Beatrix of the Netherlands eldest son, Willem-Alexander, and resumed the title of princess. At the time of her abdication at age 75, Beatrix was the oldest reigning monarch in the country's history. Beatrix was born "Princess Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld", on 31 January 1938 at the Soestdijk Palace in Baarn, Netherlands. She is the first child of Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and German aristocrat Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Beatrix was baptized on 12 May 1938 in the Great Church in The Hague. Her five godparents were King Leopold III of Belgium; Princess Alice, Countess of
Beatrix de Rijk Beatrix de Rijk Beatrix de Rijk (1883–1958) was a pioneering Dutch aviator. On receiving her pilot's licence from the Aéro-Club de France on 6 October 1911, she became the first Dutch woman pilot. Born on 24 July 1883 in Surabaya in the Dutch East Indies, de Rijk was raised in a well-to-do family. She was able to take part in a variety of activities including riding, tennis, and driving. When she was about 20, she went to Paris where she chose a well-paid occupation working as a mannequin for a fashion house. When she became interested in ballooning and flying,