Queen Máxima has completed the first part of her training as a reservist at Defense. On Friday afternoon she was presented with her beret at the Zoudtlandt Barracks Trip in Breda. Máxima and the royal family were especially thanked. The commander called her ‘an example for many’.
Together with the other aspiring reservists, the queen marched onto the site around 3:15 p.m. During the night from Thursday to Friday, the group had been on a bivouac in the Hilversum area. Exercises took place near the Breda barracks on Friday morning.
The group, which looked a bit tired, was received with applause by their families. The queen was met by King Willem-Alexander and the princesses Amalia and Ariane. The king and princess Amalia wore their own battle uniforms for the occasion. It was a surprise to the queen that two of her daughters were also present.
The beret ceremony then took place in the sweltering courtyard of the barracks. The king and Ariane clapped as the queen arrived. Amalia made recordings with her phone.
After a ‘rest in place’, the group listened to the commander of the Dutch Defense Academy. He also briefly addressed Máxima. He praised the royal family’s involvement in Defense and said that with this step the Queen ‘enthuses, motivates and inspires’.
Beret straight
Then it was time to change the headgear. After the command ‘caps off, berets on’, the group threw their caps on the ground and took out their berets to put them on simultaneously. During the inspection, one of the instructors laughingly adjusted the queen’s beret.
Once the queen has completed all of her reservist training, she will receive the rank of lieutenant colonel.
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