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Queen Wilhelmina (1880-1962)
When King William III died in 1890, his only daughter was too young to reign.
Queen Emma acted as regent until her daughter Wilhelmina came of age in 1898.
Queen Wilhelmina’s fifty-year reign spanned two World Wars and the decolonisation of Indonesia. From 1940 to 1945, the Dutch government worked in exile, in London. Her resolute stance during that time won her great respect, both in her homeland and abroad.
A daughter, Princess Juliana, was born in 1909 to Wilhelmina and her husband, Duke Hendrik of Mecklenburg.
In 1948 Queen Wilhelmina abdicated, retiring to Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn. Following her abdication she was once again addressed as ‘princess’, in accordance with her wishes.