????He’s evolved from a beer-loving student dubbed Prince Pils to an International Olympic Committee member and respected U.N. water expert. Now comes the ultimate transformation for ????Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander: He has become the king.? ??? From Prince Pils to Dutch King ???? MILLIONS of Dutch people dressed in orange flocked to celebrations around the Netherlands on Tuesday in honor of a once-in-a-generation milestone for the country’s ruling House of Orange-Nassau: after a 33-year reign, Queen Beatrix abdicated in favor of her eldest son, Willem-Alexander. ????At 46, King Willem-Alexander is the youngest monarch in Europe and the first Dutch king in 123 years, since Willem III died in 1890. Like Beatrix before him, Willem-Alexander has assumed the throne at a time of social strains and economic malaise. ????Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht and is the eldest child of then Princess Beatrix and German diplomat Claus von Amsberg. He became Prince of Orange and heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands on April 30, 1980, when his mother became queen regnant. ????Although the Dutch monarchy is largely ceremonial, he immediately staked out a course to preserve its relevance in the 21st century. ????“I want to establish ties, make connections and exemplify what unites us, the Dutch people,” the freshly minted king said at a nationally televised investiture ceremony in Amsterdam’s 600-year-old New Church, held before the combined houses of Dutch parliament. ????The new monarch says he plans to build on tradition while looking to the future. ????“I want to be a traditional king first and foremost, building on the tradition of my predecessors standing for continuity and stability in this country,” he said. “But also a 21st-century king who can unite, represent and encourage society.” ????For most of the 2000s, the country was locked in an intense national debate over the perceived failure of Muslim immigrants, mostly from North Africa, to integrate. In response, politicians curtailed many of the famed Dutch tolerance policies. ????More recently, this trading nation of 17 million has suffered back-to-back recessions. European Union figures released Tuesday showed Dutch unemployment spiking upward toward 6.4 percent. That’s below the EU average, but a 20-year high in the Netherlands. ????“I am taking the job at a time when many in the kingdom feel vulnerable and uncertain,” Willem-Alexander said. “Vulnerable in their work or health. Uncertain about their income or home environment.” ????Amsterdam resident Inge Bosman, 38, said she doubted Willem-Alexander’s investiture would give the country much of an employment boost. ????“Well, at least one person got a new job,” she said. ????Tellingly, one of Willem-Alexander’s first diplomatic missions as king will be to visit the country’s largest trading partner, Germany. ????While many are skeptical that the new king can make a difference where politicians have failed, the celebrations provided a welcome change from the humdrum of everyday life, and the popularity of the royal house itself is not in doubt. A poll commissioned by national broadcaster NOS and published this week showed that 78 percent support the monarchy. ????Willem-Alexander has undergone a remarkable transformation from his image as a boozing Casanova, ill-equipped for the throne, to a serious family man well-loved by his people. ????Willem-Alexander, who took over from his mother, now Princess Beatrix, has been preparing for his accession by taking on more and more duties in a bid to shake off his immature reputation. ????In a reverse of the classic fairytale, Willem-Alexander met his Princess Charming in the form of Argentinian Maxima Zorreguieta, now his queen consort, and much of his new-found popularity has been linked to their marriage in 2002. ????The past of Maxima’s father as an official of the Argentine junta in the 1970s cast a brief cloud over their relationship. ????Her father was not allowed to attend his daughter’s wedding in the Netherlands, and her mother also stayed away out of solidarity. Maxima’s family was also not present at the enthronement ceremony in Amsterdam’s historic 600-year-old Nieuwe Kerk church. ????Maxima herself has crept into the hearts of the Dutch, through her efforts to learn the language fluently and her willingness to reach out to ordinary Dutch citizens. ????The couple has three young daughters, Catharina-Amalia, 9, — now princess of Orange as heir to the throne — Alexia, 7, and Ariane, 5. The three princesses are adored by the Dutch, frequently posing with their parents for official photoshoots. ????Willem-Alexander had a difficult adolescence, and was sent to complete his high school in Wales. ????On returning to the Netherlands for his military service in the Navy and then to study, the young prince built an image in the Dutch media as a hard-partying and troublesome royal, earning him the nickname of “Prince Pils” after a particular beer. ????But after graduating in 1993, he started traveling the country and took steps to shake off his negative image. ????In 1998 he got the parliamentary nod to become a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). ????The future Dutch king also developed an interest in water management, an effort rewarded in 2006 with his appointment as chairman of the U.N. Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation. ????But it was his meeting with Maxima in 1999 and their subsequent marriage in February 2002, that changed his image into that of a serious royal and family man, worthy of the Dutch throne. ????Seen as more progressive and closer to ordinary people than even his mother, Willem-Alexander further stamped modernity on the Royal House through his visits abroad and an online blog. ????Willem-Alexander lost his various ranks in the Dutch armed forces before becoming king, but he will most likely continue to visit Dutch navy vessels, air and army bases as he did before when he traveled to Afghanistan and the Somali coast, where the Dutch navy is part of the European Union’s anti-piracy operations. ????He has a military and civil pilot’s license, meaning he can fly commercial jets. He has been known to fly official aircraft as well as planes belonging to Royal Dutch Airline KLM. ????The royal family’s lifestyle however has not been without criticism. ????Willem-Alexander in November 2009 sold his luxurious holiday house as it was under construction on the Mozambican coast under pressure from hostile public opinion who saw it as a garish asset in the poverty-wracked southeastern African country. ????Last year, he publicly confessed to being ashamed after taking part in a traditional Dutch “toilet-throwing” contest in a small eastern village during Queen’s Day celebrations Tuesday. ????But in the interview earlier this month, the new king won many plaudits when he said: “We are people. People make mistakes.” ????(SD-Agencies) | 