Princess Ariane gives Queen Máxima's old favourite glamorous new outing

The Dutch royal family gathered for one of the most important dates in the country’s political calendar in The Hague on Tuesday.

King Willem-Alexander was joined by Queen Máxima and their three daughters, Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane, as well as Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, for Prinsjesdag, or Prince’s Day.

Following the traditional ceremony, the family appeared together on the balcony of Noordeinde Palace, where they waved to the crowds gathered below.

The occasion is about far more than royal pageantry. Held each September, Prinsjesdag officially opens the parliamentary year, with the King delivering the Speech from the Throne outlining the government’s plans for the year ahead. 

This year, Willem-Alexander travelled to the Royal Theatre in The Hague for the address, continuing a tradition that has been part of Dutch public life for generations.

Princess Amalia, the future Queen of the Netherlands, made an elegant entrance in an olive-green maxi dress by Australian designer Rachel Gilbert. 

She paired the dress with a coordinating headband and pointed-toe stilettos, keeping the rest of her look sleek and understated.

The 19-year-old princess wore a rich burgundy-red strapless gown by Dutch designer Jan Taminiau, finished with a matching embroidered cropped cape.

Ariane wore a dress from her mother Queen Máxima’s wardrobe, giving a much-loved piece a second outing in the royal family. Máxima first wore the same Jan Taminiau creation at Prinsjesdag in 2019.

For Ariane, this year’s Prinsjesdag comes at an interesting moment in her own life. 

After completing her International Baccalaureate in Italy in 2025 and taking a gap year, she has just begun studying Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology this month.