Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander has been installed as Europe’s youngest monarch after his mother, Queen Beatrix, abdicated, making way for a new generation of Dutch royals.
In a ceremony attended by future kings and queens, including Britain’s Prince Charles, Willem-Alexander, 46, became the first Dutch king since 1890. Amsterdam, the capital, is set to be crowded on the occassion with at least 800,000 visitors flooding the city’s streets and canals as Beatrix, 75, ends her 33-year reign by signing the act of abdication at the royal palace.
Al Jazeera’s Emma Hayward, reporting from Amsterdam, the royal family went out on the balcony of the palace to greet the crowd said after signing the paperwork.
“The family is perceived to have moved with the times, they have maintained a degree of popularity, and they are quite relaxed,” added Hayward.
A steady festive stream of wellwishers poured into Dam Square opposite the palace early on Tuesday, all bedecked in orange, hoping to catch a glimpse of Willem-Alexander and his glamorous Argentine-born queen-to-be Maxima, 41.
“We’ve been here for several hours, we wanted to be sure to have a good place to see them appear on the balcony,” said Edith, 22, who sat with two friends on a large piece of cardboard on Dam Square.
