Princess Juliana by Simon de Heer Beemster

Princess Juliana, a portrait by Simon de Heer Beemster, oil on canvas, c1941.

Queen Juliana, born born April 30, 1909, in The Hague, The Netherlands, was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands. Her birth was a cause of extreme rejoicing in the entire kingdom. She  reigned from 1948, succeeding Queen Wilhelmina after the latter's abdication, until her own abdication in 1978. She signed the independence of Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1948, and  braved the devastating flood that wrought havoc in Zeeland in 1953. Juliana followed the precedence of her mother and abdicated in favour of her daughter, Beatrix, on her 71st birthday. She then reverted to her former title as Princess of the Netherlands. She died on March 20, 2004. Read more about Queen Juliana's life here.