Who Is Queen Maxima? Dutch Empress Stole The Show At NATO Summit

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands captivated world leaders with her striking lime-green ensemble at the recent NATO summit. The queen and her husband, King Willem-Alexander, welcomed world leaders from 32 countries at The Hague's World Forum on Tuesday. This was the first time the Netherlands played host to a NATO summit.

In the summit's family photo, Queen Maxima's striking lime-green jumpsuit featured a V-neckline and flowing cape-like sleeves. A decorative embellishment on one shoulder elevated her entire look.

Who Is Queen Maxima?

Born on May 17, 1971, as Maxima Zorreguieta, to Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta and Maria del Carmen Cerruti de Zorreguieta, she grew up in Buenos Aires. She graduated in economics from the Universidad Catolica Argentina in 1995.

Even during her university days, she worked in the Sales Department of Boston Securities SA in Buenos Aires, according to the official website of the Royal House of Netherlands. At the time, she also taught children and adults, English, and mathematics to secondary school pupils and first-year students.

Queen Maxima first worked for HSBC James Capel Inc. in New York from 1996 to 1998. She was Vice-President of Latin American Institutional Sales. Next, she was at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, as Vice-President of the Emerging Markets Division, until July 1999.

Her next move took her to Deutsche Bank in New York, placing her as the Vice-President of Institutional Sales. From May 2000 to March 2001, she worked at the EU Representative Office of Deutsche Bank in Brussels.

She first met her husband, then-Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, at a party in Spain in 1999.

While the couple quickly fell in love, their relationship took a turn for the worse when the Dutch media revealed that Maxima's father had been a minister for Argentina's violent military junta regime during the infamous Dirty War.  

Despite the uproar, former Queen Beatrix approved her oldest son's union, calling Maxima a "modern, intelligent woman."

A year after their marriage, Willem-Alexander became the King of the Netherlands at the age of 46. He ascended to the throne on April 30, 2013, upon the abdication of his mother, Queen Beatrix. 

With his coronation, Maxima became the queen of the Netherlands. She quickly gained popularity for her charisma, smart wit, and strong work ethic.

Today, Maxima is well recognised for taking a stand on tough political issues such as immigration and women's economic empowerment. The Dutch Queen also received praise for her early support of LGBTQ+ rights. 

The royal couple is known for their easygoing attitude toward life as a monarch. They opted out of hosting a coronation ceremony and chose to send their three children, Princess Catharina-Amalia, 21, Princess Alexia, 19, and Princess Ariane, 18, to public school instead of a prestigious private institution.

Their oldest daughter, Catharina-Amalia, also known as Princess of Orange, is the heir to the Dutch crown.