On Tuesday afternoon, June 30, 2026, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands opened the battery park at the Máxima Power Station operated by energy company Engie in Lelystad. Minister of Economic Affairs Stientje van Veldhoven was also present at the opening. Following the plenary programme, Queen Máxima officially inaugurated the battery park by walking through the site together with a group of schoolchildren.
Afterwards, Year 5 pupils presented their school project on sustainable energy. Working in small groups, the students each developed their own street concept with a focus on energy, technology, and cooperation. In the operator room, Queen Máxima received an explanation of how the power station operates and the role of the battery park within the energy system.
The Máxima Power Station (formerly known as Flevocentrale) contributes to the Dutch energy supply and therefore plays a role in the country’s economic development. The facility is one of the most modern in Europe, has recently been converted to allow co-firing with hydrogen, and supplies electricity to nearly two million households.
She looks bright, unique and different in this dress, certainly would catch the eye of the children especially. She looked very engaging and happy, wonderful to see as she always is.
ردحذفSay yes to the dress - out of the wild 20er.
حذفIs she going to a fancydress-ball?
ردحذفWhat a mess.. no shape to the dress then a massive big bird moment at the bottom. Then the cabbage leaves on her head. Not forgetting her favourite ..plastic shoes. I'm sorry to offend anyone but i had a good laugh at the pictures.
ردحذف... and then compared to the chic and elegant lady in the pink dress!
حذفAnd don’t forget it is so wrinkled it looks like it’s made of paper. Your description is spot on!
حذفMe too
حذفThe students get to see a glamorous Queen for sure, I am sure they loved her.. To me the dress is a little "Moulin Rouge" for a daytime event!!!
ردحذفI'm sorry, but the dress looks like grass is hanging from it.
ردحذف@ may queen.
حذفmy thoughts exactly.
Of course it's Natan.
I also agree with another comment that her head appears to have
cabbage leaves on it.
Cate.
I like the dress, but the fabric seems if terrible quality. And this is Maxima she can get away with more than any of us could ever do.
ردحذفLuna
So THAT’S what you wear to a power station. Now I know!!
ردحذفYou are planning a visit? Lucky you, know you know what is fashion
حذفYou just knew this was a Natan design before seeing the confirmation in print. Surely a dress with that amount of razzmatazz going on,is better suited to cocktail hour. Rather than on a serious engagement. Maxima has pant suits aplenty I’m sure one of them would have been a far better and appropriate alternative.
ردحذفLowri.
I guess considering the heat wave it is a ‘cool’ dress, but time to retire this rewear for good. The colour is good, overall just too quirky for me
حذفAnother Natan misshap.. There's absolutely no glamour in that outfit. She looks like a cartoon.
ردحذفThere is no glamour needed, so perfect outfit then
حذفI agree that there is no glamour needed there, however I am not convinced that this was a good option for this event.
حذفlove her!
ردحذفLove the Queen and her enthusiasm, but the dress and shoes are a little dated so I’m not sure it’s her best outfit for this event.
ردحذفI guess this has to be a cocktail-dress, for fun, without a hat, and with ballerina’s the effect would be better.
ردحذفThis dress has received in the past bad comments as well as good comments.
ردحذفI always heard it has been made of a technical fabric which is used in the couture business to make a preliminary dress to see how it falls. So it was not supposed to be worn but to serve as a model. How Queen Maxima came to the idea of having (buying) such a dress nobody nows. Why it has been finished with feathers after all is a mystery too.
I like the idea, but I would like to see it made of raw (wild) silk f.ex. before I can tell if I still like it. The complete picture with the hat, feathers, etc... is something we saw on the catwalks in the 60-s too.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing
حذفLuna
I like the pink dress of the lady next to Queen Maxima. I also like her thin golden necklace.
ردحذفThis is a rewear from Natan. The more rewears the better. And as a royal you make with a rewear a statement for sustainability. Of course this blog is a fashion blog so we love seeing new clothes but the royals could do more with sustainability in their mind.
ردحذفThis seems to be a nice dress for a Coctail Party. For this engagement - dreadful.
ردحذفWhat a disaster—that messy dress and that terrible swim cap on her head.
ردحذفWhat a disaster and lack of respect your comment.
حذفIs she wearing a swimming cap?
ردحذفNot my favorite dress, but the ridiculous comments pulling her down to their own level, seemingly happy to elevate themselves by using "disaster", "messy", "terrible" do describe this appearance of a beautiful and clearly very diligent queen - just because she has fluff on her hem. Well ... again, it all says more about the commenters than about her.
ردحذفExactly…. She had so much positive attitude and glamour… They love to pull her down…
حذفأزال أحد مشرفي المدونة هذا التعليق.
ردحذفI also don't like this rewear. But your comment is rude
حذفDo you genuinely mean that? What an utterly disgraceful thing to say. I find it deeply offensive, and I'd be ashamed if I'd written something like that. I sincerely hope you don't actually know what it means. If you do, then I hope Helen removes you from the group. To attribute something like that to Queen Máxima is beyond unacceptable.
حذفIt mught be a re-wear but it is one that should have been re-cycled long ago never to be seen again. The whole outfit is a laughable mess, imo!
ردحذفI think this dress is fun, and I liked it the first time she wore it as well as now. It's very plain and simple from the top down because the feathers at the bottom catch all the attention. I'll even give her credit for the hat despite it reminding me of Magneto's helmet from the X-men. I also don't think it's appropriate for the event and venue, but Maxima can and will wear whatever she wants and I admire her for that.
ردحذف- Anon 9:13
From Joann: It seems that children were involved in this outing - school projects, etc. Children love to see outfits where there is something that grabs their attention. A child once loved my necklace. She reached up to touch it, pulled on it and broke the chain. I still haven't got around to get it fixed. Anyway, I think Maxima was going for a "fun" vibe here. I don't think outfits you would wear to an office works all the time. So I think the kids loved it.
ردحذفThe photo of Maxima sitting down is not becoming to a queen. It didn’t occur to her to try sitting before she left the palace?
ردحذفBecause of Some skin????? Please…
حذف@Anon 15:21 Modern day queens play by different rules these days. Nothing wrong with that.
حذف- Anon 9:13
I would like to hear from the people she represents.
حذفRegardless of the individual wearing an outfit or for what purpose, use of an iron is always a good idea.
ردحذفYes. I take your point. But I think Maxima was going for a "fun" vibe here. There are times when an outfit you would wear to an office doesn't always work . Children often like to see something that grabs their attention. Maxima has a jolly, outgoing personality and she seems to lose herself in her public outings. I think people respond to her by their expressions when meeting her. And I don't think Maxima intends on being disrespectful either to her hosts or the event. Really, I don't think people take offense. In this photo she is totally engaging with the speaker, not aware of how she's coming off.
ردحذف@15:12- you cannot know what the children thought but in my experience, I think many would be laughing rather smiling at the dress and probably nonplussed by the hat, says someone who taught for over 40 years.
ردحذفFrom Joann. I'm having problems with my computer and my above post 16:59, was written by me. I also wrote the one above, saying pretty much the same thing. When I type something, it flies off the page, my computer freezes up. To 17:48 No I cannot "know" what children are thinking because I cannot read minds. But from their demeanor, the children are enjoying themselves. I doubt they paid that much attention to Maxima's outfit And I doubt, if they are brought up properly, they know it's rude to make fun of someone. I never saw children do that. While it's not my taste, the dress certainly didn't keep me from having a positive view of Maxima and her efforts. --Joann
حذفTout de suite, mon regard s’est attardé sur la dame vêtue d’une robe fuchsia ; elle a su choisir d’élégants talons fuchsia avec une touche de rose !
ردحذفLove her but still feel no love for this dress. Sadly, today it is a wrinkly mess (rare for Queen Maxima) that only adds to its woes. I know Maxima loves to play with fashion and this dress is certainly playful. I might like it better if she wore it to a cocktail type event but not as a day dress. My other complaint is the plastic inset shoes--really hate those. Wish she and Queen Mathilde would ditch them. I struggle to see how a plastic insert is remotely comfortable. Positives from today are her updo--its beautifully done--and her "hat" that does a good job at mimicking at pillbox hat.
ردحذفJanet
@20:55, Really, you have never seen children 'make fun of someone' !
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