Her Royal Highness Máxima recently celebrated her 50th, birthday along with the country of which she is queen. Dutch TV broadcast various specials, interviews and docu-series about the Queen, her life, family, passions and role as the wife of the King and mother to the royal princesses, and how she handles her high-profile status on the world stage. Through these special broadcasts, we gained insight into her remarkable story – from a young girl from a notable (albeit politically controversial) family growing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to the international financial world in New York City and Brussels, and finally to the Dutch Royal House of Orange as Queen of the nation.
Her story is that of fairytales, having met then-crown Prince Willem-Alexander in 1999 at the Seville Spring Fair (as the story goes, she thought he was joking when eventually told her he was not only a prince but the heir to the Dutch throne! After dating for two years, she married the Prince in a lavish ceremony viewed by over 80 million people worldwide. Her acceptance by the Dutch people was not always an easy one, but she has since won over their hearts and now is the most popular member of the royal family. She is the first commoner and first non-European member of the House of Orange, and though her journey has not always been an easy one, she has taken on this role with regality, grace and professionalism. But what makes Queen Máxima shine the most is her tireless and passionate work for the causes she supports.
The Queen is a fervent supporter of women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, a strong proponent of music in education, and is especially devoted to the integration of immigrants into Dutch culture, including learning the Dutch language as she did. She serves on numerous boards, committees, government advisory entities, foundations and charities connected to causes close to her heart. But it’s her work with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) that makes her an international, modern Dutch hero.
In this role, Queen Máxima advises governments and members of the private sector on solutions to make financial services available to developing nations, SMEs and female-owned businesses in developing nations in order for them to participate in global commerce, expand their business and invest in their futures. When she started her work with the UNSGSA in 2009, there were 3.1 billion people worldwide with no access to financial services. 11 years later, that number dropped to 1.9 billion. Yet, she has stated that there is still work to be done, especially with the Covid crisis having hit businesses in developing nations the hardest.
Queen Máxima also travels the world to see first-hand the reality of small- and medium-sized businesses and is not afraid to ‘get her hands dirty’, as peers of the Queen have said. While on assignment, she sometimes works 14+ hour days with few breaks as she seeks to understand the granular details of the problems faced by those who lack access to basic financial services. Eric Duflos, director of one of the UNSGSA’s offices and head of the team that supports Queen Máxima and her activities, said in a recent interview: “Queen Máxima is not a person who is into quick wins. She’s into making big changes.” The Queen herself said that she studied economics because she wanted to help change the world. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that Mr. Duflos said that the world could use more people like her.
Through her naturally warm nature and strong character, Queen Máxima has won the hearts of the Dutch people and others around the world. She seems to have understood the role she must assume as the wife of the King and the Queen of the country herself, using her position and role to further causes that elevate people and businesses to participate more equally on the global stage. She seems to understand that her high-profile title and role grant her an access to a level where she can actually help make the positive changes in the world she talks about – and she’s using that access to push nations, governments and the private sector to open financial services to those who need it the most.
Written by Marla Thomson