ABDICATION

Should monarchs resign? Long ago, the question would have appeared absurd to most people. Kings (women were generally excluded) were chosen by God, ruled by God's favour, suffered defeats if they sinned, and were called by God to heaven at the appointed time. Against that background, abdicating would have been not just odd, but positively immoral.

True, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V chose to abdicate in 1555, some three years before his death. That was part of a complex inheritance settlement, in which he gave Spain and the Netherlands to his son Philip II, and the other Habsburg lands, plus the Imperial title, to his brother Ferdinand. Charles probably viewed it as an internal family matter rather than anything else.

In England, King Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, not long after he had come to the throne. That was because he insisted on marrying divorcee Wallis Simpson, a decision that was incompatible with his status as Head of the Church of England, which at the time did not allow divorced people to have a church wedding. The abdication caused a constitutional crisis, but the country probably ended up with a better king because of it.

However, one country that seems to have a history of abdications is Holland. It may be because it hasn't had a monarchy for very long (indeed, Philip II spent much of his reign trying to subdue rebellion in the Netherlands, a policy which eventually failed, and resulted in the establishment of one of the world's first republics); but all of its last three monarchs, all women, have abdicated. The latest, Queen Beatrix, did so today after 33 years on the throne, despite being a sprightly 75-year old and hugely popular. Her son, King Willem-Alexander, is the first Dutch king since 1890.

Queen Beatrix' stated reason for voluntarily giving up now was to allow younger blood to take over. This is an issue which will increasingly affect Europe's monarchies, for while Charles V became Emperor at the tender age of 19, Willem-Alexander, the continent's youngest monarch, is already 46. Britain's Queen is 87 and seems likely to keep going for some years, while many of the others, including Denmark's Queen Margrethe, are in their 60's and 70's. A raft of younger Princes and Princesses, many present in Amsterdam today, are ready to take over; should their elderly parents stand aside and let them?

My personal view is no. Once a monarch starts choosing when and how he/she completes their term, then it begins to look a lot more like a presidency; in which case, why not let the people have a say? Monarchy is, at bottom, slightly ridiculous (or, at least, anomalous); making it less ridiculous would in my view take away some of its mystique. Holland may be happy with a tradition of abdication, but Holland should remain the exception rather than the rule.

Walter Blotscher