Keeping with recent tradition, former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated the throne today in favor of her son, Willem-Alexander, who has now become the first Dutch king in more than a century. Though the position has little political power, the Royal Family enjoys broad popularity and symbolic significance. Tuesday, tens of thousands dressed in orange and gathered in Amsterdam's Dam Square next to the Royal Palace to view the accession of King Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand of the Netherlands.
The Netherlands Welcomes a New King
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Read moreNewly-crowned Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima appear on the balcony of the Royal Palace with their children, from left: Catharina-Amalia, Ariane, and Alexia in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreA man wearing orange shades displays a t-shirt depicting Dutch Queen Beatrix in a souvenir shop in Amsterdam, on April 29, 2013. #
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Read moreReina Reyes and Asdrubal Medina from Venezuela pose for a photograph outside the Royal Palace in downtown Amsterdam, on April 29, 2013. #
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Read moreA billboard image of Dutch Queen Beatrix, viewed from the window of an empty room in downtown Amsterdam, on April 29, 2013, the day before her abdication. #
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Read moreA man dressed in orange drinks on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, on April 29, 2013. The Netherlands was preparing for Queen's Day on April 30, which will also mark the abdication of Queen Beatrix and the investiture of her eldest son Willem-Alexander. #
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Read moreQueen Beatrix of the Netherlands signs an act of abdication next to her son Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Crown Princess Maxima, during a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read morePrincess Alexia of the Netherlands attends the Act of Abdication in the Moseszaal at the Royal Palace, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read morePeople celebrate in their boats sailing along a canal in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreTwo men pose for a photo outside the Royal Palace in downtown Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Tuesday April 30, 2013. Around a million people are expected to descend on the Dutch capital for a huge street party to celebrate the first new Dutch monarch in 33 years. #
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Read moreA crowd gathers in Dam Square, waiting for King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Beatrix to appear on the balcony of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read morePeople watch Queen Beatrix's abdication ceremony, handing over to her eldest son Willem-Alexander on a giant screen in Amsterdam's Dam Square, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreDutch King Willem-Alexander is greeted by his mother Princess Beatrix on the balcony of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreAlex carries his son Abel on his shoulders, as they stand outside the Royal Palace in downtown Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read morePeople, one of them holding a picture of Princess Beatrix, react as King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Beatrix sign the act of abdication outside the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreTwo women wearing orange inflatable wigs walk along the street in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreThe crowning ceremony inside the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreSweden's Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel arrive at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, prior to the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreNetherlands Globus cruciger (a Christian symbol of authority) is put in place before the religious ceremony at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreFormer Queen, now Princess Beatrix, is joined by her grandchildren, from left: Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreKing Willem Alexander of the Netherlands and HM Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at the inauguration ceremony at the Nieuwe Kerk, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreBritain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, attend the inauguration ceremony at the Nieuwe Kerk church in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreFront row, from left, Japan's Crown Princess Masako and Crown Prince Naruhito, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser al Misned of Qatar, Morocco's Princess Lalla Salma and Prince Albert of Monaco attend the inauguration ceremony in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreDutch King Willem-Alexander takes the oath during his inauguration inside the Nieuwe Kerk on April 30, 2013. #
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Read morePeople celebrate on a boat in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. Around a million people are expected to descend on the Dutch capital for a huge street party to celebrate the first new Dutch monarch in 33 years. #
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Read moreA man wearing a t-shirt which reads "Alexander is een fokking Koning" (Alexander is a fucking King) walks with his girlfriend in the red light district in Amsterdam, on April 28, 2013. #
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Read moreA woman celebrates the new Dutch King Willem-Alexander succeeds his mother Queen Beatrix, in Amsterdam's Dam Square, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read morePeople dance In the street in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read morePeople celebrate on a canal boat in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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Read moreNewly-crowned Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima appear on the balcony of the Royal Palace with their children, Catharina-Amalia, Ariane, and Alexia in Amsterdam, on April 30, 2013. #
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