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
Beatrix German, and "Beata" in Polish and Swedish. Common short forms are "Bea" and "Trixie". See Beatrice (given name) for other derivatives. See Queen Beatrix (disambiguation) for a list of queen consorts Beatrix Beatrix is a given name, most likely derived from "Viatrix", a feminine form of the Late Latin name "Viator" which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word "beatus" or "blessed". It is pronounced in British English and the same or in North American English. Another North American English pronunciation however approximates that of most other languages: , as shown by US