Juliana of the Netherlands

She was the first Dutch royal baby since Wilhelmina herself was born in 1880.

Wilhelmina had suffered two miscarriages and one stillbirth, raising the prospect of a succession crisis.

The Queen's nearest relative was Prince Heinrich XXXII Reuss of Köstritz, whose close ties to Germany made him unpopular in the Netherlands.

Juliana's birth thus assured the royal family's survival.

Her mother suffered two further miscarriages after her birth, leaving Juliana as the royal couple's only child.

According to several sources Juliana was happy to be an only child because that meant she did not have to fight for attention.

Juliana spent her childhood at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, and at Noordeinde Palace and Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague.

A small school class was formed at Noordeinde Palace on the advice of the educator Jan Ligthart so that, from the age of six, the Princess could receive her primary education with children of her own age.

These children were Baroness Elise Bentinck, Baroness Elisabeth van Hardenbroek and Jonkvrouwe Miek (Mary) de Jonge.

As the Dutch constitution specified that Princess Juliana should be ready to succeed to the throne by the age of eighteen, her education proceeded at a faster pace than that of most children.

After five years of primary education, the Princess received her secondary education (to pre-university level) from private tutors.

Juliana (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.

Juliana was born on 30 April 1909 at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the only child of the reigning Dutch monarch, Queen Wilhelmina.

Her father was Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

On 30 April 1927, Princess Juliana celebrated her eighteenth birthday.

Under the constitution, she had officially come of age and was entitled to assume the royal prerogative, if necessary.

Two days later her mother installed her in the "Raad van State" ("Council of State").

In the same year, the Princess enrolled as a student at the University of Leiden.

In her first years at university, she attended lectures in sociology, jurisprudence, economics, history of religion, parliamentary history, and constitutional law.

In the course of her studies she also attended lectures on the cultures of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, international affairs, international law, history, and European law.

She graduated from the university in 1930 with a bachelor's degree in international law.

She was taught Greek literature by Sophia Antoniadis, the university's first female professor.

In the 1930s, Queen Wilhelmina began a search for a suitable husband for her daughter.

At the time, the House of Orange-Nassau was one of the most strictly religious royal families in the world, and it was very difficult to find a Protestant prince who suited their standards.

Princes from the United Kingdom and Sweden were "vetted" but either declined or were rejected by the princess.

At the 1936 Winter Olympics in Bavaria, she met Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, a young German Prince who was her 7th cousin, as both descended from Lebrecht, Prince of Anhalt-Zeitz-Hoym.

His rank and religion were suitable; so Princess Juliana's royal engagement was arranged by her mother.

Princess Juliana fell deeply in love with her fiancé, a love that was to last a lifetime and that withstood separation during the war and Bernhard's extramarital affairs and illegitimate children.

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.