time has come for a new generation to take responsibility." ^{((nl))Dutch language: ‍de verantwoordelijkheid voor ons land nu in handen van een nieuwe generatie moet liggen.} The Queen expressed her gratitude toward the people of the Dutch Kingdom for their ongoing support during her reign.

Have an opinion on this story? Share it!

Sources

Speech by H.M. the Queen — Het Koninklijk Huis, January 29, 2013
Toespraak van H.M. de Koningin — Het Koninklijk Huis, January 28, 2013 (Dutch)
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands to abdicate for son — BBC News Online, January 28, 2013
Koningin Beatrix treedt af — Nederlandse Omroep Stichting, January 28, 2013 (Dutch)
Bronnen: troonsafstand 30 april — Nederlandse Omroep Stichting, January 28, 2013 (Dutch)

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

The text of this article is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License