Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicates Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has abdicated in a ceremony at Amsterdam's Dam Palace, making way for her son to ascend the throne as King Willem-Alexander. Tuesday's ceremony brought an end to a 33-year reign in which the popular queen, widely seen as distant but authoritative and competent, secured the position of the monarchy in a country with one of Europe's most egalitarian political cultures. But the celebration was marred by the arrest of two peaceful antimonarchist protesters in the square outside the palace. The anti-monarchists were an almost invisible minority in the crowd of tens of thousands outside the palace on Dam Square, many wearing inflatable orange crowns and red, white and blue face paint and singing "Thanks Bea." The scene formed a marked contrast to Beatrix's inauguration in 1980, when anarchist demonstrators fought pitched battles with police. The abdication, which Beatrix had announced in January following the example of her mother and grandmother, took effect shortly after 10:00 CET when she signed the official act in the presence of the royal family and members of the Dutch cabinet. According to the rules of succession, Willem-Alexander became king at the same moment. The highly scripted ceremony occasioned some amusement among the crowds of informal Dutch watching it on huge screens in the square. "I, Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera," began the master of ceremonies, reading the act of abdication. In the square outside, college student Natasha Hogenboom burst into laughter. "Do they actually say that?" she asked. Minutes later, having signed the act, Beatrix, King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima appeared on the balcony of the Dam Palace and were greeted by overwhelming cheers. In the middle of the sea of orange hats, two opponents of the monarchy carried signs calling for the Netherlands to become a republic. One was a political science student named Joanna who made headlines in February when she was arrested for carrying an antimonarchist sign outside Beatrix's birthday party. Willem-Alexander later apologised for the arrest. "The monarchy is ridiculous, it's something out of the Middle Ages," said Joanna, who has so far succeeded in keeping her last name out of the Dutch press. Joanna and the other demonstrator, Hans Maessen of the Dutch Republican Association, were arrested by agents several minutes later after she tried to hoist an expletive-laden sign attacking the royal family for their holdings in Royal Dutch Shell, the Anglo-Dutch oil company. Amsterdam police later apologised for the arrest, saying it should not have taken place. Polls find up to 85 per cent of the Dutch public supports the preservation of the monarchy, a figure that has varied little over the past two decades. "Politics changes all the time, especially the last few years," said Bob de Groot, an orange-clad resident of Zaandam celebrating on the Dam Square. The Netherlands has seen five increasingly polarised elections in the past 11 years. At least we have one unifying factor, and that's the king. "The remarkable thing about the monarchy is that you feel the unity of the country more strongly," agreed Mark Rutte, prime minister, after the ceremony. The abdication is to be followed by an inauguration ceremony in Amsterdam's New Church, where the king and members of parliament will take oaths of allegiance. Sixteen of the parliament's 150 members have said they will refuse to swear the oath out of objection to the monarchy.