If you’ve ever stopped by the Netherlands, you’ve probably heard about “the Queen” at least in passing. America is one of those countries without royalty, but in Europe and in the Netherlands, the royal family is still alive and kicking.
Queen Beatrix’s full name is Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard. She was born in January 31st 1938. She’s 71 years old, a granny. Don’t understimate this granny. She has a law degree. How many queens do you know have a law degree? Generally the people of the Netherlands like her, but she’s been in some controversy in the past…
On her wedding day, protesters threw smoke bombs to protest the fact that she was marrying Claus von Amsberg. Claus is a German aristocrat and he was involved in the Hitler Youth program was he was young. The people of Netherland were enraged because they had suffered under the hands of Germany during the war. It brought up bad feelings, but she married him anyway.
She’s also one of the richest women in the Netherlands. Her reported wealth is $15.5 billion. Some people have questioned whether the royal family should have this much money and whether the Netherlands should even have a royal family in the first place. The Queen is also protected by the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst, which is a government office that protects her from the press. Any bad stories about the Queen will be handled by this office. So yeah, she’s very powerful indeed.