Amsterdam, Jan 29: Queen Beatrix of Netherlands , who turns 75 on Thursday, has announced she was abdicating in favour of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander.
Prince Willem-Alexander, 45 will be sworn in as king on April 30. He is married to Princess Maxima, who comes from Argentina, and has three young children.
After ruling the country for more than three decades, Queen Beatrix said she was stepping down because she felt Willem-Alexander was now ready to take her place on the throne.
Decades of grooming for the throne involved shaking off his image as a beer-drinking fraternity boy whose blunt comments upset the press and politicians and did not fit the image of the Netherlands' low-key "bicycling monarchy".
"I am not stepping down because the tasks of the function are too great, but out of the conviction that the responsibilities of our country should be passed on to a new generation," she said.
"It is with the greatest confidence that on April 30 of this year I will pass on the kingship to my son, the Prince of Orange. He and Princess Maxima are entirely ready for their future tasks."
Queen Beatrix once faced scandal over her father's involvement in a bribery case and her middle son lies in a coma after a skiing accident.
Dutch nationals welcomed the Queen's announcement saying it was now time to hand over power to a younger generation .
Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy with the queen taking part in forming government coalitions by appointing a mediator.
Sources close to the royal family said Beatrix wanted to ensure that anti-immigrant, eurosceptic politician Geert Wilders, of whom she disapproved, was in no danger of assuming real political influence.
Beatrix, whose full name is Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, Princess of Oranje-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld, has been on the throne since 1980, when she took over from Queen Juliana.
Dutch queens have made a tradition of stepping aside for the next generation over the last century. Queen Wilhemina handed over to her daughter in 1948 after half a century on the throne. Queen Juliana was in deteriorating mental health when she made way for the 42-year-old Beatrix in 1980.
Willem-Alexander, who majored in history and has specialized in water management, will become Willem IV -- the first Dutch king in more than a century.
