Queen M¨˘xima and King Willem-Alexander celebrate 20 years of marriage
By Natalie Oliveri|
Queen M¨˘xima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands have marked their 20th wedding anniversary.
The milestone took place on February 2 and two photos from the special day, from 2002, were shared to the couple's Instagram account.
"Today King Willem-Alexander and Queen M¨˘xima have been married for 20 years," the post said alongside the images.
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"They married on February 2, 2002 in Amsterdam."
It was quickly followed by messages of congratulations from their subjects and royal fans around the world.
At the time of the royal wedding, Willem-Alexander was yet to be crowned king.
His mother, Queen Beatrix, was monarch and her son simply the Crown Prince.
Before meeting Willem-Alexander, Argentinian-born M¨˘xima Zorreguieta worked in finance having earned a degree in economics.
M¨˘xima met her future husband in April 1999 at the Seville Spring Fair in Spain, where he 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.
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.
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And in 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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Princess M¨˘xima wore the Dutch Star tiara for her wedding, which used the base of another design in the Dutch royal collection, the Pearl Button Tiara, with its pearl brooches removed.
In their place were five 10-pointed diamond stars that once belonged to Queen Emma.
M¨˘xima's silk satin gown was created by Valentino who had previously designed the wedding dress for Greece's Crown Princess Marie-Chantal in 1995.
The Italian designer would later create the wedding gown worn by Princess Madeleine of Sweden in 2013 when she married Christopher O'Neill.
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.
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