Beatrix was Queen of the Netherlands for more than three decades through the end of the 20th Century and into the 21st.

She was born on Jan. 31, 1938, at Soestdijk Palace, in Baarn. Her mother was the heir apparent, Juliana, and her father was Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld.

Beatrix grew up in the shadow of increasing hostilities in Europe. When she was 2, German forces invaded the Netherlands and she went with her mother to Canada, where she lived for a few years, attending a public primary school. Juliana and family returned to the Netherlands in 1945, after the end of the war, and Beatrix finished up her schooling in her home country. She enrolled in Leiden University in 1956 and studied history, law, and the social science; in 1961, she earned a law degree.

Her actions regarding a husband proved quite controversial. She fell in love with Claus von Amsberg, a German diplomat who had served in the German Army during World War II. The attachment proved an outrage for much of the Dutch public, since the war was still very much a strong memory. Nonetheless, Beatrix and Claus were married, in 1966, with the support of her mother, who was by then queen. The couple had three children: Willem-Alexander (1967), Friso (1968), and Constantijn (1969). Claus eventually gained in popularity with the Dutch public, even after he was found to have accepted influence money to grant an Air Force contract to an American airplane manufacturer.

Juliana had succeeded her mother, Wilhelmina, as queen when the latter abdicated in 1948. Juliana had named Beatrix to her Council of State when the girl turned 18. Princess Beatrix took on more state responsibilities as she aged, representing her mother at the ceremony of the independence of Suriname in 1975.

On April 30, 1980, Juliana abdicated and Beatrix became queen. She presided over a period of prosperity and increasing collaboration within Europe. It was in the Netherlands, in 1992, that the Treaty of Maastricht was signed, launching the European Union. She presided over other geographical and economic changes, such as the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, in 2010.

Beatrix survived an attack on her family in 2009. A driver rammed his car into a parade in Apeldoorn and just missed hitting the bus in which the Queen was riding.

Following the example of her mother and grandmother, Beatrix abdicated, on Jan. 28, 2013, giving way her to her oldest son, Willem-Alexander. He is still the ruling monarch, and she still lives in a small castle and performs some minor royal duties.