Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands beamed as they arrived in Cyprus this evening before their state visit, which starts tomorrow.
And it’s no wonder they looked relaxed, given the co-pilot on their flight was the monarch himself.
Willem-Alexander, who obtained his Private Pilot’s Licence in 1985 and Commercial Pilot’s Licence two years later, flew the aircraft and was photographed sitting in the plane’s cockpit upon arrival.
Maxima was all smiles as she left the aircraft at Larnaca International Airport and greeted officials who waited for her arrival.
She looked typically fashionable in a sophisticated crimson robe-like coat, which revealed a hint of her paisley-patterned blouse. Maxima completed her airport chic ensemble with classic knee-high brown leather boots.
The mother-of-three styled her honeyed tresses into a sleek updo for the occasion and left a few locks to grace the side of her face.
Father-of-three Willem-Alexander, 57, looked equally dapper in a smart navy suit, matching tie, and crisp white shirt.
The reigning couple are making the two-day trip at the invitation of President Nikos Christodoulides. Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp will accompany Maxima and Willem-Alexander during the brief trip.
King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands co-pilots plane as he arrives at the airport
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands put on a chic display as she touched down at Larnaca Aiport this evening
The visit, which will focus on cooperation in the areas of security, academia, culture, and sustainability, marks the solid relationship between the Netherlands and Cyprus, according to the palace’s website.Â
The visit follows the news that the Dutch version of The Crown is set for a second season and will explore the reigning couple’s fairytale wedding.
Mill Street Films gave fans a sneak peek into the second season of Maxima Zorreguieta: Motherland, set to air in 2026 via Instagram, with an image depicting Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander’s 2002 wedding.
The show dramatises the Dutch Queen’s upbringing in Argentina and how a chance meeting with the then-Prince Willem-Alexander, 57, changed her life forever.
The new press shot showed Delfina Chaves as Maxima, 53, stood at the altar hand-in-hand with Martijn Lakemeier, who plays Willem-Alexander, as they prepared to say their vows.
‘A first sneak peek of the wedding in Máxima season two. Can be seen at Videoland in 2026,’ the Instagram caption read.
The mother-of-three arrived alongside her husband, King Willem-Alexander, ahead of their two-day State Visit to Cyprus
The Dutch reigning couple are making the visit at the invitation of President Nikos ChristodoulidesÂ
The mother-of-three was all smiles as she greeted officials with a handshake after landing at the airport
Th King was seen in the cockpit when arriving in Cyprus ahead of the state visitÂ
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima arriving at Larnaca International Airport on Monday evening
The couple arrived in Cyprus for their two-day State visit, which officially commences tomorrow
Maxima and Willem-Alexander’s wedding ceremony took place at the grand 15th century Nieuwe Kirch in Amsterdam in front of guests, including King Charles, Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria, and Norway’s Prince Haakon.
The mother-of-three looked stunning in an ivory Mikado silk Valentino gown with a cowl neckline, three-quarter length sleeves, a 16.4ft lace train and a tiara topped with star brooches from Queen Beatrix’s collection.
Despite the celebrations, the wedding also sparked national debate as Maxima’s father, a long-serving minister for the Argentinian junta, stayed away – an aspect the series will no doubt explore.
Her father, Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta, was involved in a dictatorship responsible for the torture, death, and disappearance of 30,000 people.
Jorge was an established politician, serving as the Minister of Agriculture under the regime of General Jorge Rafael Videla, commander in chief of the army and a member of the right-wing junta that ran Argentina.
His involvement in the dictatorship would later become an issue Maxima was forced to confront. It is remembered as the period of the ‘dirty war’ against political opponents in Argentina.
The issue was resolved when the Dutch parliament investigating her father’s past concluded that Maxima, who’d been in primary school during the junta years, had known nothing of the atrocities.
Jorge wasn’t invited or welcome on Dutch soil. Her mother, MarÃa del Carmen Cerruti Carricart, also stayed away from the wedding.
57-year-old Willem-Alexander put on a dapper display in a navy suit, light blue tie, and crisp white shirt
When the State visit commences tomorrow, the couple will be accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp
Pictured: Queen Maxima greeting officials after touching down in Cyprus alongside King Willem-Alexander
‘As a daughter I find it terrible that my father won’t be there but that’s the way it is, and I understand the feelings of the Dutch on the question,’ Maxima said at the time.Â
In the series, Maxima’s father is played by Daniel Freire and her mother is characterised by Cesina Stefanini Borella.
Delfina, 29, takes on the role of the Dutch Queen. She is already a mega star in Maxima’s home country – having appeared in hit shows such as Love After Loving, Rap Battlefield and The Secret of the Greco Family.Â
The glitzy adaptation, comprising three directors, Saskia Diesing, Joosje Duk, and Iván López Núñez, is based on the historical novel of the same name by Marcia Luyten.
The first season follows Maxima’s transition into royal life and the obstacles she had to overcome along the way, including the tragic death of a sister and the Dutch public’s anger about her father’s involvement in the military junta.
Maxima spent her childhood in Buenos Aires with two brothers, one sister and three half-sisters.
The future Queen was educated at the English-style Northlands school in the city, where she received a bilingual baccalaureate in 1988, speaking fluently in her native Spanish and English. She later learned to speak Dutch as well as conversational French.
She went on to study at the Universidad Católica Argentina, where she graduated with a degree in economics in 1995Â
Willem-Alexander, who has both his private and commercial pilot’s license, was photographed in the cockpit
The royal duo, who are parents to three daughters, travelled via car after landing at the airport this evening
Pictured: Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander’s aircraft in Larnaca International Airport, Cyprus
While at university, Maxima revealed her strong-willed nature by confronting a priest in a theology class who said ‘women should serve men’ to which she retorted ‘why am I actually studying then?’ leading her to be removed from the class.
After graduating, she had a brief stint working in Buenos Aires before relocating to the United States where she took on a series of high-flying roles.
These included being vice president of Latin American Institutional Sales for the finance house HSBC James Capel Inc. in New York before moving to Deutsche Bank, where she became vice president of Institutional Sales.
Little did she know that in April 1999, while on holiday in Seville, she would meet the love of her life.
The pair had both been attending a party at the annual Seville Spring Fair where she bumped into her future husband – then-Prince Willem-Alexander.
Although they were in a serious relationship, Maxima did her best to keep the prince’s identity secret.
She said: ‘I would tell them something different (about Willem) every time, but at some point, there was nothing for it other than to say: ‘He’s the Prince of the Netherlands.’
The next year, in May 2000, Maxima relocated to work at the European Union Representative Office of Deutsche Bank in Brussels, Belgium.
Soon after the move, in 2001, Willem proposed to Maxima while ice-skating on a pond near Huis ten Bosch Palace.
The couple were married on 1 February 2002 at Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk, however, it was not straightforward leading up to the wedding and her father’s past threatened their marriage.
It became a point of national debate in the Netherlands whether Maxima could become part of the royal family because of her father’s ties with the right-wing junta that ran Argentina.
