The Hague, Netherlands

Queen to abdicate: Queen Beatrix is stepping aside to let her son rule. Following a Dutch tradition of making room for a younger monarch, the queen said this week that she would abdicate at the end of April so Prince Willem-Alexander, 45, could begin his reign. Britain’s Prince Charles, though, won’t be so lucky. British monarchy experts said Queen Elizabeth, 86, is unlikely to follow the example. Wearing the British crown is a lifetime commitment, and abdication is seen as a scandal. “It’s completely alien to our system, and it’s also alien to our law,” said Lord Norton, an expert on British governance. “The queen remains the queen until such time as she dies.”

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