2-02-2002: Royal Wedding Willem-Alexander & Máxima
On 2 February 2002 a real royal wedding took place at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
How did they meet each other?
Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, eldest son and heir of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus, met Argentine-born Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti at the Seville Fair in April 1999.
Two weeks later, they met again in New York, where Máxima was working as a banker for Kleinwort Benson. She did not meet his parents, Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus, for some time.
The proposal
As speed skating is one of the most popular sports, Willem-Alexander proposed to Máxima on the ice on skates.
A week earlier, Willem-Alexander already told his mother and Prime Minister Kok that he would propose to Máxima soon.
Keeping it secret?
The intention was that the intended marriage remained a secret, so as not to get in the way of Willem-Alexander's brother Constantijn and Laurentien Brinkhorst, who would marry in May. Ultimately, it was too difficult to keep secret, so on 30 March 2001, Queen Beatrix announced her eldest son's engagement.
A troubled past?
During the National Reorganization Process, Argentina's most recent dictatorship, Jorge Zorreguieta, Máxima's father, served as Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries. During this regime, an estimated 10,000–30,000 people were kidnapped and murdered during this and subsequent military regimes before democracy was restored to Argentina in 1983. Zorreguieta claimed he was unaware of the Dirty War while he was a cabinet minister.
Jorge Zorreguieta's presence at the wedding was debated for months. It was eventually concluded he would not attend. In solidarity, her mother chose not to attend.
Let the party begin!
On 31 January, Queen Beatrix's 64th birthday, there was a black-tie dinner and ball at the Royal Palace of Amsterdam for 500 guests to celebrate the impending wedding and the Queen's birthday.
The day before the wedding, there was a lunch and concert at the Royal Concertgebouw attended by 1,600 guests. That evening, the couple attended an event organized by the National Orange Committee and the municipality of Amsterdam in the Amsterdam ArenA. About 50,000 people from every
Dutch municipality were invited.
Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam - own picture taken in 2006
The wedding
Prior to the service, pieces by Böhm, Bach and Scheidemann were played on the organ. The bride and groom entered the church together to Entrata Festiva, which was composed by Dutch composer Jurriaan Andriessen for the wedding of Prince Willem-Alexander's parents in 1966. Throughout the service, a
number of Dutch hymns were sung. Kyrie from Mozart's Mass in C major, K. 337 "Solemnis" and Schubert's Ave Maria were also performed. The recessional was "Hallelujah" from Handel's Messiah.
In honour of the bride's parents, who were absent, Adiós Nonino, an Argentine tango by Astor Piazzolla was played.
Listen and see this wonderful movie on youtube of Adiós Nonino during the wedding of then Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Máxima. on this link. For me this was the most touching moment of this royal wedding
The dress
Guests of the direct family
Were inter alia:
The Queen and The Prince Consort, the groom's parents
Prince Friso, the groom's brother
Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, the groom's brother and sister-in-law
Prince Bernhard, the groom's maternal grandfather
Princess Irene, the groom's maternal aunt
The Prince of Piacenza, the groom's first cousin
The Count of Bardi, the groom's first cousin
The Marchioness of Sala, the groom's first cousin
Princess Margriet and Mr Pieter van Vollenhoven, the groom's maternal uncle and aunt
* Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, the groom's first cousin and his wife
* Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, the groom's first cousin and his wife
* Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, the groom's first cousin
* Prince Floris of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, the groom's first cousin
* Princess Christina, the groom's maternal aunt
* Mr Bernardo Guillermo, the groom's first cousin
* Mr Nicolás Guillermo, the groom's first cousin
* Miss Juliana Guillermo, the groom's first cousin (bridesmaid)
*Jonkvrouw Sigrid Jencquel, the groom's paternal aunt
*Mr and Mrs Joachim Jencquel, the groom's first cousin and his wife
*Baroness Theda and Baron Karl von Friesen, the groom's paternal aunt and uncle
* Baron Alexander von Friesen, the groom's first cousin
* Baroness Renate von Friesen, the groom's first cousin
* Baroness Isabell von Friesen, the groom's first cousin
*Baroness Christina and Baron Hans von der Recke, the groom's paternal aunt and uncle
* Baroness Katinka von der Recke, the groom's first cousin
* Baroness Sophie von der Recke, the groom's first cousin
* Baroness Theresa von der Recke, the groom's first cousin (bridesmaid)
* Mr and Mrs Martín Zorreguieta Cerruti, the bride's brother and sister-in-law
* Mr Juan Zorreguieta Cerruti, the bride's brother
* Miss Inés Zorreguieta Cerruti, the bride's sister (bridesmaid)
* Mrs María and Mr Adrián Vojnov, the bride's half-sister and brother-in-law
* Miss Ángeles Zorreguieta López Gil, the bride's half-sister
* Mrs Dolores and Mr Harmond Grad Lewis, the bride's half-sister and brother-in-law
* Mrs Marcela Cerruti Carricart, the bride's maternal aunt
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