All right, I must confess, I watched most of the wedding on the BBC-channel, so I can't really give the complete Dutch picture. But there's one thing that I found remarkable today and yesterday. It appears that most people 'buy' the reasoning that Beatrix was unable to make it to the royal wedding, as she had to be back for the Queens Day celebrations, next day. Well, we're happily celebrating it now and oh surprise: we can see both Beatrix and Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Maxima. So, there must be magic technology that has warped them back over the small pond from London to the Netherlands. Which underlines that the official argument was a fake placeholder. So what may have been happening really?
In my view, the absence of Queen Beatrix is significant because she is the kind of royal to be present and to recognize the relevance of these occasions. The only reason why she wouldn't visit the wedding has to do with her job as a Queen and her ambition (and achievement) to do that job in an excellent way. And that can only mean one thing. She understands that it is important for Willem-Alexander and Maxima to step to the forefront and get the formal attention of the Windsors and their guests, without being burdened by the presence of their superior in hierarchy. So we must be nearing the date of her abdication.
In fact, the current moment(um) for abdication appears to be quite good. RTL nieuws today released the outcome of research that showes that 69% of the public find Crown Prince Willem-Alexander ready for the throne. 57 % are of the opinion that the Queen should remain part of government. 73 % finds that the Queen should remain head of state to symbolize national unity, with 65% outlining that the Queen also should stick to that role to facilitate international commerce. And asked for the best year of abdication, the preferences are: this jear (20,5%), 2012 (39%), 2013 (15,1%), later than 2013 (25,4%).
It is interesting by the way to note the current popularity for the Dutch royal family. I think, one of the reasons that it appears to increase, is the fact that we have a minority cabinet and an uncertain and unstable future with respect to our democracy and government. So the public seek the stability that the role of the Royal Family brings, while some MP's are still riding the older wave of removing the Dutch Royal Family from government.
As for the actual date of abdication, my guess is that Beatrix is a long term planner. So I would put my money on 2013 (or 2018), when she reaches the age of 75 (or 80).
PS. I just heard an interview on Amsterdam TV with a movie director who was shooting in 2009 in Amsterdam. He had heard from his network of camera/sound buddies that a special studio had to be set up in the Royal Palace that day, so that he prepared for the announcement of abdication (to be included in his filming). But it never came to that as one deranged mind conceived the idea to try and drive his car into the Royal Family bus. All of which makes 2013 more likely than 2018.
