Queen Máxima Is Following in Amalia's Military Footsteps

Queen Maxima wearing a military uniform and baseball cap; Princess Catharina-Amalia wearing camo uniform and holding a gun

(Image credit: Dutch Ministry of Defense; Getty Images)

Princess Catharina-Amalia, the future queen of the Netherlands, marked an important milestone in her military career in January, and now her mother is following in the family's Army tradition. On February 4, the Dutch royal family announced that Queen Máxima has enlisted as a part-time reservist in the country's Royal Army.

"Queen Máxima has started training to become a reservist for the Royal Army today," the palace's Instagram post read. "She registered because, like other reservists, she wants to contribute to the safety of the Netherlands."

A statement from the Royal House of the Netherlands further explained that the 54-year-old queen chose to enlist because "our security can no longer be taken for granted." Her decision comes as many European countries are strengthening their military defenses and also preparing for a future where U.S. support may be less automatic than in the past.

Queen Maxima shooting a gun — Queen Máxima is shown during a training session with the Royal Army.

"Reservists play a crucial role in supporting the military," the palace continued its caption. "Now Queen Máxima has the rank of soldier. Upon completing her education she will be awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel."

The age of 55 is the cut-off for enlisting, and the Royal House noted that this "played a role" in Queen Máxima's decision to sign up now. While other royals around the world routinely receive military training, enlisting as a queen is an incredibly rare move, especially as Máxima, who was born in Argentina, isn't Dutch.

Queen Maxima hugging Princess Catharina-Amalia in a military uniform — The queen hugs Princess Catharina-Amalia after her promotion to corporal in January.

The palace notes that "like other reservists, she will deploy where needed," with photos of the queen showing her aiming a gun, rappelling down a wall with a rope and jumping into a pool in full uniform.

On January 23, Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander's eldest daughter, Catharina-Amalia, completed her general military training and was promoted to corporal. Her proud mom was on hand at the ceremony, snapping photos with her phone and running over to give the future queen a long hug.

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.