- Joined
- Aug 13, 2004
- Messages
- 27,137
- City
- São Paulo
- Country
- Brazil
. This debate happens every time a Dutch monarch decides they want to retire, the same endless stories about how this queen or that king should step aside and let the younger generation take over, blah, blah , blah.
I can not imagine such a debate happened in other countries when the previous Dutch monarchs abdicated.
King Willem I abdicated in 1840 as he was disappointed with the loss of Belgium, parlament was fed up with him, and because he wanted to conduct a morganatic marriage to a catholic countess from his former territories.
Queen Wilhelmina abdicated in 1948, as one of the first monarchs since emperor Charles V (whose reasons for abdicating inspired her) to do so voluntarily & without pressure.
Queen Juliana abdicated in 1980 when most monarchs were in the prime of their lives & had young heirs (except in Norway).
So I doubt there was much debate in other countries to presure their monarchs to follow the Dutch example.
However, since it is a simple fact that demography has changed over the decades and the average age in (Western & Southern) Europe is around 84, it means that most monarchs will succeed around 64, which should be around the average retirement age in Europe. To ask some questions about the logic of that isn't that odd. I find the situation far from ideal TBH.