Who is Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, when was her wedding and who are her sisters?

But, who exactly is she, how did she meet the King and what happened to her youngest sister? Here's everything you need to know about the royal figure.

Who is Queen Maxima of the Netherlands?

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, born Maxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, is the wife of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on May 17, 1971 – which makes the Queen 47 years old.

In 1995, she attained a degree in Economics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina followed by a master's degree in the US.

She has worked in the finance industry for over a decade including her position as the vice president of institutional sales in Latin America for HSBC and Deutsche Bank's Brussels branch.

On April 30, 2013, Maxima became the first queen consort of the Netherlands since Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont in the late 1800s.

She is also the first Dutch queen consort to have been born outside West Europe.

How did she meet the King and when was her wedding?

Maxima met Willem-Alexander during the Seville Spring Fair in Spain in April 1999.

In later interviews, the pair explained that at first the prince simply introduced himself as Alexander, so she didn't know he was a prince until later.

Maxima thought he was joking when he first told her.

After the fair, they agreed to meet again in New York where Maxima was working two weeks later, which is when their relationship began.

The couple announced their engagement on March 30, 2001, and Maxima was granted Dutch citizenship by Royal decree on May 17, 2001.

The engagement was formally approved by the States General later that year which ensures Willem-Alexander would remain an heir to the throne, which led to their wedding in Amsterdam on February 2, 2002.

Maxima and Willem-Alexander had a civil ceremony followed by a religious one in a church.

Who are Queen Maxima's sisters?

Queen Maxima is the daughter of Jorge Zorreguieta, former Secretary of Agriculture, and his second wife Maria del Carmen Cerruti Carricart.

She has two brothers and a sister who sadly committed suicide.

She also has three half-sisters from her father's first marriage.

The Queen's youngest sister, 33, worked for Argentina's Ministry of Social Development and was found in her Buenos Aires apartment on June 6, 2018.

In June 2018, Queen Maxima spoke about her sister's devastating passing for the first time while visiting a therapy centre, saying: "Today is my first day back at work after a difficult time."

She added: "My dear, gifted little sister Ines was sick too. She could find no joy, and she could not be cured.

"Our only comfort is that she has now at last found peace. And I would like to say how very grateful we are for the countless letters, messages and tokens of sympathy that we have received.

"They have really helped us. I'd also like to say thank you for the respect that everyone has shown my family in this very dark period. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Does Queen Maxima have any children?

Queen Maxima has three children with her husband King Willem-Alexander.

Her first daughter, Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange,, was born on December 7, 2003.

She has a further two daughters, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane, born June 26, 2005, and April 7, 2007 , respectively.

Source: Read Full Article