AMSTERDAM — To the cheers of tens of thousands of people crammed shoulder to shoulder outside the royal palace, Willem-Alexander of the House of Orange-Nassau became the Netherlands’ first king in 123 years on Tuesday as his mother, Queen Beatrix, ended a 33-year reign with the stroke of a pen, signing the act of abdication in a chandeliered chamber at the royal palace.
Seated on a gilded chair at a long red baize table and flanked by the Dutch cabinet, Beatrix, 75, became the third successive Dutch queen to abdicate, changing her title to princess as supporters celebrating the continuity of the monarchy thronged Dam Square outside the palace. Many had gathered there for hours, clad in orange, the royal color, to watch the brief, long-planned and relatively low-key event on large television screens.
