After 33 years on the throne, Beatrix, 75, formally stood down from the throne at a brief ceremony at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on Tuesday. Earlier this year she said that it was time for "a new generation" to reign.
During the ceremony, Beatrix signed a statement that read: 'I now withdraw from my office of Queen of the Netherlands, and the monarchy will now be transferred to my eldest son, Willem-Alexander."
King Willem-Alexander is 46. He is the first Dutch king since Willem III in 1890.
"I am happy and grateful to introduce to you your new king, Willem-Alexander," Beatrix later told a cheering crowd of thousands in Amsterdam's Dam Square, from the balcony of the Royal Palace.
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