It is a week before Christmas when Queen Máxima shows up at the center for childhood cancer, which she named after herself. She is wearing a graceful white dress, but is that possible? “It’s inappropriate.”
Queen Máxima visited the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in mid-December and met several critically ill patients there. She did that in one graceful white dressphotos of which have been published on the Royal House’s website. The big question, according to royalty expert Rick Evers, is: isn’t the queen going too far with this?
‘Too present’
Rick emphasizes in the Weekend that Máxima was not exactly wearing a ‘gray coat or modest tweed’. “Máxima emerged from the court car with a striking snow-white dress with a matching coat, an impressive brooch and a chic hat. The queen is there, that was clear.”
What is the criticism? “Too present, some thought. Inappropriate even, in a hospital full of critically ill children fighting for their future. Criticism quickly followed. Wasn’t this too exuberant? Too fashionable? Too much ‘Máxima’, in a place where silence, seriousness and modesty should predominate?”
Inappropriate
It is undeniable that Máxima stood out, says Rick. “But was it inappropriate? And there is something wrong. Who actually decides what is appropriate for children with cancer? Adult spectators and their Facebook underbelly? Or the children themselves? The answer lies in the name of the children’s hospital, where children with cancer get a chance.”
He continues: “Máxima thought it was an honor to give her name to it. But shortly afterwards she became queen. It was briefly considered, but it was still decided: it will remain the Princess Máxima Center. Because that is what children fantasize about. Not about queens, but princesses.”
Princess dresses
That’s precisely why Maxima wore a beautiful princess dress, according to Rick. “In the middle of a world of IVs, chemo and fear, someone suddenly steps in who seems to have come straight out of a storybook. A real queen. Not an austere lady in a business suit. They expect a princess, a queen, someone larger than life.”
“Someone who brings color to a world that is so gray. Máxima has always understood that. Her role is more than listening and shaking hands. In the case of these children, it is an escape from their daily lives. (…) It was not a glittery dress, not festive couture. It was well-groomed, dignified, visible. As a queen should be.”
