[When they were young] Beatrix when she was still a Princess with Akihito when he was not yet an Emperor

October 1979: Princess Beatrix, Prince Akihito, Queen Juliana, Princess Michiko and Prince Claus.

1 - Oh Bea, you didn't change a bit!

2 - I didn't know Prince Claus was that tall! Was he?

3 - Michiko was absolutely stunning! A true flower!

Queen Juliana abdicated six months after this photo. Beatrix became Queen at age 42. Akihito became Emperor nine years later, in 1989, at 54-years-old.

source of the photo

Royal weddings from the past - Queen Beatrix and Consort Prince Claus (1966)

Princess Beatrix married Claus van Amsberg on March 10th, 1966. To know more about their controversial engagement, click here.

[The Netherlands] [VIDEO] The controversial engagement of Princess Beatrix and Claus van Amsberg (1965)

The announcement in July 1965 of the engagement of Princess Beatrix, heir to the throne, to a German diplomat, Claus von Amsberg stirred great controversy in the Netherlands. The future husband of the future Queen had been a member of the Nazi Wehrmacht and the Hitler Youth movement. Many angry Dutch citizens demonstrated in the streets, and held rallies and marches against the "traitorous" affair. While this time upset citizens did not call for Queen Juliana's abdication because the true object of their wrath, Princess Beatrix, would then be Queen, they did start to question the value of having a monarchy at all. After attempting to have the marriage cancelled, Queen Juliana acquiesced and the marriage took place in 1966 under a continued storm of protest and an almost certain attitude pervaded the country that Princess Beatrix might be the last member of the House of Orange to ever reign in the Netherlands.

In the video, we can see Queen Juliana speaking, in presence of her husband, Consort Prince Bernhard and the newly engaged couple. And no, young Beatrix never changed her hairstyle ever since. A photo-call followed and we get to see her three sisters, Princess Irene, Princess Margriet and Princess Christina.

[The Netherlands] [VIDEO] The emotional engagement of Prince Willem-Alexander to Maxima Zorreguieta (2001)

Máxima Zorreguieta met the heir to the Dutch throne, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, in April 1999 in Sevilla, Spain, during the Seville Spring Fair, also known as the "Feria de Abril de Sevilla." This is an important annual event, to which many people from other countries come and dress in typical Spanish Andalusian costume. In an interview, they stated that he introduced himself only as "Alexander," so that she did not know he was a prince. She thought he was joking when he told her he was a Prince. They agreed to meet in New York, where Máxima was working for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, two weeks later. Their relationship apparently began in New York, but the Princess did not meet the Prince's parents, Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus, for some time.

The couple announced their engagement on March 30th, 2001 after receiving approval from the Dutch parliament (necessary by law for the Prince of Orange to remain heir to the throne). Princess Máxima addressed the nation in fluent Dutch during the directly televised broadcast on the occasion of the engagement. We can hereby see her speaking, after Queen Beatrix and Consort Prince Claus von Amsberg (who was quite ill at the time) addressed the nation.

Princess Máxima and Prince Willem-Alexander were married on February 2nd, 2002 in a civil ceremony in the Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam which was then followed by a religious ceremony at the Nieuwe Kerk. They have three daughters, Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane as of today.