Charles attends Queen’s abdication party… but unfortunately for him it’s not his mother! European Royals at ball to celebrate Beatrix of Holland…

Prince Charles could be forgiven a slight twinge of jealously as he joined European Royals at a stunning abdication party to mark the handover of the Netherland’s throne from Queen Beatrix to her son.

Queen Beatrix relinquishes her throne after 33 years, leaving it to her son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, left, pictured with his wife Princess Maxima

But while the Prince of Wales, 64, is still waiting in the wings to succeed to the British throne, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander will become his nation’s first King in more than a century during tomorrow’s ceremony, after his mother abdicated.

Queen Beatrix’s 33 years as head of state seems rather brief when compared to Queen Elizabeth II, who is already into her 61st year as British monarch.

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Queen Beatrix’s decision to step down from the largely ceremonial role had been widely expected.

In her pre-recorded message Queen Beatrix, 75, said she had been thinking about the issue for some years and now was the ‘the moment to lay down my crown’.

This evening, Charles and Camilla will join members of the Dutch Royal Family for a dinner in honour of Queen Beatrix at the world famous Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which has just reopened after a lavish €375m renovation.

Tomorrow, the Prince and Duchess will attend the investiture of the Crown Prince as King of the Netherlands, at Nieuwe Kirk, in Amsterdam.

He is married to Princess Maxima, a former investment banker from Argentina, and has three young children.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attend a dinner at the National Museum Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam hosted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on the eve of her abdication

Nearly a million are expected to join the street party with dancing to bands and DJs helping create a carnival atmosphere. As always, there will be people on the pavements setting up traditional makeshift bric-a-brac stalls.

Britain’s Prince Charles and Japan’s Crown Princess Masako, who is making her first foreign trip since falling ill a decade ago will be among 2,000 visitors at the official ceremony.

‘There will be tears on Tuesday,’ said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, paying tribute to ‘this formidable lady who has ruled this country for over 30 years’.

Beatrix is to sign the papers enacting the once-in-a-generation change of royal titles Tuesday morning, the central moment in several days of festivities that are already underway.

‘Now that my oldest son is to take over this fine and responsible job tomorrow, it is my deep wish that the new royal couple will feel themselves supported by your loving trust,’ the popular monarch said in a nationally televised address. 

‘I am convinced that Willem-Alexander will apply himself with true devotion for everything a good king is obliged to do.’

Earlier in the day, the streets of Amsterdam began flooding with orange in honor of the ruling House of Oranje-Nassau, as government and noble guests prepared for the ceremonies, and the people of the country got ready for a huge party.

In the historic city center, vendors hawked orange t-shirts, hats and feather boas. Trams flew orange flags, and Dutch flags, as did many of the boats motoring through the city’s ancient canals. 

Shopkeepers hung orange streamers, set out orange flower displays and rolled in countless kegs of beer. 
Meanwhile, city workers finished cleaning the streets, removing unwanted bicycles and setting up temporary urinals, many of them made of bright orange plastic. 

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte told foreign journalists from more than 60 countries Sunday evening that the week’s events involve an ‘unprecedented logistical and security operation’ that was organized in just three months. Beatrix announced her intention to abdicate in January.

More than a million people are expected in Amsterdam Tuesday, with 10,000 uniformed police, 3,000 plainclothes officers and an untold number of civil servants assisting in the logistics. 

The airspace above Amsterdam was closed Monday for three days. Dutch police swept Dam square for bombs, with assistance from German agents with sniffer dogs. 

Royal guests from 18 countries arrived in the course of the day, and city traffic was frequently interrupted by limousines with tinted windows and police escorts.

Prince Daniel of Sweden, left, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, centre, and Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan arrive for a dinner at the occasion of the abdication of Dutch Queen Beatrix

Among the many notables on hand are Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, and the Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako. 

Charles was also in attendance when Beatrix was crowned in 1980. 

Masako’s father is a judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It is her first official overseas trip since the couple’s 2002 visit to New Zealand and Australia.

A poll released Monday by national broadcaster NOS showed that Willem-Alexander’s popularity has swelled in the run-up to his accession, mostly due to a relaxed and confident performance in an interview that was televised nationally earlier this month. 

He said he’s not a stickler for protocol, and he believes that ‘even the ultimate symbol of a ceremonial monarchy – cutting ribbons – can be very substantive.’

He explained that he will be able to indicate by his selection of which events and openings to attend the things he believes are important for the Netherlands. 

He said he sees the function of the monarchy is to act as a living symbol of unity for the nation.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, centre, hosts a dinner this evening at the National Museum (Rijksmuseum) in Amsterdam attended by Royal dignitaries and officials, on the eve of her abdication

Beatrix succeeded her mother, Juliana, as head of state, and she won widespread acclaim and admiration from the Dutch people. Most feel she has proved a supremely competent, if occasionally aloof, head of state over her 33-year reign.

‘My mother taught me that being queen is a position that you carry around with you day and night,’ she said once. ‘You can never forget about it, not for a moment.’ 

Perhaps most tellingly, since she took office in 1980 the House of Orange has been almost scandal-free, a stark contrast to many other European royal families 

Observers believe Beatrix remained on the throne for so long in part because of unrest in Dutch society as the country struggled to assimilate more and more immigrants, mainly Muslims from North Africa, and shifted away from its traditional reputation as one of the world’s most tolerant nations. 

In recent years, speculation about when she might abdicate had grown, as she endured personal losses that both softened her image and increased her popularity further as the public sympathized. 

Her husband Prince Claus died in 2002; and last year she was devastated when her youngest son, Prince Friso, was hit by an avalanche while skiing in Austria and suffered severe brain damage. Friso remains in a near comatose state. 

In the most emotional part of her farewell Monday, she praised Claus for teaching their children to be attuned to changes in society. 
‘Prince Claus brought our House closer to this time,’ she said. ‘Possibly history will show that the choice of this husband was my best decision.’

@MailOnline

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