Queen Maxima of the Netherlands reigned supreme on a major day for her royal family.
The King of the Netherlands headed to parliament for the his official speech at the opening session of a new parliament on what is known as Prince’s Day. But this year, it was all about the queen as Maxima surprised everyone with her own look and saw one of her daughters copy her style to revive another famous look from the queen’s wardrobe.
Maxima, who is known for her love of bright colours, pulled a style shock no one saw coming by choosing monochrome for this year’s Prince’s Day, one of the biggest dates in the royal calendar.
The Queen of the Netherlands chose a black blouse and full length cream skirt for the event. She added an unusual fascinator style hat that swirled into a sharp point above. Her jewels were a pair of pearl earrings.
However, her style impact reached beyond her own choice for Prinsjesdag. Her second daughter, Princess Ariane, wore a burgundy hat that had once belonged to her mother while Maxima’s youngest child, 19 year old Princess Ariane, went one better and wore a burgundy gown that her mother had used for Prince’s Day several years ago.
The Dutch royals, including heir to the throne Princess Catharina-Amalia, arrived at the parliament buildings by carriage. King Willem-Alexander, who gave the budget speech, led his family. He was accompanied by his brother, Prince Constantijn, and his wife, Laurentien, for this important day.
Inside the parliament, King Willem-Alexander gave his speech from the throne, focused, as always on the budget for the coming parliamentary year. After a return carriage journey, he then led his family out for a balcony appearance. As has become customary, his mother and the former monarch Princess Beatrix, made an appearance at a window to greet the crowds.
Queen Maxima was centre stage for the balcony appearance which saw a sizeable crowd gather while the palace band played music.
Prince’s Day is always held on the third Tuesday in September and sees the royal family out in force, marking the start of a new season of engagements for them.
