Juliana of the Netherlands

Juliana
Juliana
	Juliana in 1961
Queen of the Netherlands
Reign	4 September 1948 – 30 April 1980
Inauguration	6 September 1948
Predecessor	Wilhelmina
Successor	Beatrix
Born	30 April 1909; Noordeinde Palace, The Hague, Netherlands
Died	20 March 2004 (aged 94); Soestdijk Palace, Baarn, Netherlands
Burial	30 March 2004; Nieuwe Kerk, Delft, Netherlands
Spouse	Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (m. 1937)
Issue	Beatrix of the Netherlands; Princess Irene; Princess Margriet; Princess Christina;
House	Orange-Nassau
Father	Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mother	Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Religion	Dutch Reformed Church
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Juliana (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌjyliˈjaːnaː]; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980.

Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She received a private education and studied international law at the University of Leiden. In 1937, she married Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld with whom she had four daughters: Beatrix, Irene, Margriet, and Christina. During the German invasion of the Netherlands in the Second World War, the royal family was evacuated to the United Kingdom. Juliana then relocated to Canada with her children, while Wilhelmina and Bernhard remained in Britain. The royal family returned to the Netherlands after its liberation in 1945.

Due to Wilhelmina's failing health, Juliana took over royal duties briefly in 1947 and 1948. In September 1948, Wilhelmina abdicated and Juliana ascended to the Dutch throne. Her reign saw the decolonization and independence of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and Suriname. Despite a series of controversies involving the royal family, Juliana remained a popular figure among the Dutch.

In April 1980, Juliana abdicated in favour of her eldest daughter, Beatrix. Upon her death in 2004 at the age of 94, she was the longest-lived former reigning monarch in the world.