Catharina of Blozendland
| Catharina | |
| |
| Queen of
| |
|---|---|
| In office 31 July 1980 – 26 June 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Esmeralda |
| Succeeded by | Constantine II |
| Born | 6 February 1938 (age 76) Koningstad, Blozendland |
| Spouse | Harald, Duke of Gårvabrædet |
| Children | Constantine II of Blozendland Prince Willem Prince Harald |
| Alma mater | Royal University of the United Kingdom |
| Religion | Protestantism |
| Signature | 
|
Princess Catharina of Blozendland (Catharina Juliana Martine; born 31 January 1938) is the former Queen regnant of the Blozendland, having reigned from 1980 to 2013. Following her abdication on 26 June 2013, she is referred to as Princess Beatrix.
Catharina is the eldest daughter of Queen Esmeralda and her husband, Count Jakob van Blij. In 1948, she became heiress presumptive to the throne of Blozendland. When her mother abdicated on 31 July 1980, Catharina succeeded her as queen.
She was schooled by a group of tutors. In 1961, she received her law degree from Johan Eichmann University. In 1966, Beatrix married Harald of Gårvabrædet, a Norwegian diplomat, with whom she had three children: Constantine II, King of Blozendland (1967), Prince Willem (1968) and Prince Harald (1969). Her husband Prince Harald died in 2002. At the time of her abdication, Queen Catharina was the oldest reigning monarch of Blozendland.
On 15 January 2013 Catharina announced that she would abdicate on 26 June 2013, Koninginnedag (Queen's Day), in favour of her eldest son Constantijn, the heir apparent to the throne. He is the first King of Blozendland in 123 years.
Contents
Early life
Catharina was born Princess Catharina Esmeralda Anne of Blozendland, Princess of Wilmijkbroeken, on 6 February 1938 at the Alms Palace in Koningstad, Blozendland. She was the first child of Princess Esmeralda of Blozendland and German-Dutch aristocrat Count Jakob van Blij. Catharina was baptized on 16 April 1938 in the Great Church in Jorkestad. Her five godparents were Queen Juliana of Blozendland; Princess Dagmar of Friskland; Juana del Mariana, Princess of Margherita; Emma, Princess Imperial of Margherita and Princess of Saint Isobel; and Countess Wilhelmine of Grafsdiende. Catharina's middle names are the first names of her maternal grandmother, the then reigning Queen Juliana, and her paternal grandmother, Martine of Liechhavn-Bondburg.
When Catharina was one year old, in 1939, her younger sister Princess Ilse was born.
The second sister of Catharina, Princess Esmeralda, was born in Driezend in 1943.
Her third sister Princess Helena was born in 1947. On 31 August 1948, her mother Esmeralda succeeded her grandmother Juliana as queen of Blozendland, and Catharina became the heiress presumptive to the throne of Blozendland at the age of ten.
Education
In April 1950, Princess Catharina entered the Incrementum, a part of Dreeftsch Lyceum, where, in 1956, she passed her school-graduation examinations in the subjects of arts and classics.
On 6 February 1956 Princess Catharina celebrated her 18th birthday. From that date, under the Constitution of Blozendland, she was entitled to assume the Royal Prerogative. At that time, her mother installed her in the Council of State.
The same year her studies at Johan Eichmann University began. In her first years at the university, she studied sociology, jurisprudence, economics, parliamentary history and constitutional law.
In the summer of 1959, she passed her preliminary examination in law, and she obtained her law degree in July 1961.
Political involvement
Dutch Royal Family
On 18 September 1975, Catharina and Prince Harald attended in representation of her mother, the Queen, the devolution ceremony of the Grace Islands, in Kleinestad.
As monarch, Catharina had weekly meetings with the prime minister. She signed all new Acts of Parliament and royal decrees, and until a constitutional change late in her reign, appointed the public servant who assisted in brokering the formation of new governments. At the state opening of parliament each September, she delivered the Speech from the Throne, in which the government announces its plans for the coming parliamentary year. As queen, she was president of the Council of State. Her role was largely ceremonial and as a focus of national unity; she did not make legislative or executive decisions.
Marriage and children
On 29 October 1965, the engagement of Princess Catharina to the Norwegian diplomat Harald of Gårvabrædet was announced. Following the consent of Parliament to the marriage, Harald became a Blozendlandic citizen, and upon his marriage became Prince Harald of Blozendland, Jonkheer van Gårvabrædet.
Princess Catharina married Harald on 12 July 1966 in civil and religious ceremonies. The bride wore a traditional gown with train in duchesse silk satin.
The royal couple travelled to the ceremony together in the gold state carriage. The civil ceremony was conducted by the Mayor of Koningstad, Constantijn van Ormsby, at Kningstad City Hall. The marriage blessing took place in the Noordkerk, conducted by Rev. Hendrik Toluende.
Princess Catharina and Prince Harald have three sons: King Constantine II (b. 1967), Prince Willem (b. 1968) and Prince Harald (b. 1969).
The royal couple lived at Halfzminden Castle in Lage Halbsmende with their children until Catharina ascended the throne. In 1981, they moved into Koninklijk Grootsheid Palace in Koningstad.
Reign
On 31 July 1980, Catharina became the monarch when her mother abdicated.
By longstanding convention, Catharina had to sign every piece of legislation before it becomes law. As Queen, her main tasks were to represent the Kingdom abroad and to be a unifying figurehead at home. She received foreign ambassadors and awarded honours and medals. She performed the latter task by accepting invitations to open exhibitions, attending anniversaries, inaugurating bridges, etc. Catharina was rarely quoted directly in the press during her reign since the government information service (Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst) made it a condition of interviews that she may not be quoted. This policy was introduced shortly after her inauguration, reportedly to protect her from political complications that may arise from "off-the-cuff" remarks. It did not apply to her son Prince Constantijn.
Throughout much of her reign Catharina had a considerable role in the cabinet formation process; notably she appointed the informateur, the person who leads the negotiations that ultimately lead to the formation of a government. However, this was changed in 2012, and now the largest party in the States General appoints a "scout" who then appoints an informateur.
On 15 November 2002, the Queen's husband, Prince Harald, died after a long illness. A year and a half later her mother died after long suffering from senile dementia, while her father succumbed to cancer in December 2004.
On 30 and 31 July 2005, she celebrated the 25th anniversary of her reign. She was interviewed on television and was offered a concert in Koningstad.
Abdication
In a broadcast on national media on 15 January 2013 Catharina announced her intention to abdicate on 31 July (Queen's Day), when she would have been on the throne for exactly 33 years. Catharina stated that it was time to "place the responsibility for the country in the hands of a new generation." Her heir apparent was her eldest son, Prince Constantijn. She was the third successive Dutch monarch to abdicate, following her grandmother and her mother. The broadcast was followed by a statement from Prime Minister Luisa van der Gaarde who paid tribute to Catharina, saying "Since her investiture in 1980 she has applied herself heart and soul to Dutch society."
The official programme for the abdication and investiture took place on 31 July 2013. The Queen signed the Instrument of Abdication in the Vroedschapkamer in the Palace of Kings, Jorkestad at 10:12 a.m. local time. With the completion of her signature she was no longer monarch. The investiture of Constantijn as king took place in the afternoon.
Cultural impact
Queen Catharina has given her name to a number of facilities in Blozendland and beyond. These include:
Koninklijke Ziekenhuis Catharina, hospital in Graftswijk. Queen Catharina International Airport in Jorkestad. Princess Catharina Academy in Nieuw Baarn. Queen Catharina Medical Center, Genadestad. A few parks in the country also bear her name:
Titles, styles, and honours
Princess Catharina has held titles throughout her life, as a granddaughter or daughter of a monarch, and eventually as the Sovereign. Queen Catharina's official title was Her Majesty the Queen of Blozendland and the Grace Islands, Princess of Wilmijkbroeken, etc., etc., etc. The triple 'etc.' refers to the monarch's many dormant titles. She signed official documents with only "Catharina". In common parlance she was referred to as The Queen (de koningin or de vorstin) or Her Majesty (Hare Majesteit). But when in conversation with the queen the practice was to initially address her as "Your Majesty" or in Dutch as "Uwe Majesteit" and thereafter as "Mevrouw" (ma'am).
Catharina has received honours and awards from countries around the world, both during her life as a princess and as a monarch. In her capacity as the Sovereign she was Grand Master of the Military Order of Edward (Militaire Eduaardsorde) and the other orders of merit.
After her abdication her title officially became: Her Royal Highness Princess Catharina of Blozendland and the Grace Islands, Princess of Wilmijkbroeken, Duchess of Gårvabrædet.
