Nothing Dutch is foreign to me, so I gladly complain about a proper mess. About the weather (first too cold, then too hot, never quite right), about the traffic, and of course also about the NATO summit. Why couldn't I just drive from Haarlem to Zandvoort to let the dogs (I'm taking care of a dog this week) run free on the beach? What does Zandvoort even have to do with The Hague? There isn't even a direct connection. And when I dropped my girlfriend off at Schiphol and wanted to drive home via Hoofddorp, every exit was blocked by military trucks, as if it were war.

From frustration to admiration

And just where one would want to avoid The Hague, I was led directly towards it via the motorway. I grumbled and complained. Why should this hobby project (sorry, but I was really struggling here) from Mark Rutte take place here? We were not at all equipped for it! And Huis ter Duin is a fine hotel, but I couldn't quite imagine Trump being particularly happy there.

The power of the royal image

But just as easily as I complain, I also change my mind. For when I saw our fantastic queen shine in her lime green jumpsuit yesterday, next to Princess Amalia, who – as the English say so beautifully – is “blossoming” in every respect, I felt only one thing: pride.

Máxima's jumpsuit steals the show

And I had to revise my opinion about Mark Rutte. For holding the NATO summit in our small country might have been the most strategic move possible. The story of our royal family, the beauty of Huis ten Bosch, the charm of our queen and crown princess, and our king's unrefined style could be the honey that binds it all together.

Queen Máxima in a fashion classic from 2006

As I write this, there are four newspapers in front of me, and three of them have pictures of our queen on the front page. It's also fantastic that she wore an outfit she had on before – in 2006. I know this thanks to Josine Droogendijk from Modekoningin Máxima, who documents it all so nicely.

Where can you buy Máxima's jumpsuit?

This outfit is – the top of the top – couture and made especially for our queen. But in the prêt-à-porter collection from Natan, which supplies much of the queen's wardrobe, you can find something very similar. It's stylish, elegant, unique, colorful, non-standard, and glamorous. Just like our queen herself.

Amalia: timeless class in Ralph Lauren

And Amalia? Oh, how beautiful and charming she is. She wore a long dress from Ralph Lauren – just as classy and timeless as she herself is.

Nothing Dutch is foreign to me, so I gladly complain about a proper mess. About the weather (first too cold, then too hot, never quite right), about the traffic, and of course also about the NATO summit. Why couldn't I just drive from Haarlem to Zandvoort to let the dogs (I'm taking care of a dog this week) run free on the beach? What does Zandvoort even have to do with The Hague? There isn't even a direct connection. And when I dropped my girlfriend off at Schiphol and wanted to drive home via Hoofddorp, every exit was blocked by military trucks, as if it were war.

From frustration to admiration

And just where one would want to avoid The Hague, I was led directly towards it via the motorway. I grumbled and complained. Why should this hobby project (sorry, but I was really struggling here) from Mark Rutte take place here? We were not at all equipped for it! And Huis ter Duin is a fine hotel, but I couldn't quite imagine Trump being particularly happy there.

The power of the royal image

But just as easily as I complain, I also change my mind. For when I saw our fantastic queen shine in her lime green jumpsuit yesterday, next to Princess Amalia, who – as the English say so beautifully – is “blossoming” in every respect, I felt only one thing: pride.

Máxima's jumpsuit steals the show

And I had to revise my opinion about Mark Rutte. For holding the NATO summit in our small country might have been the most strategic move possible. The story of our royal family, the beauty of Huis ten Bosch, the charm of our queen and crown princess, and our king's unrefined style could be the honey that binds it all together.

Queen Máxima in a fashion classic from 2006

As I write this, there are four newspapers in front of me, and three of them have pictures of our queen on the front page. It's also fantastic that she wore an outfit she had on before – in 2006. I know this thanks to Josine Droogendijk from Modekoningin Máxima, who documents it all so nicely.

Where can you buy Máxima's jumpsuit?

This outfit is – the top of the top – couture and made especially for our queen. But in the prêt-à-porter collection from Natan, which supplies much of the queen's wardrobe, you can find something very similar. It's stylish, elegant, unique, colorful, non-standard, and glamorous. Just like our queen herself.

Amalia: timeless class in Ralph Lauren

And Amalia? Oh, how beautiful and charming she is. She wore a long dress from Ralph Lauren – just as classy and timeless as she herself is.