Dutch Queen Beatrix abdicates, eldest son to succeed
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The Hague - Queen Beatrix, who has ruled over the Netherlands for nearly 33 years, said Monday she was abdicating to make way for her eldest son, Willem-Alexander.
Her last day as head of state will be April 30, when 45-year-old Willem-Alexander will be sworn in as king - the first time the Netherlands will have a male monarch in more than a century.
It was time "to place the responsibility of the country in the hands of a new generation," Beatrix said in a television address to the country.
Willem-Alexander is married to Argentinian-born Maxima Zorreguieta Cerruti and has three daughters.//DPA
