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.
ReplyDeleteIs she going to a fancydress-ball?
ReplyDeleteWhat 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.
ReplyDelete... and then compared to the chic and elegant lady in the pink dress!
DeleteAnd don’t forget it is so wrinkled it looks like it’s made of paper. Your description is spot on!
DeleteThe 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!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but the dress looks like grass is hanging from it.
ReplyDelete@ may queen.
Deletemy 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.
ReplyDeleteLuna
So THAT’S what you wear to a power station. Now I know!!
ReplyDeleteYou are planning a visit? Lucky you, know you know what is fashion
DeleteYou 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.
ReplyDeleteLowri.
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
DeleteAnother Natan misshap.. There's absolutely no glamour in that outfit. She looks like a cartoon.
ReplyDeleteThere is no glamour needed, so perfect outfit then
DeleteI agree that there is no glamour needed there, however I am not convinced that this was a good option for this event.
Deletelove her!
ReplyDeleteLove 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.
ReplyDeleteI guess this has to be a cocktail-dress, for fun, without a hat, and with ballerina’s the effect would be better.
ReplyDeleteThis dress has received in the past bad comments as well as good comments.
ReplyDeleteI 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
DeleteLuna
I like the pink dress of the lady next to Queen Maxima. I also like her thin golden necklace.
ReplyDeleteThis 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.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be a nice dress for a Coctail Party. For this engagement - dreadful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a disaster—that messy dress and that terrible swim cap on her head.
ReplyDeleteIs she wearing a swimming cap?
ReplyDeleteNot 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.
ReplyDeleteAs too many Times, exagerated outfit. I think She might suffer from some kind of evita peron síndrome...
ReplyDeleteI also don't like this rewear. But your comment is rude
DeleteIt 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!
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDelete- 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.
ReplyDeleteThe 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?
ReplyDeletePost a Comment