The Netherlands: The Queen has abdicated, long live the King!

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (now Princess Beatrix) signed the abdication document earlier today, 30 April 2013, and was immediately succeeded by her eldest son, King Willem-Alexander. The investiture ceremony, in which the new king took his oath, took place at 2 p.m. More information on the abdication and investuture can be found at the official website.

In connection with the events in the Netherlands today, I have updated my Longest reigns website. Queen Beatrix' abdication meant that King Mswati III of Swaziland now is no. 8 on the list, while King Willem-Alexander has started his reign on the bottom (as no. 30)...

The succession also meant that Princess Margriet's two eldest sons Prince Maurits and Prince Bernhard lost their membership in the Royal House as well as their succession rights, cf. the Constitution of the Netherlands Article 25, which says:

On the death of the King, the title to the Throne shall pass by hereditary succession to the King’s legitimate descendants in order of seniority, the same rule governing succession by the issue of descendants who predecease the King. If the King has no descendants, the title to the Throne shall pass in the same way to the legitimate descendants of the King’s parent and then of his grandparent who are in the line of succession but are not further removed from the deceased King than the third degree of consanguinity.

The updated line of succession to the Dutch Throne is as follows:

1. HRH Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange
2. HRH Princess Alexia
3. HRH Princess Ariane
4. HRH Prince Constantijn
5. Countess Eloise of Orange-Nassau
6. Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau
7. Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau
8. HRH Princess Margriet

No. 1-3 are daughters of the king, then follows his youngest brother Prince Constantijn and his children and finally the king's aunt Princess Margriet.

I had meant to cover the abdication and investiture in more detail, but as I have caught a severe cold as well as a mere touch of influenza, I have had to restrict myself... Normally I would have written about yesterday's events in Serbia, when the remains of Queen Maria of Yugoslavia were repatriated to Belgrade, as well, but this will have to do.  The state funeral of King Peter II, Queen Alexandra and Queen Maria is to take place on 26 May 2013.