From its beginnings, therefore, the House of Orange had a streak of populism in it, and the Netherlands under its kings was still, at heart, a republic.

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Worn by Marie de Medici during her 1610 coronation as the queen of France, it later passed on to the House of Orange-Nassau, now the Dutch royal family, and then to the collection of the queen of England before arriving in Prussia in 1702.

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Before the House of Orange ascended to the throne, the Netherlands had long been a republic.

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Queen Beatrix is the sixth monarch from the House of Orange-Nassau, which has ruled the Netherlands since the early 19th Century.

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Paying tribute to her late husband Prince Claus, who died in 2002, she said he had helped modernise the House of Orange.

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The House of Orange is Protestant but, importantly, this is by tradition and not a legal requirement as the country today is mainly secular and practicing Protestants are outnumbered by Roman Catholics.

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The stem, or base, is entered up a steep set of stairs by the side of the house and through a bright orange front door.

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When he opened the back door, he saw that the old kitchen house had turned into a windblown orange fireball, streamers of flame running toward him through the grass.

NEWYORKER: Idols