With Princess Ariane’s departure, the last child of Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander has also left the nest. It’s an emotional period of transition for the mother of three.
When children leave home and parents suddenly find themselves alone again, feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and longing for the familiar daily routine often take over. Queen Máxima, 53, is also struggling with this adjustment. After Princess Alexia, 19, moved to Wales in 2021 to complete her schooling, and Crown Princess Amalia, 21, left for her studies in Amsterdam a year later, the youngest, Princess Ariane, 18, said her goodbyes in the summer of 2023 to finish high school in Italy.
Queen Máxima “really misses” her daughters
About a year and a half later, on King’s Day, April 26, 2025, Máxima shared that it is “something to get used to not having these ladies in the house anymore.” The pain was likely even greater as Ariane was also absent from the celebrations for King Willem-Alexander’s 58th birthday. The princess is in the middle of preparing for her final exams at the United World College Adriatic in Duino-Aurisina.
However, speaking to the “Nederlandse Omroep Stichting” (NOS), the Queen revealed that she is still able to see her daughters regularly: “Luckily, they come back very often, and occasionally I visit them too. So that’s quite nice. But I really miss them a lot.”
Her children’s departure grants her “more freedom”
Despite the sadness of their leaving, this new phase in life also offers new opportunities for Máxima. She is now using the newfound freedom to devote herself even more to her royal duties: “In the past, I tried to be home by 6 p.m. at the latest, but that’s no longer so important. This allows me to attend more meetings and visits, even if it means coming home later.” As a result, she has “naturally gained a bit more freedom,” the Queen explained.
However, the weekend of April 26 and 27 was all about family. Since Willem-Alexander’s birthday fell on a Sunday, the national King’s Day celebrations were held on Saturday. On site, Amalia and Alexia shared some updates about how their studies are going.
