Willem-Alexander sworn in as Dutch king: water pageant The Netherlands' Willem-Alexander became Europe's youngest monarch on Tuesday after his mother, queen Beatrix, abdicated and his country greeted their first king in 120 years with a massive orange-hued party. The royal family in the late afternoon took part in a water pageant on the Ij river, accompanied by a flotilla of 250 boats, with Dutch sports, music and ballet stars performing as they sailed by. Images of the water pageant