Princess Catharina-Amalia, the future queen of the Netherlands, marked an important milestone in her military career in January, and now her mother is following in the family's Army tradition. On February 4, the Dutch royal family announced that Queen Máxima has enlisted as a part-time reservist in the country's Royal Army.
"Queen Máxima has started training to become a reservist for the Royal Army today," the palace's Instagram post read. "She registered because, like other reservists, she wants to contribute to the safety of the Netherlands."
A statement from the Royal House of the Netherlands further explained that the 54-year-old queen chose to enlist because "our security can no longer be taken for granted." Her decision comes as many European countries are strengthening their military defenses and also preparing for a future where U.S. support may be less automatic than in the past.
"Reservists play a crucial role in supporting the military," the palace continued its caption. "Now Queen Máxima has the rank of soldier. Upon completing her education she will be awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel."
The age of 55 is the cut-off for enlisting, and the Royal House noted that this "played a role" in Queen Máxima's decision to sign up now. While other royals around the world routinely receive military training, enlisting as a queen is an incredibly rare move, especially as Máxima, who was born in Argentina, isn't Dutch.
The palace notes that "like other reservists, she will deploy where needed," with photos of the queen showing her aiming a gun, rappelling down a wall with a rope and jumping into a pool in full uniform.
On January 23, Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander's eldest daughter, Catharina-Amalia, completed her general military training and was promoted to corporal. Her proud mom was on hand at the ceremony, snapping photos with her phone and running over to give the future queen a long hug.
