Juliana Vorstin in een mannenwereld
As a sovereign, Juliana (1909-2004) was beloved by many; nevertheless, we know little about her personal life. After a sheltered childhood in the confines of the court and blossoming during her stay in Canada during the Second World War, where she was much more actively involved in the Allied cause than she is given credit for, Juliana, filled with ambition, began her 'difficult but beautiful' task in 1948. However, the capable queen soon faced major personal and political disappointments and her reign was marked by a series of crises. Juliana's enduring love for Prince Bernhard, who had fallen from the skies as her saviour in 1936, became her Achilles heel. He almost brought her down.
Juliana was capricious and eager; religious and gullible. At any rate, not ordinary. She reigned in a world of men, who often felt superior. And just like the other conventions she fought against, from an early age, Juliana fought against the subordination of women.
Never before was such a comprehensive, research-based biography published about the sovereign whom many regarded as 'our' queen. Withuis was allowed access to letters and other previously unpublished private materials. In doing so, she wrote an intimate and poignant biography, as well as the portrait of a turbulent century.
Jolande Withuis