AMSTERDAM (AFP) - Thousands of well wishers gathered in Amsterdam to celebrate the 25-year jubilee of the reign of the Netherlands' popular Queen Beatrix, with a concert opposite the church where she was crowned on April 30, 1980 amid violent riots.
Beatrix, 67, attended a short religious ceremony in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Amsterdam's central Dam square, the same spot were she was crowned.
The ceremony was followed by a big outdoor concert on the square opposite the royal palace, with Romanian singer Angela Gheorghiu performing with the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.
As the queen, dressed in all black without her traditional hat, entered the square she was cheered by the thousands of spectators, many of who had waited over an hour to catch a glimpse of Beatrix and the rest of the royal family.
Mannfred van Eeden and his wife Margriet travelled to Amsterdam especially to celebrate with the queen.
"Usually we stay in Amersfoort (45 kilometres from Amsterdam) for Queen's Day but this year is really special, we wanted to be here in Amsterdam, where the queen is," Mannfred told AFP.
In his welcoming speech Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen praised the queen's "informed heart".
"In your reign you have united an expert knowledge with humane commitment," he said.
Overnight Amsterdam was to be transformed into one big, orange-coloured, open-air market for Saturday, a public holiday known as Queen's Day, when hundreds of thousands of tourists are expected to descend on the city.
Traditionally the Dutch sell their superfluous household goods on Queen's Day and towns turn into giant street markets with people dressed in orange in tribute to the House of Orange, the family name of Dutch royalty.
Queen's Day is traditionally celebrated on the birthday of the monarch, which was April 30 for Beatrix's mother, the late queen Juliana. Beatrix was crowned on that day and decided it would stay as the holiday, even though she herself was born in January.
In a rare television interview aired on Thursday Beatrix spoke openly about the loneliness of a monarch.
"You always have to be available: there is nobody who can take over from you once in a while," she said.
She also made it clear she is not planning to abdicate any time soon. Instead she wants to give Crown Prince Willem Alexander, 38, "time to build up his family" before becoming king.
Although she is now popular, the coronation of Beatrix 25 years ago was accompanied by violent riots in Amsterdam, when squatters protested against the high costs of the ceremony.
Her marriage to German-born diplomat Claus von Amsberg was also the scene of rioting, as the groom had been a member of the Hitler Jugend Nazi youth organisation. Prince Claus died in 2002.
Beatrix's silver jubilee celebrations in the coming months will focus on national unity, months after the brutal murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh divided the Netherlands.
The national committee that organised the festivities said they will focus on "the way in which the queen fulfils her duties" and "the richness of (Dutch) society in all its diversity and its unity, represented by the queen".
The strong emphasis on unity comes after the November 2004 murder of filmmaker van Gogh by a suspected Islamic extremist prompted a rise in ethnic tensions, in a country normally known for its tolerance.
In the interview Thursday Beatrix expressed sadness over the polarization of Dutch society.
"There is a hardening in points of view ... I think we are seeing less of the common sense, the austerity and the moderation that used to be part of the Dutch character," the queen remarked.
Despite her worries Beatrix also said she was optimistic that the Netherlands will find "a new balance".
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