Kneeling Bench
The oak kneeling bench was made for the wedding of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik in 1901. The bench was manufactured by the firm H.P. Mutters & Zn in The Hague, and was completed on 6 February 1901. The bench was made in Louis XIV style and bears the monograms W & H in the carving. The Church blessing took place in The Hague on 7 February 1901. The bench was used again for the blessing of the wedding of Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard on 7 January 1937, again in the Grote Kerk church. The bench was not used again until at the weddings of Princess Margriet’s sons, Prince Maurits and Prince Bernhard, in 1998 and 2000, and in 2001 at the wedding of Queen Beatrix's youngest son Prince Constantijn and Laurentien Brinkhorst. For the wedding of the Prince of Orange and Máxima Zorreguieta the original green velvet covering has been replaced by Italian brocatel with gold ground and a red Venetian design. The bench is part of the collection held by the National Museum Het Loo Palace, where it may be viewed by the public.
Tabourets
During the wedding the Bridal Couple was sitting on gilded wooden tabourets in Empire style. The cushions for these come from Noordeinde Palace in The Hague and are covered in the same brocatel as the kneeling bench.
Kneeling cushions
Special kneeling cushions were made for placing on the kneeling bench for the weddings of Queen Wilhelmina and Princess Juliana. The Prince of Orange and Máxima Zorreguieta have expressed a wish to continue this tradition. The Bailiwick of Utrecht of the Teutonic Order offered the specially made kneeling cushions to the Bridal Couple as part of their wedding gift. This Order was founded in 1199 as an order of military knights following the founding of a hospital in the Holy Land. Now a Protestant organisation, the Order continues its charitable tradition by actively supporting aid services in the Netherlands.
The cushions are made from bordeaux duchesse satin The monograms WA and M are embroidered on the centre of the cushions in gold thread, surmounted by the Royal crown. Surrounding this are embroidered and appliquéd orange blossom branches. The cushions are trimmed with a silk fringe and tassels in the corners. Máxima herself chose the design to be depicted on the cushions. The design and making of the cushions was carried out by Marten Loonstra (Curator of HM the Queen’s Art Collection), Jan Ruijs (Ruys Interieurs), Sytske Stratenus-Duma (needlework) and Margreet Beemsterboer (needlework).
Children's' seats
The six pageboys and flower girls were sitting on armchairs made in Hindeloopen in the province of Friesland. They are painted white and decorated in the traditional Hindeloopen style with tendrils and flower motifs. The chairs have rush seats.