Juliana

Juliana Louis Emma Marie Wilhelmina, born April 20, 1909 was the Queen of the Netherlands during its reconstruction after World War II. She ruled from 1948-1980. As the only childe of then Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry, she had little in the way of options. Princess Juliana was destined to rule. From a very young age, her life and choices were restricted by the crown she would wear. Even her education was in some ways determined by the needs of her country. Because Juliana was required by law to be ready to succeed the throne by the age of eighteen, her education was accelerated.

Her primary education was provided at a variety of locations, Juliana lived at Het Loo Palace, Noordeinde Palace and Huis ten Bosch Palace. The educator Jan Ligthart advised that the Princess be educated with other children her own age so during her primary school years a small class was formed at the Noordeinde Palace consisting of Elise Barones Bentinck, Elisabeth Barones van Hardenbroek and Jonkvrouwe Miek de Jonge. Her education was then continued privately through the high school level at an accelerated rate.

At the age of eighteen, in 1927, Princess Juliana was installed on the Raad van State, the council of state. Princess Juliana then enrolled at Leiden University where she pursued a broad range of studies including: jurisprudence, economics, sociology, history of religion, parliamentary history, European law, international affairs, international law, and constitutional law.

In the 1930s, it became important to begin seeking a husband for princess Juliana, and Queen Wilhelmina began the long and delicate process. The House of Orange was one of the most strictly religious royal families of the time, and finding a suitable protestant prince was not an easy process. Princes from both the UK and Sweden were investigated, but those offered the position declined, or the Princess refused. In Bavaria during the Winter Games of 1936, Princess Juliana met Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Beisterfeld. Princess Juliana fell deeply in love with Bernhard and, as he was of suitable rank and religion, their engagement was announced. He was required to sign a strict pre-nuptual agreement to safeguard the family wealth, particularly in view of the fear expressed by the populace. Many people were unsure of the Princess’s choice give the recent power switch to Adolf Hitler in Germany. While history has proven them right to fear Hitler, Bernhard became a loyal Prince of the Netherlands and went into exile with the rest of the Royal Family.

Princess Juliana and Prince Berhnard had four daughters, Beatrix (b. 1938), Irene (b. 1939), Margriet (b. 1943) and Maria Christina (1947). Princess Juliana set up a household in Canada during World War II. Prince Bernard predominantly lived in London with Queen Wilhelmina, working to maintain as much order for the Netherlands as possible. Princess Juliana lived a relatively simple life in Ottawa, CA. While the house she lived in was nice, it in no way resembled a palace. While living in Canada a special dispensation was made to create an extraterritorial space in the hospital where she gave birth to princess Margriet. Had this not occurred, Margriet would have been out of the succession line due to her dual nationality. In remembrance of the great gift of the Canadian people, Princess Juliana made a gift of thousands of tulip bulbs to Canada, which was repeated each year during the course of her life.

Once it was possible for the royal family to return home, Princess Juliana rushed to Breda, along with her mother the Queen, to set up a temporary government. Upon their return home, there were immediate disagreements on how the children should be raised and the image that the monarchy should project. Princess Juliana believed that the time of the distant monarch was over, and that her children should intact as much as possible with the common people. When Queen Wilhelmina abdicated to Princess Juliana in September, 1948 she would have to opportunity to put her beliefs to the test.

The emancipation of Indonesia, one of the first acts that Juliana completed upon assuming the throne, was a huge economic blow, but a necessary one. Early in her reign, there were questions about Juliana’s competence to rule, particularly surrounding the existence of the faith healer, Greet Hofmans. While Queen Juliana was very much out and about with the people, she enjoyed bicycling and dressed like a regular woman, but the court of the time was still very splendid and removed from the general populace. During her reign, Juliana faced difficulties from both within and without the royal family. Her husband was instrumental in a power play that banished Hofmans from the palace and pensioned off many of her supporters. Her daughter Irene converted to Roman Catholicism and married a Spanish Prince. The public outcry was tremendous, as the Dutch fought for many years to escape from Spanish control. The marriage of her eldest child, Beatrix, to a German aristocrate, so closely following on the heels of World War II, also caused major upheaval. Forgiveness by the people for the German connection was nearly absolute following the birth of the first male heir to the throne to be born since 1890.

Through it all, Juliana maintained incredibly high approval ratings from her people and all dips in her popularity were fleeting. Queen Juliana was a powerful public speaker and very much involved in bettering the lives of those needing help. When her husband was accused of accepting bribes and the Lockheed Martin scandal broke, she did not attempt to use royal prerogative to shield her husband. While she stood next to him in love every day of their married lives, there were no illusions regarding the type of man she had married. After the scandal, there was fear that she would abdicate due to the shame, but she held on for another four yeas before abdicating in 1980. She enjoyed retirement for some years, before her declining health caused her to need 24 hour care.

Juliana suffered from early onset senility and the last years of her life were an unfortunate time period. Juliana died, in her sleep, on March 20, 2004 on a few weeks prior to her 95th birthday. In all, she was one of the most beloved rulers of the Netherlands, and passing was mourned by many.

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Photo credits

Crown Princess Juliana, right, in her classroom (5th grade), the Netherlands, ca. 1920. Teacher is Mrs. van de Reijden, other classmates are Elise Bentinck, Elisabeth van Hardenbroek and Miek de Jonge. © Nationaal Archief . No known copyright restrictions.
The engaged couple Crown Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard wave from the carriage during a tour in honour of their engagement in Amsterdam, September 1936. © Nationaal Archief . No known copyright restrictions.
Queen Juliana in the Golden State Coach after her inauguration as Queen in the New Church in Amsterdam, 6  September 1948.  © Nationaal Archief . No known copyright restrictions.
Queen Juliana during the 1963 Queen’s Day Parade.  © Nationaal Archief . No known copyright restrictions.