Today is May 17 and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands celebrates her 50th birthday. Maxima Zorreguieta Cerruti was born on May 17, 1971 in Buenos Aires. Maxima met Willem-Alexander in April 1999 in Seville during the Seville Spring Fair. Maxima and Willem-Alexander got married on February 2, 2002 in a civil ceremony at the Beurs van Berlage, and afterwards, a religious ceremony was held at the Nieuwe Kerk. The couple has three daughters, that is, Catharina-Amalia “Amalia” (the Princess of Orange), Alexia, and Ariane.
As King Willem-Alexander’s wife, Queen Maxima’s main role is to support the King in performing his official duties and the other work he does in the interests of the people of the Kingdom, assisting him in his task of unifying, representing and encouraging the people. Queen Maxima is a member of the Council of State.
Am surprised by the simplicity of her wardrobe for birthday photos. This was the one time to dress over the top and be excused.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Queen
Jill
I also watched the interview with great interest. I particularly admired the work she and her co-workers do for the UN and the impact this already has worldwide.
DeleteVery much liked the story she told that during her engagement period she made trips all over The Netherlands alone or with a friend in a little car and disguised with a short black wig in order to get familiair with the country, towns, regions and the people and to practice the Dutch language. She is quite a personality!
@ gaelle
DeleteThank you so much for the description of the interview! I don't know (wondering) if there is a version with English sub-titles available for streaming so, its nice to read about an interesting antidote from it. Thank you.
Europa.
I just finished seeing the interview from the first photo. What a strong, compassionate and passionate woman. No subjects seemed off limits, and her reactions were really authentic. An interview like this should be done with all the other queens/crown princesses I think. I'm usually not a big fan of this interviewer, but he did a wonderful job.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear your comment about the interview. Maxima has always appeared to me to be exactly that type of strong, intelligent and compassionate person from the other public discussions I have heard her participate in (Mette Marit is another such person who I admire for the same reasons). Now I wish I could see this interview.
Delete- Anon 9:13
Totally agree to the above post. Hope the interview will become available with English subtitles, as it gives a very good idea of the queen's personality and motivation. To me she seems like a person who does everything she can to put people at ease, if only by laughing and not appearing 'too stiff'. I've written it before: we may not always like the way she dresses and has her hair done, but there is no reason to be condescending about her personality and intellect. Coming from quite a different culture, it is remarkable how well she has made herself at home in her new homeland. Being funny in the Dutch language is not easy when you come from another language area, but she succeeds very well. And to get ahead of the critics, of course there are things that have not been handled smartly (e.g. expensive boat), but in which country are these discussed so openly?
DeleteOn the fashion side, I'm not a fan of both shining blouses, but they go well with the skirts.
MCS
Anon 9:13 you can see it on : https://nos.nl/ (no subtitles) maybe later.
DeleteJ'aurais bien aimé voir de la nouveauté dans son dressing à l'occasion de son anniversaire mais elle est quand même très belle ; la première et la dernière photo nous montrent Maxima avec un changement de coiffure ; il faut qu'elle
ReplyDeletecontinue dans ce sens-là - J'espère qu'elle a passé un bon et joyeux anniversaire !
She was cautious about dressing indeed, I think she was right. The interviewer mentioned some of their high money expenditure (the speed boat). But it is too late to try to justify after.
DeleteI am not sure what I saw was the full interview. He concentrated more on critical aspects than on their positive points.
Just love her work, promoting music in schools. A warm compassionate woman.
ReplyDeleteJust love her work, promoting music in schools. A warm compassionate woman.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and natural photos :) Happy birthday to Queen Maxima!
ReplyDeleteQueen Maxima has always been my favorite of all current European royals, and she has proven to be a devoted Queen to her adopted country.
ReplyDeleteWhere can I watch the interview? Can you post a useful link with subtitles in English? I really like her smile.
ReplyDeleteI have now seen the full video, quite interesting. Many aspects are covered including her early days in the NL.
ReplyDeleteThe van Nieuwkerk interview of Queen Máxima is also here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrhNJSvzA40
ReplyDeleteI notice the video now has CC (Dutch), so that helps a bit. I'll be re-watching it.
~Laurel~
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