3 days before her 75th birthday, Queen Beatrix announced that she will step down this month on April 30, precisely 33 years after her coronation. Her abdication gives automatic ascension to the throne to her eldest son, Willem Alexander as the King of the Netherlands; the first in over 100 years.

Queen Beatrix said at the time that she believes it is a good time to hand the responsibility of the country over to a new generation.

Both Willem Alexander and his Argentinean wife, Princess Maxima will become King and Queen respectively.

The actual process and ceremony is very simple. The abdication of Queen Beatrix will take place at exactly 10 a.m. at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. Queen Beatrix will sign a document of act of abdication, making Willem-Alexander to automatically become the king. King Willem-Alexander will not have a coronation, but an inauguration.

Willem-Alexander will be sworn in as king at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, but it will be a secular rather than a religious ceremony. Following tradition, the king’s oldest daughter, Catharina-Amalia, will automatically become first in line to succeed him.

For the inauguration and as required by the Dutch constitution, there will be a meeting of all the members of the upper and lower houses of parliament with few select guests. It is at this meeting that the new king will be sworn-in to faithfully obey the constitution and properly fulfil his royal role.

For the swearing-in, the crown, sceptre and orb - traditional signs of royalty and the kingdom’s sword, symbolizing his power, will be laid out in front of Willem-Alexander with a copy of the constitution. However, the crown will not be placed on his head and will never be worn by the king.

(l-r) Queen Maxima, King Willem-Alexander and King's Mother, Queen Beatrix

After the king’s oath, all the 225 members of the upper and lower houses of parliament are expected to individually swear their allegiance to the new monarch, although it has been reported that several of them will refuse to do so.

King Willem-Alexander will then appear on the balcony of the royal palace on Amsterdam’s Dam Square to greet the crowd.

The inauguration day deliberately coincides with the annual Queen’s Day celebrated on April 30. However, starting from 2014, there will no longer be Queen’s Day but a King’s Day which will now be celebrated on Willem-Alexander’s birthday on April 27.

Other changes to expect:

Queen Maxima: The husbands of Beatrix, Juliana and Wilhelmina all had the title of Prince Consort, but Máxima will be known as Queen Máxima, Princess of the Netherlands and Princess of Orange-Nassau. However, the honour of head of state will exclusively be reserved for King Willem-Alexander.

Princess Catharina-Amalia: She will become the new Crown Princess with the title of Princess of Orange.

Dutch stamps and coins: These will feature a portrait of King Willem-Alexander. However, this won’t apply to 1 or 2 cent coins as these denominations are no longer minted in the Netherlands.

The structure of the Royal Family will change: Only the King and Queen and their children, Princess Beatrix, Prince Constantijn, Princess Laurentien, Princess Margriet and prof. mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven will remain official members of the Dutch Royal Family. Prince Maurice, Prince Bernhard and their respective wives, as well as the children of Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, will all leave the royal family.

DESMOND TUTU WINS 2013 TEMPLETON PRIZE

Desmond Tutu, the former South African Anglican Archbishop has been awarded the 2013 Templeton Prize, worth US$1.7 million, for his life-long work in advancing spiritual principles such as love and forgiveness which has helped to liberate people around the world.

The annual award is organised by the John Templeton Foundation, based in Pennsylvania, US.

The prize money is the world's largest annual monetary award given to an individual for the past 40 years by a philanthropic organisation.

The Templeton Prize each year ''honours a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works''.

It was established in 1972 by the late global investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton, and past winners include Mother Teresa, televangelist Billy Graham and the 14th Dalai Lama.

According to his citation, Tutu rose to world prominence with his stalwart - and successful - opposition to South Africa's apartheid regime.

He combines the theological concept that all human beings are shaped in the image of God, known in Latin as Imago Dei, with the traditional African belief of Ubuntu, which holds that only through others do people achieve humanity which, he says, creates "a delicate network of interdependence.''

"His broad calls to common humanity began in the 1970s, when Tutu used positions within the church to focus global attention on the apartheid policies of South Africa's ruling minority.

''After Nelson Mandela's release from prison in 1990 and subsequent election as president in the country's first multi-ethnic democratic elections, Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission employing a revolutionary and relentless policy of confession, forgiveness and resolution that helped shepherd his nation from institutionalised racial repression toward an egalitarian democracy.

''His deep faith and commitment to prayer and worship provides the foundation for his message of love and forgiveness,'' the citation read.

Tutu was formally presented with the award on 11 April in Cape Town at St. George's Cathedral, the site that became known as "the people's cathedral" for its role in the fight against apartheid when he served there as archbishop from 1986 to 1996.

The monetary value of the Templeton Prize is adjusted so that it exceeds that of the Nobel Prizes, as Templeton felt "spirituality was ignored" in the Nobel Prizes.

Tutu uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed. He has campaigned to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, poverty, racism, sexism, the imprisonment of Bradley Manning, homophobia and transphobia. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984; the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986; the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987; the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999; the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. He has also compiled several books of his speeches and sayings.

Tutu is widely regarded as "South Africa's moral conscience"and has been described by former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela as "sometimes strident, often tender, never afraid and seldom without humour, Desmond Tutu's voice will always be the voice of the voiceless". Since his retirement, Tutu has worked to critique the new South African government. Tutu has been vocal in condemnation of corruption, the ineffectiveness of the ANC-led government to deal with poverty, and the recent outbreaks of xenophobic violence in some townships in South Africa.

Tutu was born in 1931 in the small Transvaal city of Klerksdorp. He and his wife, Leah, live in Cape Town, South Africa.

ATTENTION!

For fast, effective result, advertise your products or services in The African Bulletin.

Call +31 40 213 66 11 or e-mail advert@mediablackberry.com

Newspaper from the African Perspective

Subscribe for a hard copy of The African Bulletin today!

May 2013 Edition

ALL HAIL THE KING... and the Queen!

DESMOND TUTU WINS 2013 TEMPLETON PRIZE

ATTENTION!

Other articles in this edition

Advertising