Queen Wilhelmina

Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw the First and the Second world wars, the Dutch economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial power.

Wilhelmina was the only child of King William III and his second wife, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont. On William's death in 1890, she ascended to the throne at the age of ten under the regency of her mother. In 1901, she married Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, with whom she had a daughter, Juliana. Wilhelmina was generally credited with maintaining Dutch neutrality during the First World War.

Following the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, Wilhelmina fled to Britain and took charge of the Dutch government-in-exile. She frequently spoke to the Dutch people over radio and came to be regarded as a symbol of the Dutch resistance. She returned to the Netherlands following its liberation in 1945.

Increasingly beset by poor health after the war, Wilhelmina abdicated in September 1948 in favour of Juliana. She retired to Het Loo Palace, where she died in 1962.

Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw the First and the Second world wars, the Dutch economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial power.

Wilhelmina was the only child of King William III and his second wife, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont. On William's death in 1890, she ascended to the throne at the age of ten under the regency of her mother. In 1901, she married Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, with whom she had a daughter, Juliana. Wilhelmina was generally credited with maintaining Dutch neutrality during the First World War.

Following the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, Wilhelmina fled to Britain and took charge of the Dutch government-in-exile. She frequently spoke to the Dutch people over radio and came to be regarded as a symbol of the Dutch resistance. She returned to the Netherlands following its liberation in 1945.

Increasingly beset by poor health after the war, Wilhelmina abdicated in September 1948 in favour of Juliana. She retired to Het Loo Palace, where she died in 1962.

Commemorative Netherlands stamps issued between 1943 and 1945 can be a bit confusing without a little historical perspective. During this period, there were actually TWO entities called the Netherlands, and BOTH of them issued commemorative or propaganda postage stamps.

During 1939, at the beginning of World War II, the Netherlands had officially proclaimed their neutrality in the European conflict. The Netherlands was also officially neutral during World War I, though many Dutch citizens joined the Belgian and French armies to fight against Germany during that war. At the end of World War I, the Netherlands had allowed the former German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, to establish his residence-in-exile there, where he lived until his death in 1941.

This political neutrality didn't suit their Fascist German neighbors, who intended to make the Netherlands part of the Greater Third Reich. Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940 and established an occupation government there. The country was then ruled by a German-appointed governor and the Dutch National Socialist Party.
During the invasion, the Dutch royal family and the heads-of-government escaped to Great Britain, where they formed a government-in-exile. Thus, there were two political entities called the Netherlands, during the period from 1940 to 1944. Though the Netherlands had been occupied by Germany, the Dutch colonies around the World remained loyal, and they fought against the Axis powers with the Allied nations during World War II.

The Netherlands was liberated by Allied forces during 1944 and 1945, and after the fall of Germany in May 1945, Queen Wilhelmina and the legitimate government of the Netherlands returned to power.