Netherlands East Indies / Queen Wilhelmina

Wilhelmina (Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948.

Wilhelmina was the only child of King William III and his second wife Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont. At the age of four she became heir presumptive to the Dutch throne after her half brother and great uncle died. She became Queen when her father died, when she was 10 years old. As she was still a minor, her mother served as regent until she turned 18 years old. In 1901, she married Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin with whom she had a daughter Juliana.

She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw the First and the Second world wars, the Dutch economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial power. Outside the Netherlands she is primarily remembered for her role in World War II, in which she proved to be a great inspiration to the Dutch resistance.