Death Anniversaries of Queen Juliana And Queen Emma

Five years ago, on 20 March 2004, queen Juliana of The Netherlands passed away at the age of 94 at Soestdijk Palace in Baarn. The queen reigned The Netherlands for nearly 32 years, from 1948 until her abdication in favor of her eldest daughter Beatrix in 1980.

Juliana married in 1936 to prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Together they got four daughters: Beatrix, Irene, Margriet and Christina. During her reign the queen survived several scandals. Among them the crisis about faith healer Greet Hofmans, who was called “the Dutch Rasputin” in the foreign press, but also the problems around the marriages of her two eldest daughters. In 1962 princess Irene married to the catholic prince Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma, a pretender to the Spanish throne. The princess’ conversion to Catholicism caused an outcry with much of the Dutch public but the prince’s claim on the Spanish crown actually started a crisis which led to princess Irene renouncing her rights to the Dutch throne. Her eldest daughter Beatrix also made a controversial choice, as she married the German Claus von Amsberg, who served in the German army in the Second World War. As the wounds of this war were still not healed, many protested against the wedding. In the seventies it became evident that Juliana’s husband had accepted bribes from American aircraft company Lockheed. The queen in public always supported her husband. After her abdication in 1980 the queen stayed active and kept supporting her favourite charities, especially the disabled and the elderly. Queen Juliana once said that if she wouldd not have been a queen she probably would have become a social worker.

This year it is commemorated that queen Juliana was born 100 years ago, on 30 April 1909. This will be marked by special exhibitions at Soestdijk Palace in Baarn and Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn. It is also expected that on Queen’s Day there will be special attention for this anniversary.

Queen Juliana died on the same day as her grand mother, queen Emma of the Netherlands, born princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont. On 19 March 1934 queen Emma got an attack of bronchitis but her condition worsened quickly. After a quiet night her condition worsened in the morning of 20 March 1934, she died at 7.45 AM at Lange Voorhout Palace in The Hague, in the presence of her daughter queen Wilhelmina, her grand daughter princess Juliana and her brother Fürst Friedrich of Waldeck-Pyrmont.

Queen Emma was married in 1879, at the age of 20 to the 61 year old king William III of The Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. After her husband died in 1890 the queen became regent for her daughter Wilhelmina for a period of eight years. Queen Emma is often credited for saving the Dutch monarchy, as king William III was unpopular. From 1890 queen Emma made various tours through the country with her daughter Wilhelmina, which renewed the enthousiasm for the royal family. The image of two ‘fragile’ ladies on the Dutch throne was perfect for the nationalistic spirit of the belle epoque and when queen Wilhelmina reached maturity in 1898 the Dutch monarchy was much stronger than before. After 1898 queen Emma was involved with various charities. Most notably the Tuberculosis foundation as one of her sisters (queen Pauline of Württemberg) died of that disease. In these years queen Emma was called “the sweetest lady in Europe.”

Filed under Germany, Historical Royals, The Netherlands
Tagged Anniversary, Biography, Death, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, House of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands.