Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will celebrate her 50th birthday on May 17th. The Argentine has taken the hearts of the Netherlands by storm.
–
Máxima was born on May 17, 1971 in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires as Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti. There she grew up in the affluent Barrio Norte district with two brothers, a younger sister and an older half-sister. The political past of her father Jorge Zorreguieta would later put obstacles in the way of Máxima. But the Dutch quickly took their current queen to their hearts.
Máxima Zorreguieta meets Prince Willem-Alexander
Up to high school in 1988, Máxima attended a bilingual school in Buenos Aires and then studied economics at the Catholic University of Buenos Aires. After graduating in 1995, she went to New York, where she worked for various banks, including Deutsche Bank.
In 1999 she traveled to Seville with a friend, where she met the heir to the Dutch throne, Prince Willem-Alexander, at a party. He is said to have fallen in love with Máxima immediately, it should have taken a little longer. Both initially had a secret relationship, which they gradually could no longer keep away from the public. In 2000, Máxima went to Brussels for Deutsche Bank to be closer to Willem-Alexander.
The engagement triggers a state crisis
On March 30, 2001, Queen Beatrix and her husband Prince Claus announced the engagement of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander to Máxima Zorreguieta. Máxima performed together with Willem-Alexander, spoke Dutch pretty well to everyone’s surprise and skillfully answered questions about her father Jorge Zorreguieta. He was the stumbling block of the relationship because he had worked in responsible government positions during the Argentine military dictatorship. That was a thorn in the side of not a few members of the parliament who had to approve the marriage of the heir apparent and almost triggered a state crisis in the Netherlands. However, a word of power from the then Prime Minister Wim Kok ended the dispute over Máxima.
The civil ceremony took place on February 2, 2002, followed by the church wedding in Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk. However, Máxima had to go to the altar without her father – a compromise with the Dutch government. The moment will never be forgotten when the orchestra intoned the Argentine tango “Adiós Nonino” – in German: “Goodbye, father” – and the tears rolled down at Máxima from sheer emotions. The fact that Máxima renounced part of her family on the most important day of her life for the love of the heir to the throne was highly appreciated by the Dutch.
And the offspring was not long in coming. In 2003, on December 7th, the couple’s first daughter, Princess Catharina-Amalia, was born, who will one day succeed her father to the throne. On June 26, 2005, the second daughter, Princess Alexia, was born and on April 10, 2007, Princess Ariane made the family perfect.
Máxima has been queen since 2013
Willem-Alexander’s mother, Queen Beatrix, abdicated in 2013 in favor of her son. A few months later, on April 30, 2013, Maxima became queen at her husband’s side. At the coronation in Amsterdam, she looked truly royal in a royal blue robe and delighted her followers. In her farewell speech, Beatrix said that the young royal couple was well prepared for the new task. Máxima is considered to be extremely hard-working, resilient, structured and accomplished on the international stage. The queen is often supposed to sit at her desk until late at night, take phone calls and study papers. The representative tasks of a queen seem to be easy to accomplish.
She is also very committed to social issues. Because she knows a lot about finance, she campaigns for microcredit and travels to developing countries to support start-ups. The cohesion of society in her new home country and the integration of migrants are also important to her. The Oranje Fund, founded on the occasion of the couple’s wedding, supports many social projects. Máxima is also a member of the State Council and the Dutch Committee for Entrepreneurship and, since 2009, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Financial Inclusion and Development.
Shared fate with husband Willem-Alexander
Even before her wedding, the 1.78 meter tall Máxima impressed with her stylish appearance and a happy and self-assured charisma. The queen knows exactly what suits her, has a sure knack for choosing her wardrobe and relies on local labels such as Jan Taminiau or Claes Iversen. She loves the big show as much as she loves a private bike ride through the country. Every year she and her husband mingle with the people on King’s Day and show themselves to be a very approachable royal couple. You can see that, for example, during the annual winter holiday that the Dutch royal family has been spending in Lech am Arlberg, Austria for decades.
The place Lech is associated with many wonderful memories for the family, but also with a special tragedy, because in February 2012 Prince Friso, Willem-Alexander’s younger brother, was buried there by an avalanche. He died 18 months later as a result of his serious injuries. Máxima shares the tragic loss of a sibling with her husband: in 2018, Máxima’s younger sister Inés Zorreguieta, the godmother of Máxima’s daughter Ariane, died. She is said to have suffered from depression and anorexia.
Is their popularity waning?
Queen Máxima won the hearts of the Dutch for a long time. Even opponents of the monarchy are enchanted by the Argentine, the media refer to her as “Holland’s better half”. With her infectious laugh, her modern style of clothing and her relaxed manner, Máxima enchants everyone who meets her.
But in 2020 the tide turned: Máxima, Willem-Alexander and their daughters regularly go on vacation in their holiday home in Greece. The fact that they also did this during the Corona lockdown, when their people had to stay at home, caused a powerful headwind at home. The family broke off vacation, returned home, and publicly apologized on TV. Since then, Máxima and Willem-Alexander have been trying to turn the mood around again with well-dosed appearances, which usually include their daughters. Will they succeed too?
–
