Abdication

Hello, Peanut here!

News from the Netherlands, the country where my brother Botan lives, tell us he and his fellow Dutch dogs and humans will get a new monarch in April. The reigning Queen Beatrix has decided to step down from the throne and hand it over to her oldest son, Willem-Alexander.

Contrary to what you may think, this is not due to any constitutional crisis or anything like that, it is just the tradition of Dutch monarchs to abdicate when they reach an old age. Both Beatrix' mother and grandmother abdicated in favour of their daughters. Queen Beatrix herself will soon be seventy five years old and believes it is time she gives the throne to her son. Well, if this is Dutch royal tradition, I am all for it.