VARIOUS FACTS

Willem-Alexander and Máxima met eachother in April 1999 in Sevilla, Spain, at the Feria (year market). During this week there are bull fights and horse races in Sevilla and in the evening people meet in the casetas (bars in tents). Máxima was taken to Sevilla by friends of her from New York. Willem-Alexander was also invited by friends and then they met. Three weeks later the Prince was in New York for a wedding of friends and had a date with Máxima.

The relation is known in the Netherlands since August 1999 when they were spotted together on the boat of the Royal Family in the Netherlands. Soon the press found out the name of the girl who was with Willem-Alexander.

Willem-Alexander asked Máxima to marry him on January 19th, 2001, at the pond of Palace Huis ten Bosch near The Hague. They went skating, which is a big hobby of Willem-Alexander, and it was her first time. She told she was very cold and just was looking forward to the traditional hot chocolate at the end. And then very unexpectedly he asked her to marry him. After the parents Prince Constantijn and his fiancee Laurentien Brinkhorst were the first to know. They said to have nothing against an engagement before their own wedding and wished them all the luck in the world.

Willem-Alexander designed the engagement ring of Máxima himself with the help of a jeweller.

The wedding will not take place until the beginning of 2002, most likely in January. This will give Máxima the chance to learn to know the Netherlands better before the marriage, because this period will be very important for the future. She will learn better Dutch, more about the history, form of government and constitution, and the society. Date and place of marriage are not known yet, but Willem-Alexander will be the first Dutch Crown Prince to marry in the Netherlands.

Máxima will move to Palace Huis ten Bosch as soon as possible. She will take her stuff from Brussels to The Hague after having finished what she has to finish in Brussels.

Willem-Alexander has admitted it was stupid of him to tell the press about a letter in the Argentinian newspaper La Nación recently during a visit to New York, not knowing that open source was written by Jorge Videla. Máxima fully agreed with him that it was a stupid thing to do.

Máxima's father, Jorge Zorreguieta, after several talks with the Dutch Minister of State, Max van der Stoel, decided not to attend the engagement or the wedding, to made it possible to his daughter to integrate in the Netherlands. Most likely also her mother will not attend the wedding, but Máxima said she hopes her brothers and sisters will. However Mr. Zorreguieta will later take part in more private family occasions.

Máxima is a catholic. Although Máxima herself doesn't know yet if she will ever become a protestant, it was said eventual children will be christened and raised in the Dutch reformed faith of Willem-Alexander.

Hundreds of people were gathered in front of Palace Noordeinde in The Hague to celebrate the engagement and to wait for the couple to show up after the press conferences.