Rarely has a marriage started so romantically, the date alone promised happiness: On February 2nd, 2002, the then Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and the Argentinian Máxima Zorreguieta exchanged vows in Amsterdam. That was 20 years ago, they have now ascended the throne, the marriage is considered happy. But the way to the altar was anything but easy.
The couple met at a party in Seville in 1999. It didn’t spark immediately. He looked annoyed at her photo camera and thought she was a paparazzi. “It was love at third sight,” Willem-Alexander later joked. And Máxima: “I really didn’t think he was nice, but that has changed.” But then things quickly got serious – and there was a big problem.
Because Maxima’s father, Jorge Zorreguieta, was a member of Argentina’s military junta in the 1970s and is said to have known about human rights violations. For Willem-Alexander, however, the matter was clear: he is said to have made it clear that, if necessary, he would renounce the throne and marry Máxima without the consent of the Dutch parliament. A delicate diplomatic game began.
Máxima and Willem-Alexander: A royal kiss with passion
The Dutch prime minister finally managed to find a compromise: he got Máxima’s father to publicly condemn the military junta. Only then did Parliament agree. However, Zorreguieta was not allowed to appear at his daughter’s wedding. This made for what was probably the most emotional moment of the wedding ceremony: in honor of the bride’s Argentine roots, an Argentine tango was played in the Nieuwe Kerk. And Máxima shed uncontrollably tears to the music of her homeland, which she left behind with her marriage.
When the rings were exchanged, she beamed again. the good mood is her absolute trademark. Despite her controversial origins, the former banker quickly became the most popular member of the royal family. The subsequent wedding kiss on the palace balcony went down in history as one of the most passionate royal declarations of love.
For eleven years, the couple was able to enjoy family life relatively undisturbed on the Eikenhorst estate near The Hague. It had three daughters: Crown Princess Amalia came in 2003, Alexia in 2005, and Ariane was born in 2007. The princesses are jokingly called the “A-Team” in the Netherlands. Accession to the throne in 2013 changed her life. The king has many obligations as head of state, his wife became queen. “They are a good team,” say royalty experts.
The Dutch will probably do without the big celebration this year: most recently, the family had fallen out of favor with the people after they repeatedly violated the corona measures and flew on vacation during the lockdown and celebrated Crown Princess Amalia’s 18th birthday . The popularity ratings plummeted.
Nevertheless, they will certainly not forget their 20th wedding anniversary, even if the party circle has to be smaller this time than it was then.
Source: Stern
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