Beatrix of the Netherlands threw a birthday party fit for a Queen as she celebrated her 75th year in the company of her nearest and dearest.
On Thursday, the monarch was spotted arriving at the eponymously-named Beatrixtheater in Utrecht along with her daughter-in-law Mabel, her eldest son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, and his wife Maxima. The Dutch queen recently announced she will abdicate to make way for the next generation, and when she steps down in April, royal responsibilities will fall to her eldest son and his vivacious Argentinean wife. Keenly aware of her new royal role, Maxima was the picture of elegance in a beige A-line dress and patterned court shoes. The blonde has said it will be "an honour" to succeed her mother-in-law when the time comes.
During the night's festivities, no-one stayed closer to the guest of honour than Princess Mabel. Her husband, Prince Johan Friso, is Beatrix's second son and is currently in a coma after being trapped by an avalanche in the Austrian Alps last year.The two women have been a constant support to one another since the tragic accident, and together they bravely smiled their way through the soiree, which was also attended by extended members of the House of Orange-Nassau. Completing the family lineup was Prince Constantijn, the youngest of Beatrix's three sons. The low-key royal and his wife Laurentien looked delighted to be celebrating their matriarch's landmark birthday. Inside, guests were treated to a performance by American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Introdans. The next time the Dutch royals gather in such large numbers will be on April 30, when Willem-Alexander is inaugurated as King of the Netherlands.
