With Princess Ariane’s departure, the last child of Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander has also left the nest. It marks an emotional period of transition for the mother of three.
When children leave home and parents suddenly find themselves alone again, they often experience feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and longing for their familiar daily routine. Queen Máxima, 53, is also struggling with this adjustment. After Princess Alexia, 19, moved to Wales in 2021 to complete her school education and heir to the throne Princess Amalia, 21, relocated to Amsterdam a year later for her university studies, the youngest, Princess Ariane, 18, also said goodbye in the summer of 2023 to complete her final school exams 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 young ladies at home anymore.” The pain must have been even greater as Ariane was absent from the celebrations of King Willem-Alexander’s 58th birthday. The princess is currently in the middle of preparing for her final exams at 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 has given her “more freedom”
Despite the sadness over the goodbyes, this phase of life also brings new opportunities for Máxima. The mother of three now uses her newfound freedom to devote even more time 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. Now I can attend more meetings and visits, even if they keep me out later.” As a result, she has “gained a bit more freedom,” said the Queen.
However, the weekend of April 26 and 27 is all about family. Since Willem-Alexander’s birthday falls on a Sunday, the national King’s Day was celebrated a day earlier, on Saturday. During the festivities, Amalia and Alexia chatted about how their studies are progressing.
