Belgium's northern neighbor was also royally expectant last week. If reports from The Netherlands were true, Queen Wilhelmina, 64, might soon abdicate in favor of her son-in-law, Prince Consort Bernhard. At the same time she would raise his status from Prince Consort to King. Behind the rumored move were the Queen's age, the Prince's sudden popularity and the fluid Dutch political situation.
For the flood tide of Europe's social unrest was lapping over into The Nether lands. But Queen Wilhelmina had her finger in the dike. Her new Government for a country radically changed as a result of war and German occupation was not yet completed. But into it she had invited two leaders of the new political forces —Willem Schermerhorn, former Resistance leader, who had had time to dream up new ideas for The Netherlands while he was a Nazi prisoner, and Willem Drees, Social Democrat and trade union leader.
Dutch politics have long been bedeviled by a struggle for power between Catholics and Protestants. Schermerhorn proposed to end this struggle. In his party, The Netherlands People's Movement, he ruled out all church influence. A man's religious beliefs, he claimed, had no business in the country's national life. The Netherlands People's Movement would be strictly moderate and liberal. For The Netherlands, Schermerhorn wanted a two-or three-party system like that of the U.S. He foresaw three big Dutch parties: Reactionaries or Tories; Centrist or Liberal; Leftist or Trade Union Communist. He also wanted a strong central administration with efficient provincial governments.
Unexpected Prop. Strengthening Schermerhorn's position and the throne was an unexpected prop, Prince Consort Bernhard. Before the war, when his flashy roadster was constantly streaking from The Hague to the Riviera, most Dutchmen tagged Prince Bernhard as a playboy. Tut during the war he played a big part in fusing the quarreling Dutch Resistance forces into a unified group which did a notable job of preparing the ground ahead of the Canadian liberators. Bernhard himself negotiated with the Germans and had everything practically sewed up, except for actual signatures, when Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery received their surrender.
Now Bernhard is working to transform the Dutch Resistance forces into a compact, mobile army for use in liberating The Netherlands East Indies. He has surrounded himself with bright young Resistance men & women. One of his secretaries is a Communist. Except for his personal aide, all of his group are commoners. His popularity had kept pace with his political growth. Dutch citizens now line the streets and cheer when his custom-built Alfa-Romeo whizzes by. In an Amsterdam theater recently the audience kept him on his feet, pumping hands and talking, until 4 a.m.