At the invitation of King Willem-Alexander, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, are making a state visit to the Netherlands. On June 9, 2026, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima officially welcomed the German Federal President and Ms Büdenbender to the Netherlands at Dam Square in Amsterdam.
In the afternoon, the King and Queen, Federal President Steinmeier, and Ms Büdenbender visited the National Holocaust Museum. Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport Sophie Hermans and Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema also took part in the visit. They then visited the Resto VanHarte community restaurant in Amsterdam-Oost.
Maxima looks properly summery!
ReplyDeleteI love the oversized hat, but even more than that, I like that her skirt and top is fairly low-key, matching the conservative style of Mrs. Budenbender and not showing her up. Let's see how the state dinner tonight goes, fashion-wise.
- Anon 9:13
A big no to Maxima's outfit. This dramatic mega-hat, like from the South American pampas, is appropriate for a summer party on the Copa Cabana beach, not a state visit. She must have known the modest style of the wife of the German president, Mrs. Budenbender, and yet she reached for such a theatrical element.
ReplyDeleteStephanie
Agree !!
DeleteI agree with you, Stephanie. Even though I love Maxima's outfit very much, it is not appropriate for the occasion. This is a state visit, not a garden party.
DeleteAna Katarina
Agree
DeleteHm, why should the Queen "dress down"? Can't Miss Büdenbender dress up and wear an impressive outfit? She is representing my country and sorry, if that boring funeral outfit stands for it, I should probably think about moving to the netherlands. Germany is more than you might get the impression seeing these pictures.
Delete'Copa Cabana beach' outfit😁
DeleteI agree with Anon 08:59
Delete- Anon 9:13
She is out again in her big mad hats and I love it! Only Max could pull this off. LRB
ReplyDeleteOutstanding hat. Perfectly elegant and perfectly practical to shield the face from the sun. Hoping more people will get back to hats for the best skin protection.
ReplyDeleteI think she looked lovely and summery. Yes, the hat was big but it all worked. I really liked the skirt.
ReplyDeleteEn général, je n’aime pas les capelines mais là, celle de Maxima est sublime en harmonisant son look !
ReplyDeleteBeautiful outfit for Maxima. Frau B seems to have dressed for a different season
ReplyDeleteThis is a no for me: just a blouse and skirt will not do for an official state visite.
ReplyDeleteThe cut of the skirt is not good, and the pattern does nothing for it. The big hat doesnot work for this combination.
Love this floral skirt with the large, modern print and soft colors. Perfectly paired with a simple white blouse and tan heels lets the skirt and this fabulous hat be the highlights. Pure summer!
ReplyDeleteThat’s a sartorial home run for QM, the pearls are understated glory. dlh
ReplyDeleteI'm quite sure why but I love this hat! I think the skirt and shirt might be a little too caual for it. With the right dress or suit this would be great to wear to a wedding or christning.
ReplyDeleteBiggest hat or go home ! I'd rather go home. A hat as the the size of a parasol
ReplyDeleteI read what everyone is saying about Frau B's more modest style. Good for her. But Max is the queen with her personal style. And she looks great
ReplyDeleteYes! Fully agreed.
DeleteYes, sorry, the hat is so ridiculously huge that it looks intentionally unserious. Poor Mrs. Budenbender has to look happy while trying to avoid colliding with its brim.
ReplyDeleteWearing a slightly more cheerful outfit would go a long way in making Mrs. Budenbender look happy.
Delete- Anon 9:13
This hat is a big no and a big rute versus first lady 's modesty and simplicity
ReplyDeleteThe individual elements are lovely; but when combined, in my view, not so much. The cotton and/or linen of the skirt and blouse are not refined enough for the delicate silk and chiffon-like elements in the hat -- which are more suited for weddings, christenings, garden parties etc. The pearl necklace is extremely formal and needs to be combined with a classic formal dress, gown or suit - not a breezy all-purpose cotton blouse. Her right hand bracelet is also not in my view compatible aesthetically with the necklace.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I would love to wear this blouse and skirt myself; and I think that on Maxima these two together look fantastic. Lyra
Queen Maxima looks fantastic like always. Mrs Büdenbender looks boring like always.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful hat for a woman who can wear huge hats. It does not have anything to do with "pampas", what a condescending silly remark ... and note: she wears it outside, in sunshine, and takes it off when inside. But besides that, as comparisons do, the comparison between Ms Büdenbender's "modest" style seems to imply that a big hat lacks "modesty" ...
ReplyDeleteWhich of course it does! ( lack modesty)
DeleteI agree, the hat has nothing to do with the "pampas". It reminds me the American musicals from the 50s, which could be seen in the cinema. There one could see the ladies wearing a big hat like the one Queen Maxima is wearing. They wore also beautiful cotton dresses with it and they mostly sat on a hay wagon together with their beaux and everybody was singing. Someone said the white blouse was made of cotton. On my screen it looks like white silk. Why can't Queen Maxima wearing pearls ? I think the short pearl necklace matches the hat. And her bracelet is also made of several rows of tiny pearls matching her necklace. I am against the fact that queens or princesses should dress according the queen, princess or first lady who is invited on state visit together with her husband. Everybody should wear the dress, coat or set of 2 pieces they like. One could see it the other way round. If I was invited to go on state visit to another country I would try to wear the best clothes I had and if I didn't had the right clothes I would be as quickly as possible at a designers house to have made a dress or whatever. The same goes for the visits of people from other beliefs than the most European countries. No queen or princess should wear dresses to please the belief of their visitors. They don't wear Western outfits themselves. For the royal men it is much more easy, sometimes the foreign sultans and or kings are wearing a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie just like our kings, princes, presidents, etc... Sometimes they wear as well during the day as during the receptions and state dinners their long kaftans and hats made of beautiful silk and embellished with gem stones, draped on their heads...
DeleteI simply waited for other comments to appear, before making my own thoughts known. And it basically went how I expected it to go. Controversial big hat on Queen Maxima. A too modest, too drab outfit on Mrs. Büdenbender. Too much of this, too little of that. I can see it all. However, this all reflects the personal styles of the ladies involved. The Dutch queen is her usual flamboyant self. Would we like her to dress down? Not really, don't we? It makes things so interesting and gives us much to talk about. Would we like Mrs. Büdenbender to suddenly go all exotic paradise bird? No (well, perhaps a teeny-tiny bit sometimes, just to surprise us all). I don't mind the oversized hat, aside from the fact that the wide brim kept Mrs. Büdenbender on a certain distance. Is it entertaining to watch? It certainly is. Bring it on, ladies, bring it on.
ReplyDeleteI rather like Maxima's exuberant look, I would have rather if Frau Büdenbender had added a bit spice to her look, she is a very elegant and well dressed Lady a tad too dull for my liking in this occasion, but nothing wrong with it
ReplyDeleteLuna
Why hasn’t anyone commented on the perfect twinning of the King and the President? :-D
ReplyDeleteI love Máxima and her big hats. Only wish she would have worn a dress instead of a skirt and blouse combo, which looks a bit too casual.
Style - what style? The triangular shape of the skirt due to stiff material is not flattering, the blouse lacks shape and the material looks cheap, the hat does not compliment - it distracts - it also creates a space between the wearer and guests which is not convivial to interaction which surely is the purpose of such visits. It is rather like a sunhat (with an added unnecessary and silly flower) one buys on holiday and leaves behind because it is too large to get in the suitcase or on the plane!
ReplyDeleteMad hatter!🤭
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