THE Dutch monarchy is a highly respected and even venerated institution. This adulation stems from the devotion of the Royal family to its people, which often goes beyond the customary constitutional duties.
That is why the Dutch people, wherever they may be, celebrate April 30, the official birthday of the reigning monarch, Queen Beatrix, with such joy and gusto.
Exactly 13 years ago, the then Princess Beatrix was invested as Queen of The Netherlands at a special plenary session of both Houses of the States General, the Dutch parliament, held in the New Church in Amsterdam.
Earlier in the day, her mother, Queen Juliana, who had been the Queen since 1948, signed the Act of Abdication, leaving the way open for her daughter to fulfil her destiny as Holland's monarch.
Queen Beatrix has twice visited Hongkong in the past 30 years. In 1962, as Princess Beatrix, she undertook a long and arduous tour that took her from the Persian Gulf, across the Indian sub-continent to southeast and east Asia.
She visited Iran, Pakistan, India, Thailand, the Philippines and Hongkong. While in the territory, Princess Beatrix received the news that her grandmother, Princess Wilhelmina, had died on November 28. The princess had to interrupt her trip and return toThe Netherlands.