Now, 25 years later, the younger generation of the royal family has grown substantially, but the queen herself has become the oldest surviving member of the generations that went before.
The first years of the 21st century brought tremendous changes to her family situation, with the death of Prince Claus, followed by the loss in 2004 of both her mother, former Queen Juliana, then her father, Prince Bernhard.
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Labour Party parliamentarian Erik Jürgens believes the death of Prince Claus was the greatest tragedy for the queen:
"The loss of Prince Claus must have been very difficult for her, because he was very much wise to the world, and I think he was a tremendously good influence not only to her but also on his children, as we are noticing now. The children are becoming active, and there are many signs that they are the sons of Claus."
These tragic events in her private life have been compounded by a number of controversies and other problems. While Queen Beatrix has been comparatively successful in protecting her family from the glare of the paparazzi and the sort of public scandal that has beset other European royals, sometimes private matters have got beyond her control and entered the public domain.Family problems
The queen's second son, Johan Friso, was forced to forego his right to the throne because he could not get parliamentary approval for his marriage to Mabel Wisse Smit, after the couple failed to disclose her earlier contacts with a gangster. A niece, Margarita, publicly accused the royal family of wire-tapping and blackening the name of her then husband. Erik Jürgens believes these difficulties are partly due to the current size of the royal family:
"The problems within the family are the consequence of there being so many princes and princesses. And if any of them does some thing which is not completely acceptable […] the press makes a big problem out of it […] Now there's a proliferation of the House of Orange-Nassau."
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A job well done
Opinion polls show that the monarchy is still enormously popular with the Dutch, and some - including royalty expert Harry van Wijnen - attribute this in no small part to the way in which Queen Beatrix has fulfilled her role as monarch:
"She has done a very solid job. She has been able to strengthen her position and the royal household in the past quarter century, and there is no doubt her son - when he becomes her successor - will be able to exploit her capital in this area. I think she has done a very good job in her lifetime."
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A picture fit for a queen: 'Vivat Oraenge' - painted circa 1670 by Jan Davidszoon de Heem. A national collection is currently being held to purchase this expensive work of art for the queen. The painting will, however, be put on permanent display to the public.
Tags: Beatrix, Dutch royals, House of Orange, Monarchy, Netherlands, paparazzi, Prince Claus, Queen Beatrix, Silver Jubilee, Willem-Alexander