Queen Máxima has apparently learned German in secret, they noted at the desk of RTL Boulevard. “She used to always have an interpreter with her. Now she just laughs along,” she said.
The state visit of the German Federal President to the Netherlands produces the usual row of speeches and formal banquets, but there is also one striking detail. Queen Máxima, who in the past always had an interpreter next to her during state visits to Germany, this time laughed cheerfully during the speech in German.
I am who you are
No interpreter, no awkward whispering at her ear. She simply understands what is being said, notes royalty expert Jeroen Snel at the desk RTL Boulevard. However, according to colleague Bridget Maasland, it all still looks a bit stiff. “Yes, a bit stiff how it goes. It feels a bit uncomfortable.”
Jeroen doesn’t really agree with that. “A lot has changed in the speeches at state banquets. It used to be very stiff in Beatrix’s time. (…) That Willem-Alexander comes with Ich Bin Wie Du, yes, I find it hilarious. That is also a lot more fun for those present than sleep-inducing speeches.”
‘Learned German!’
While Willem-Alexander spends time with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Máxima has to make do with his wife. “Máxima spends the whole day with Elke Büdenbender, who is the woman who came by. How does she feel about that? Because she doesn’t speak German very well, for example, I can imagine,” says Luuk Ikink.
Jeroen contradicts that. “Máxima? Well, that’s getting better and better. Long time ago, when Beatrix was still queen, we were on a state visit to Germany, and then Máxima always had an interpreter with her. That drives you crazy. You always have to listen with interest and someone sits very close to you all the time.”
No more interpreter
Máxima now no longer has an interpreter, according to Jeroen. “Now she was laughing along happily, even during that speech. Now she knew Willem-Alexander’s text, but still: she apparently learned German. Perhaps from Willem-Alexander at home.”
Luuk: “Maybe she was so fed up with it that she thought: learn German!”
Jeroen: “Yes, but it is a completely different language.”
Now her Dutch…