How and when does Máxima choose her clothes? Does everything hang out weeks in advance or does she sometimes grab something from her chair? We recently received this reader question, so here is the answer.
One appointment is not the same as the other. A state visit cannot be compared to an informal working visit in many ways, not even in the field of fashion. For major events such as Prince’s Day, King’s Day, weddings, baptisms and state visits, Máxima chooses her outfit well in advance. In the case of new (demi-)couture this can even take months, for fashion that is already hanging in the royal walk-in closet, a few days or weeks are sufficient.
When an occasion takes place outdoors, a plan B is often chosen. On King’s Day 2023, Máxima was actually supposed to wear a cape dress with embroidery, but in the end the weather was good and she wore a top and skirt in the color of Rotterdam: green.
During state visits, suitcases full of clothes are taken along. A special hotel room is even rented and cleared out to accommodate all the fashion and accessories. You understand: it is useful if Máxima has cut the fashion knots well in advance (read: at least 2.3 weeks in advance) and passed them on.
Because a lot of hours are spent during a state visit, during which anything can happen, there is always an outfit B nearby. When Willem-Alexander and Ma’xima visited the museum in Antwerp during the Belgian state visit, it was raining quite hard upon arrival. The king’s valet and the queen’s maid then entered the museum through the side entrance with clothes bags, in case they had to change clothes. That turned out not to be necessary in the end, but the incident does prove that plan B is always available at such moments.
During the regional visit to the Wadden Islands, the maid also hopped from island to island, ahead of the royal couple. A clothes bag with a ‘reserve’ label swung over her shoulder. Although it rained almost the entire day and Máxima’s trouser suit was getting wetter at the legs, there was no change of clothes.
During informal visits, fashion is less important. Of course, the queen must also look neat and tidy, but a visit to a youth club is a different matter than a visit to the highest level of diplomacy. In such cases, the maid is still ready to help Máxima with her appearance, but chaotic and messy as she is, the majesty also more than once simply grabs a dress or trouser suit from her chair.
So no, not all outfits are planned. Some of the outfits are bought with a specific purpose. Dress X for Prince’s Day, dress Y for King’s Day. The more informal suits are simply taken out of the closet when Máxima feels like it. And often that decision is only made in the morning. They are just like people, there in that palace 😉
