AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Former Dutch Queen Juliana, who oversaw the dismantling of the Dutch empire and the reconstruction of the Netherlands after World War II during a 32-year reign, died Saturday. She was 94.
Juliana, who gave up public life in 1999 due to her weakening condition, died in her sleep of a lung infection at the royal palace in Soestdijk, about 30 miles southeast of Amsterdam.
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende canceled foreign travel plans and declared a national day of mourning for the popular monarch he called "a mother to us all."
Several newspapers printed special free editions and national television channels broadcast hours of special coverage.
"Her personal attention went out to the welfare of people, especially people who ... couldn't keep up: people in hospitals, elderly homes, revalidation centers, orphanages. She sought them out countless times," Balkenende said in a televised address to the nation. "By her own words, if she hadn't been queen, she would have liked to have been a social worker."
Picked by Rigor Mortis Mairi.