King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are making a three-day state visit to the Republic of South Africa at the invitation of President Cyril Ramaphosa. On the second day of their state visit, the King and Queen met with President Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings and then took part in a meeting with the South African president and ministers.
The King and Queen attended the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between South Africa’s Minister for Higher Education, Dr Bonginkosi Emmanuel Nzimande, and the Dutch Minister of Education, Robbert Dijkgraaf, on strengthening cooperation in education.
The King and Queen visited Freedom Park, which was created by former president Thabo Mbeki as a memorial to all the South Africans who dedicated their lives to the fight for freedom, dignity, and ending apartheid, and to the struggle for liberation in South Africa.
The dress is a gorgeous color but would be so pretty without that tumor on her shoulder. But it’s Maxima…somehow she makes it work!
ReplyDeleteAgree with your first sentence. The dress would be perfect without the bizarre growth on the shoulder. The colour, the style, the hat are all perfect. Perhaps it can be cut off before she wears it again! 😀
DeleteAnnieM
I love Maxima and I love the dress but the pillow on her shoulder :O
DeleteOh la la, dès la première photo, je me suis demandée ce que portait Maxima sur son épaule droite ; cela peut ressembler étrangement à un chou ou une énorme laitue ah, ah !! A mon humble avis, le vert comme le mannequin lui irait mieux avec une grande modification sur l'épaule. Pour les boucles d'oreilles déjà vues, je verrais ce même style mais dans une couleur menthe transparente !
ReplyDeleteNo, no....no
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, yes
DeleteThat thing on the shoulder is so unnecessary, its too grand for a simple event, the hat not needed either.
ReplyDeleteA meeting with the president and the ministers is considered maybe not so simple in South-Africa. What must she wear then ? A jacket and a skirt ? or a shirt-dress or prairie dress with little flowers ? I think she made a good choice to wear a fashionable dress new style. Rose
DeleteA State Visit is the antithesis of a simple event.
DeleteAre you kidding? A simple event this is not. A State Visit requires the highest level of protocol which often mean hats for the ladies and tiaras at night. Since South Africa is a republic, they may not wear tiaras, but rest assured, everyone will show up in their best finery.
Deleteit looks like she is going for a coronation. Day 2 of state visit is usually simple business wear. The grand outfits are for day 1 and state dinner, look up other first ladies n royals.
DeleteAnonymous19/10/23 19:07 Normally you would be right. But with this state visit the official reception with the head of state (the president) was not on the first but on the second day.
Delete@ Anonymous 19/10 19:07 There was no state dinner only a state lunch on Day 2. Rose
DeleteSuper dress, super colour worn by QM; the accent on the shoulder, probably by many will be considered as over the top, to me it's just the 'cherry on the cake'. Overall, to me the queen looks absolutely fantastic today!
ReplyDeleteQueen Maxima looks absolutly beautiful. She can definitely wear anything. For me she is a fashion queen.
ReplyDeleteSame for me! Love Max!
DeleteShe is definitely
DeleteWithout the "thing on the shoulder" I think I would like the dress, but as often "too much is too much". Good color, nice design.
ReplyDeleteThis is way beyond what I would say that I don't like. It's original but not in a good way.
ReplyDeleteThis looks kind of crazy but for some reason I still like it. I think that it works for a South Africa visit as a nod to the rich fabrics, colours and prints of the region. I´m glad she reduced the bulk of that shoulder thing to a somewhat acceptable and manageable size. "Somewhat" - it´s still bigger than her head, lol. The colour suits her well in any case.
ReplyDeleteSassy, sophisticated FUN!! A different take on the "official" uniform. She ROCKS it!!
ReplyDeleteExactly
DeleteHorrible dress !!
ReplyDeleteDas Kleid ist sehr elegant - die Pompschleife stört !
Delete--very very horrible
DeleteThis seems to be a day-appointment. She is totally overdressed.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but the thing on the shoulder, is not needed, its rather ugly. Edwina PS: nice smile, and nice to see the hair taken care of with a brush
ReplyDeleteWell I like the ornament on her right shoulder. Lucky she did not choose the green dress. The purple color is beautiful. You will see in a 2 or 3 years when she will wear the dress again everybody will like it. The same happened with the orange dress by Zeus+Dione she wore yesterday. When she wore it for the first time she received bad comments. Today the majority like the dress. Rose
ReplyDeleteJe suis fan fan très fan de Maxima avec des tenues spectaculaires. Elle seule peut se permettre de mettre des trucs improbables sur les épaules.
ReplyDeleteIci elle est sublime
Froufrou
Only Maxima can make that dress work ♥️
ReplyDeleteQueen Maxima is one of a kind - and I just love it.
ReplyDelete/AA 🇸🇪
She is totally!
DeleteAgreed!
DeleteAnon 9:13
How to spoil a potential good classic dress of beautiful colour, length and cut:
ReplyDeleteAwfull attention seeking “ flower” on the shoulder, way to big;
Accessoires in wrong colour( shoes and handbag).
The hair and hairband are lovely, the earrings stunning!
I should have preferred the sleeves without cuffs but that is a minor quibble.
Mabel
:
The dress designer Nathan created the dress, not Maxima. It’s hard to blame the wearer for the designer’s choice! I too think the shoulder “rose” is over exaggerated, but Maxima pulls it off. Do you ever wonder if she gets a good laugh at some of the dresses designers bring to her … “ah this will get the fashion commentators up in arms, let’s have some fun”…??? - AnneLise
DeleteI'm totally with you, AnneLise. I'm sure she sometimes takes great delight and has a bit of a laugh to wear these unusual creations. But she is so confident and sincere when she wears them that she makes them work and I love her for that.
Delete- Anon 9:13
Correction on my first comment: I just saw an other picture: no cuffs on the sleeves: just straight, very good,
ReplyDeleteMabel
Yes, yes, yes Max! Looking amazing!
ReplyDeleteOnly Max could wear a dress like this and she does a good job of it! I love the colour too.
ReplyDelete- Anon 9:13
100% Maxima 😁
ReplyDeleteYou can't help but love her.
Exactly, @ Deadeggs!👍👍
DeleteSarebbe stata perfetta, ma c’è sempre qualcosa di troppo… ☺️
ReplyDeleteRossella
Seriously, Maxima? So important to take a dress that is already an eye-catching color and print and drag it over the top of LOOK AT ME with a giant twisted tunnel on the shoulder.
ReplyDeleteRemember it's the designer who made this dress and not you, me or QM. The shawl accent/ornament can be worn in different ways and has nothing to do with 'look at me'
DeleteColour and pattern lovely. Small rolled up sleeping bag on her shoulder not so much. It would annoy me all day in my peripheral vision. Km
ReplyDelete"A sleeping bag on her shoulder", love it. Thanks @Km
DeleteI like the dress and when standing with the lady in African dress they balance each other out. The adornment on the shoulder is similar to the green one GD Maria Teresa wore to her daughters wedding. Not my taste but definitely a stand out look.
ReplyDeleteNo pictures of the last day of the state visit from Portugal to Belgium. The president invited the king and queen to listen to the famous Portuguese Fado music. For those who might be interested try :
ReplyDeletehttps://www.flickr.com>photos>belgiummfa
Rose
Thanks Rose for the link.
DeleteAs the President didn’t have a partner with him, there was really only Queen Mathilde to present “fashion” to us. Her outfits drew a lot of comments, the majority being on the positive side.
I love the dress, even with the cabbage on her shoulder. It fits, length is good, color is fabulous and even the shine of the fabric completes the total picture. The hat keeps her thin hair tidy. Next to the lady with the flamboyant traditional dress, she looks just right. Only Máxima could pull this off.
ReplyDeleteWhat's that burrito doing on her shoulder?! If not for that, it would be a smashing dress, love the color and fit on Maxima.
ReplyDeleteMrs C
Back to a Natan outfit . Her last two looks were so nice, but here's she's back to a silly outfit with a too large -whatever it is- by her neck. The shiny print with those black squares and loud color makes her -again- the center of attention, sad.
ReplyDeleteBut she IS the centre of attention! The queen on a state visit! I don’t love Nathan’s designs very often, but I think Maxima often pulls them off beautifully … it helps to separate the designer from the wearer, eh? - Brigitte P.
Delete@Kteach: If you don't think that, as a Queen who has been invited by a country to be their guest of honour on a state visit, that she shouldn't be the centre of attention and dressed to the nines, then you've got this horribly wrong. You need to think again.
Delete- Anon 9:13
Terrific on Maxima and materialwise it corresponds with what the South African lady is wearing! C
ReplyDeleteThat ridiculous wrap of extra fabric on Max's shoulder is awful--her whole look when have been close to perfect had that not beed added on. I'm just going to put this out here--Maxima is a Queen and while fashion can be fun and even playful, she is on a state visit and that's not the time to play. Sorry if I've offended anyone but I feel this outfit is way off the mark only because Natan chose to add the leftover fabric from the bolt into something that ultimately detracts from the dress.
ReplyDeleteJanet
One thing about Maxima, she certainly makes things interesting fashion-wise.
ReplyDeleteOk, my hesitations are over, I like the dress but still without the thing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a waste of material with that big bunch at the shoulder. I realize the designer makes the dress but I know the Royal ladies can have some minor changes if they want. I have seen this done many times.
ReplyDeleteThe piece on her shoulder I dislike, but the rest of the dress looks nice. The color is fabulous, and suits her well.
ReplyDeleteYes @ Ava, the colour, just the colour, is captivating imo
DeleteThe colour is beautiful and Maxima can make the whole look work - Louise
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of a Cabbage Patch Kid sitting on her shoulder!
ReplyDeletePhoto N°9 : The table setting looks understated but classy in its simplicity.
ReplyDeleteThe flower bowls could have nothing else in them other than proteas.
They are the national flower of South Africa.
You can buy them at times in Europe but they don’t come cheap.
They are almost at the top of the list as my most loved flower.
I understand they are grown a lot in Australia.
@Rose said Maxima “rocks”.
ReplyDeleteAnd she does.
More please dear Max.
Simplicity, good taste, and grooming are the three fundamentals of good dressing (Christian Dior).
ReplyDeleteSuper color and pattern. Not a fan of this giant snail house on her right shoulder. If someone can pull it off it is Maxima. css
ReplyDeletePost a Comment
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