May 17 filled Queen of the Netherlands Máxima around years – all 50. There was no big celebration due to the pandemic, but the queen was interviewed by the journalist Matthijs van Nieuwkerk on the occasion of the 50th anniversary.
The big birthday interview was recorded at Máxima’s office at the royal family’s official residence in The Hague, and broadcast on Dutch television on the evening of 17 May.
The queen in mourning
In the conversation, the recent 50-year-old looks back on life as a royal, and describes, among other things, his first meeting with her husband Willem-Alexander (54) in Seville in 1999. They married three years later, and have since had the three daughters Catharina- Amalia (17), Alexia (15) and Ariane (14).
In the interview, the Argentine-born queen also talks about the tougher sides of life, among other things the sister’s tragic death in June 2018. Inés Zorreguieta was found dead in her own home in Buenos Aires, just 33 years old.
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– Did our best
Zorreguieta was the youngest of four siblings, and had struggled with depression for many years when she died. She was also the godmother of Queen Máxima and her husband’s youngest daughter Ariane.
2016: Queen Máxima and her little sister in Buenos Aires in 2016. Photo: Utrecht Robin / Abacapress.com / NTB
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A very influential Máxima says that they did everything to help her, and that she therefore does not feel guilty after the death. Still, she has gone with a gnawing feeling that they could have done even more.
– We did our best, but we did not know better at that time, she says in the TV interview, reproduced by Monarchs.
She continues:
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– When someone in your family commits suicide, it is not only frustration and sadness, but also fear and shame. It’s all possible involved. It’s a little more complicated than a natural death, the Dutch queen explains.
2007: Inés Zorreguieta (with red hat) in Ariane’s baptism in 2007. Photo: AP / NTB
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The two sisters really enjoyed singing together, and at the funeral she and her family sang the famous song “Knockin ‘On Heaven’s Door” by Guns N’ Roses, which Máxima describes as a great way to say goodbye to her sister.
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– I do not know where she is. But when I think of her now, and it took me a few years, I do it with a big smile, says the 50-year-old.
After her sister’s tragic death, the Dutch queen has become involved in mental health and made it a central part of her royal work.
Do you need help?
Acute suicide risk: 113
Emergency room: 116117
Church SOS:
Phone: 22 40 00 40 // Website: https://www.kirkens-sos.no/
Mental health:
Phone: 116 123 // Website: https://www.sidetmedord.no/
More information about emergency telephones and websites can be found on the National Center for Suicide Research and Prevention’s information pages: http://nssfinfo.no/
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Lost uncle
Zorreguieta worked for the Argentine authorities when she passed away. According to the British website Royalcentral she is also said to have previously worked for the UN, where she was stationed in Panama between 2009 and 2011.
A few weeks after her death in June 2018, the Dutch queen told about her sister’s death for the first time.
Breaks the silence about the sister’s death
BBC was present at the time during a hospital visit in Groningen, a visit she should have made much earlier, but which she had to postpone due to the death.
– I have been back at work since last night, after a difficult period. I am actually happy that I have been able to visit the proton therapy center here in Groningen, because it means so much to people with cancer, she told the press, and continued:
