General Notes

Queen Wilhelmina, b. Aug. 31, 1880, d. Nov. 28, 1962, reigned over the
Netherlands for more than half a century. In 1890 she succeeded her father,
William III, to the throne under the regency of her mother, Emma of
Waldeck-Pyrmont. She assumed personal rule on Sept. 6, 1898, and married Duke
Henry (1876-1934) of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1901. Although committed to
observation of the constitution, she considered herself a ruler by divine
right and frequently intervened in political affairs. After the German
invasion on May 10, 1940, Wilhelmina fled to England, leading a government in
exile from London and becoming very popular as a rallying point for Dutch
freedom. She returned to the liberated Netherlands on Mar. 13, 1945. In
declining health, she abdicated in favor of her daughter Juliana on Sept. 4,
1948, after celebrating the 50th anniversary of her reign. Her autobiography
was translated as Lonely but Not Alone (1960)