The other day, feeling like I didn’t quite know enough about the Dutch royal family (and its relationship to its public), I picked up this copy of Maxima magazine in the Albert Heijn. Contrary to appearances, the magazine doesn’t focus solely on Princess Maxima, the Argentine-born wife to Crown Prince Willem-Alexander. There are also articles about Charlene Wittstock’s impending marriage to Prince Albert of Monaco, and one about 70-year-old Queen Margrethe of Denmark: “Ik voel me nog jong van hart.”
Overall, the magazine seems most concerned with the facial expressions of European royals, which strikes me as a refreshing approach, compared with the prototypical American paparazzi photograph: celebrity in shades, always shot in full body so that we can see his or her outfit, and always looking dour. In Maxima (the Dutch answer to Maxim?) we find two two-page spreads classifying the many faces of Princess Maxima, entitled: Zo anders kan Prinses Maxima zijn!
I can only assume from the magazine, and from the impression given by her warm eyes, that Princess Maxima is beloved. But the real star of the Dutch royal family seems clear to me: Queen Beatrix, whose face as catalogued by these pages is equal parts stubborn, jaunty and wise. Beatrix took over the throne from her mother Juliana in 1980, and will pass on the throne to Prince Willem-Alexander when she goes – not anytime soon, I hope. I can’t really imagine the circumstances under which the below photo was taken, but the caption really says it all: Zelfs een biertje, bloemen en oranje geklede mannen kunnen Koningin Beatrix niet vrolijk stemmen.
Vocabulary: The many faces of Maxima
Oplettend = Attentive
Verbaasd = Surprised, shocked
Enthousiast = Enthusiastic
Uitbundig = Exuberant
Vrolijk = Cheerful
Geinteresseerd = Interested
Wat nu? = What now?
Verdrietig = Sorrowful, sad
Lief = Sweet
Dromerig = Dreamy
Open mond = Open mouth
