Queen Máxima of the Netherlands

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

credit: Dutch Royal House, © RVD, photo by Rineke Dijkstra

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands – credit: Dutch Royal House, © RVD, photo by Rineke Dijkstra

Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 17, 1971, the daughter of Jorge Zorreguieta, an Argentine politician, and María del Carmen Cerruti Carricart. She has two brothers, one deceased sister, and three half-sisters from her father’s first marriage. Through her father’s family, she is a direct descendant of King Alfonso III of Portugal.

Following her secondary education at the Northlands School in Buenos Aires, Máxima earned her degree in Economics from the Universidad Católica Argentina. During this time, she worked for two different financial firms in Buenos Aires as well as tutoring students and adults in English and math. Following her degree, Máxima worked for HSBC James Capel, Inc. In New York, serving as Vice President of Latin American Institutional Sales. In early 1998, she began working for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson as Vice President of the Emerging Markets Division until mid-1999. She then moved to Deutsche Bank, working first in New York and then in the EU Representative Office in Brussels, Belgium.

It was while working for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in New York that she first met her future husband, the future King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. The couple met in Spain, during the Seville Spring Fair. At first, she was unaware of his royal status, having simply introduced himself as ‘Alexander’. When he eventually told her who he was, she thought he was joking. They met again a few weeks later in New York and their romance blossomed.

However, the relationship was controversial to many in the Netherlands, due to her father having served as a cabinet member in the Argentine regime of President Jorge Rafael Videla. A formal inquiry into the situation and her father’s role in the Dirty War found that he was not directly involved with the mass deaths that took place. However, it was found very unlikely that someone in his position would not have had knowledge of what was going on.

photo: Hello

photo: Hello

Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus announced the couple’s engagement in March 2001, and the couple was married in Amsterdam on February 2, 2002, in both civil and religious ceremonies. The civil ceremony was held at the Beurs van Berlage, followed that afternoon by the religious ceremony held at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. Máxima’s parents did not attend the wedding.

Máxima and Willem-Alexander have three daughters:

 

Having been announced a few months earlier, Queen Beatrix formally abdicated in the morning of April 30, 2013, and Willem-Alexander became the new King of the Netherlands. With Máxima by his side, his investiture was held that same afternoon at the Nieuwe Kirk in Amsterdam,  attended by the entire Dutch royal family, many foreign royals, and most of the Dutch government.

photo: Hello

photo: Hello

Queen Máxima holds numerous public posts and represents the Royal House at official occasions. She is a member of the Council of State which provides the government and Parliament with advice on legislation and governance and is also the country’s highest administrative court.

Embed from Getty Images 

Queen Máxima holds a number of other positions in the Netherlands and abroad including:

  •  UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development: Queen Máxima has served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) since 2009.  As Special Advocate she is a leading global voice advancing universal access to affordable, effective, and safe financial services.
  • Orange Fund: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are patrons of the Orange Fund, which was a gift from the Dutch people on the occasion of their wedding. The Orange Fund works for social welfare and cohesion in the Netherlands and is largely run by volunteers.
  • Prince Claus Chair: Queen Máxima is the chairperson Board of Trustees of the Prince Claus Chair. Prince Claus Chair promotes education and research in the field of development issues and is occupied in turn by a young, outstanding academics from Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Caribbean who is associated with either Utrecht University or the Institute of Social Studies (part of Erasmus University Rotterdam).
  • Money Wise Platform: Queen Máxima is the honorary chair of the Money Wise Platform which focuses attention on the importance of financial education and managing money sensibly, especially where children and young people are concerned.
  • Committee for Enterprise and Finance: Queen Máxima is a member of the Committee for Enterprise and Finance whose aim is to improve access to funding opportunities and coaching for start-ups and existing businesses and to encourage entrepreneurship in the Netherlands.
  • Ambassadors for Music at School Platform: Queen Máxima is the honorary chair of the Ambassadors for Music at School Platform which is working to achieve its goal of music lessons for all children in primary school.

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