There is a scene in The King's Speech that brings tears to my eyes, every time I watch the movie. The new King George VI, wearing full dress uniform, has returned to the family residence on Piccadilly after appearing before the Accession Council meeting. His wife, Queen Elizabeth, and their two daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret are waiting for him. The young princesses stand and curtsey to the King. It is an emotional moment as King George VI embraces his elder daughter, a poignant reminder that his ten-year-old daughter's life would never be the same. Princess Elizabeth had become the heiress presumptive to the throne.
One can only imagine how Queen Beatrix and Prince Willem-Alexander sat down with nine-year-old Princess Catharina-Amalia, and spoke to her about what will happen on April 30, when Beatrix abdicates, and Willem-Alexander succeeds.
When Willem-Alexander is installed as sovereign, his eldest of three daughters will become the Princess of Orange, heiress apparent. She will be the first Dutch princess to bear the title in her own right.
The young school girl will also become the youngest of the European heirs. She will be joining an exclusive club that includes the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Brabant, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein the Prince of the Asturias, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, and Hereditary Guillaume of Luxembourg.
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