“Queen Beatrix gave her son nightmares”

“Queen Beatrix gave her son nightmares”

Photo: RVD - Jeroen van der Meyde

What is it like to grow up as crown prince? Dutch King Willem-Alexander admits he got nightmares when he thought about his future.

“I actually find it oppressive when you see what a good example she is,” Willem-Alexander once told how it felt to grow up as heir to the throne of a respected queen like Beatrix.

Willem-Alexander himself would eventually choose to fill his position differently. As king, Willem-Alexander chose to be less aloof than his mother. But as a result, some of the ‘grandeur’ of the royal family was lost.

Although Amalia does seem to be choosing her grandmother’s path rather than her father’s. Though it may take more than a decade before Princess Amalia inherits the throne from her father.

But more than ever realise what a great queen Beatrix was when she was on the throne.

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