New drama about Queen M¨¢xima's fairy tale rise to royalty set to rival The Crown

One of Europe's most popular queens is the subject of a new drama series set to rival The Crown.

M¨¢xima will tell the story of Queen M¨¢xima of the Netherlands, a commoner-turned-royal who met her future husband who initially hid his real identity from her.

The first photos from the new show have now been shared, showing ?the day then-Crown Prince Willem-Alexander announced his engagement to Argentinian M¨¢xima Zorreguieta.

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Before meeting Willem-Alexander, now M¨¢xima worked in finance having earned a degree in economics.

They met in April 1999 at the Seville Spring Fair in Spain, where the Crown Prince introduced himself as only "Alexander".

The couple arranged to meet in New York, where M¨¢xima was working at a bank, just a few weeks later.

They announced their engagement in 2001, with Willem-Alexander proposing with a ring that has a special link to his royal origins, The House of Orange, of which Dutch royalty descends from.

The centre stone of M¨¢xima's platinum engagement ring is an oval orange diamond with two emerald-cut diamonds.?

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On 30 March, 2001 M¨¢xima addressed the nation in Dutch during a live televised broadcast, quickly endearing herself to the people by trying her hand at the notoriously tricky language.

And in February 2002, it came time for their royal wedding.

The couple married twice, the first time in a civil ceremony at Beurs van Berlage officiated by the Mayor of Amsterdam.

That was followed by the religious service at the Nieuwe Kerk (The New Church) before making their first appearance as husband and wife on the balcony of the Royal Palace.

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?While the day was a huge spectacle for the Dutch, there had been controversy in the lead up due to M¨¢xima's family.

Her parents were eventually banned from attending the wedding because of her father's controversial past and weren't allowed to attend Willem-Alexander's coronation in 2013.

Despite that, the wedding of Willem-Alexander to Maxima went off without any dramas and their union has been one of the strongest ever since.

They've now been married 21 years and remain popular across the Netherlands.

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen ?M¨¢xima, now 52, have three daughters: Princess Catharina-Amalia, 19, who is heir, Princess Alexia, 18, and Princess Ariane, 16.

The first season, which has just wrapped, will focus on ?M¨¢xima meeting her prince and her journey to becoming a public figure.

It's not expected to gloss over the controversy surrounding her father and his role in Argentina's autocratic Videla regime.

The series was filmed in New York, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium and Argentinian actress Delfina Chaves will play M¨¢xima, while Martijn Lakemeier will star as Crown Prince Willem-Alexander.

German actor Sebastian Koch plays Prince Claus, the father of Willem-Alexander and Elsie de Brauw will play Queen Beatrix, who abdicated in 2013 in favour of her son.

"The strength of this series lies in the point of view of our main character, of M¨¢xima," producer Rachelvan Bommel said.

"By experiencing everything from her perspective, the focus is different than one might expect. We will always see the story unfold through her eyes. That is what will capture the viewers' hearts."

Producers are expecting the show to rival the popularity of The Crown, which tells the story of the British royal family during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.?

"We all know The Crown, but in the Netherlands we have a royal family that is very appealing to Dutch and German audiences and Maxima is a character who changes the way people think about them."

The series is based on the popular book, ?M¨¢xima Zorreguieta: Motherland by Marcia Luyten, published in 2021.

"The book, and the series, focuses on her upbringing, with her social climber parents, and where she comes from.

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"This is an actual person, a mother of three daughters, and the responsibility to not fictionalise everything arises."

The series is produced by Millstreet Films and was commissioned by RTL Netherlands' OTT service Videoland.

It's due to air early next year.?