HRH The Princess of Orange (Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti) (born May 17, 1971 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is the wife of Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, heir to the Dutch throne. They were married on February 2, 2002 in Amsterdam. A former investment banker, she is a daughter of Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta Stefanini and his second wife, Maria del Carmen Cerruti Carricart.

The Princess of Orange

The news of the couple's relationship and eventual marriage plans caused a great deal of controversy in the Netherlands. Máxima's father was minister of agriculture during Videla's regime, a brutal military dictator who ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983 and who was responsible for many atrocities against civilians. (An estimated 10,000-30,000 people disappeared during this and subsequent military regimes before democracy was restored to Argentina in 1983). The significance of his potential connection to the Dutch royal family, and his possible presence at a royal wedding, was hotly debated for several months.

Prime Minister Wim Kok gained much respect for his negotiation of the situation. In the end, approval for the marriage was granted by the Dutch parliament (necessary by law for Willem-Alexander to remain heir to the throne) but Máxima's father was not allowed to attend the wedding.

Máxima was granted Dutch nationality on May 17, 2001. This provoked complaints from the left, since such a grant before marriage is not customary in the Netherlands (but required by Dutch law for a royal bride). Under normal circumstances, it is only possible after the marriage and usually takes several years to obtain.

On June 18, 2003, the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (National Bureau for Government Information) announced that Princess Máxima was pregnant. The first child of the couple was born December 7, 2003, at 17.01 h in The Hague. The baby girl, Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria, is second in line to the Dutch throne.