Princess Beatrix celebrates her 87th birthday today, coinciding with the release of a new documentary about the former queen on Videoland. The documentary provides insights into her life from those close to her and experts.
Director Joost van Ginkel told ANP news agency that he attempted to create a comprehensive character sketch of the princess, describing her as talented in various areas. “If she hadn’t been a queen, she could have been an excellent prime minister,” he stated.
Van Ginkel mentions that Beatrix took her role as queen very seriously. “Partly due to the scandals involving her parents, she decided early on to do things differently,” he explained.
“From her inauguration, she pursued a flawless monarchy at all costs.” At her 1980 inauguration, the monarchy was in poor standing, with major squatter riots in Amsterdam under the slogan ‘No housing, no coronation’. In the following decades, she worked to improve the monarchy’s reputation.
On Queen’s Day in 1988, after visiting Kampen, she spontaneously walked along the Amsterdam canals and allowed a bystander to kiss her. During national disasters like the 1992 Bijlmer disaster and the 2004 murder of Theo van Gogh, the queen was very visible.
Van Ginkel describes Beatrix’s efforts as “truly remarkable,” regardless of one’s views on the monarchy.
Source: NOS