Princess Ariane of the Netherlands

Insiders, close friends, and experts talk about the impressive life of Princess Beatrix: the powerful woman, friend, and mother behind the office.

The marriage between Willem-Alexander and Máxima reads like a fairy tale, but one in which love, duty, and public opinion constantly clash. Insiders, close friends, and experts explain how the relationship comes under pressure as soon as private choices have public consequences.

They are the most famous sisters in the Netherlands: the so-called “A-Team”—Amalia, Alexia, and Ariane, the daughters of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. As they come of age, the younger daughters are also drawing public attention. However, only the eldest, Princess Amalia, bears any responsibility. Her path is predetermined as the future Queen of the Netherlands. Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane, however, have a choice. Will they dedicate themselves to serving the royal family, like their great-aunt Margriet, for whom this has been a life’s work for more than 60 years? Or will they follow the example of King Willem-Alexander’s brothers, who went their own way as “freelance royals”?