BREAKING NEWS! Dutch queen to announce something.
Half an hour from this post the our Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands is going to make an announcements. It's rumoured that she's going to abdicate her throne. More to follow.
Update:
BBC.co.uk
Quote:
January 2013 Last updated at 17:20 GMT
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Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands is to make a televised announcement, amid speculation in local media that she will abdicate the throne.
The queen, who is approaching her 75th birthday, will address the nation at 19:00 local time [[18:00 GMT), the royal household said in a statement.
Unconfirmed Dutch reports say she will announce her abdication in favour of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander.
Queen Beatrix has been head of state since 1980, when her mother abdicated.
The royal household said the speech had already been recorded by the queen at her palace on the outskirts of The Hague, but refused to comment on its content.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte would also address the nation following the queen's speech, his office said.
Queen Beatrix is the sixth monarch from the House of Orange-Nassau, which has ruled the Netherlands since the early 19th Century. Her two immediate predecessors have abdicated.
Correspondents say her abdication would be unlikely to provoke a constitutional crisis. Under Dutch law, the monarch has few powers and the role is considered ceremonial.
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