Crown prince Willem-Alexander celebrates his 42nd birthday on Monday amid rising speculation that his mother queen Beatrix is close to abdicating.

Beatrix was 42 when her mother Juliana stepped down in favour of her daughter.
The prince is spending his birthday at home with family and friends, the state information service RVD said. On Thursday he will join his mother and brother in Apeldoorn for the traditional Queen’s Day celebrations.
Swedish royals
Rumours that Beatrix is poised to abdicate were driven by Nos tv’s claim to extra broadcasting time last week, but that turned out to be for a programme about the Swedish royal family’s visit.
‘This is the third hype in the past four months,’ an RVD spokesman told the AD. ‘But there is nothing to report.’
When she does decide to go, Beatrix will make her decision known in the form of a televised address to the nation, the AD states. And insiders say she will wait until next year, after celebrating her 30th jubilee as queen.