Beatrix of the Netherlands Athlone; Elisabeth, Princess of Erbach-Schönberg; Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg; and Countess Allene de Kotzebue. Beatrix's middle names are the first names of her maternal grandmother, the then reigning Queen Wilhelmina, and her paternal grandmother, Armgard of Sierstorpff-Cramm. When Beatrix was one year old, in 1939, her younger sister Princess Irene was born. World War II broke out in the Netherlands on 10 May 1940 (Westfeldzug). On 13 May, the Dutch Royal Family evacuated to London, United Kingdom. One month later, Beatrix went to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, with her mother Juliana and her sister Irene, while her father Bernhard and
HMS Princess Beatrix the Commander in Chief of the western Mediterranean. During her time in the Mediterranean "Princess Beatrix" transported 15,700 men, including a large number of German and Italian POWs while sailing 12,000 miles. "Princess Beatrix" was then attached to the ships of "Operation Husky", the invasion of Sicily. The ship was attached to Force B and sailed with convoy SBF-1. On board were men of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division and a Special Forces group, which were to raid a beach codenamed Bark South. On 16 August 1943 "Princess Beatrix" participated in a joint Anglo-American landing at Cape Scarletta, code-named "Operation