King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands shared a romantic photo on Instagram earlier today in which he reenacted his proposal to Queen Maxima.
King Willem-Alexander famously proposed to his now-wife Queen Maxima on the icy pond at Huis Ten Bosch over twenty years ago. This year, he reenacted the moment and shared it with the world with the words, “Over twenty years later, same place. Enjoying the ice! – WA” Queen Maxima, dressed in a long coat and a warm hat, smiles down at him.
His original proposal was on 19 January 2001 and the two were married the following year. He later said of the proposal, “It was a beautiful Friday afternoon and I thought, ‘Maxima will have to learn how to skate, because what is more Dutch than ice skating?'”
Maxima said, “I was expecting an offer of a cup of hot chocolate. Because I had heard that is just as much of a Dutch tradition as iceskating is.” In reality, she received a white gold engagement ring with an oval cut orange diamond to symbolise the colour of the House of Orange-Nassau. And the rest is history!
