Queen Máxima of the Netherlands enlists in the army as a reservist
The monarch’s wife and mother of the Dutch heir to the throne has begun her military training. Upon completion, she will be awarded the rank of lieutenant-colonel
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands has enlisted in the Dutch army as a reservist. The wife of King Willem-Alexander and mother of the heir to the throne will begin working part-time as a soldier after joining the Dutch Armed Forces, a decision that comes at a time of increased effort to boost the number of personnel in the country’s military in light of the new security context in Europe.
The 54-year-old monarch has begun a brief military training program with theoretical and physical components, a requirement for joining the reserves, a key figure in the so-called “flexible structure” of the Dutch defense apparatus, according to official sources speaking to Dutch broadcaster RTL. The Dutch royal household itself shared the first images of Máxima of Orange during “mental skills” training in Breda on its social media accounts on Wednesday. “Queen Máxima began training today to become an army reservist. She registered because, like other reservists, she wants to contribute to the security of the Netherlands. Reservists play a crucial role in supporting the Army. Queen Máxima currently holds the rank of private. Upon completion of her training, she will be awarded the rank of lieutenant -colonel,” the Instagram post explained.
The images accompanying the post show Máxima climbing a wall, aiming a weapon, rappelling, and participating in aquatic survival training in a pool. The Royal House also published another post showcasing her skills in a video during her training at the military academy.
Reservists can be mobilized in emergency situations, such as floods, or assume support roles alongside professional soldiers and, in the event of a major conflict, relieve career personnel. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands’ enlistment in the Armed Forces falls within the age limit allowed in the country for such roles (up to 55 years old) and is interpreted as a gesture of institutional support for strengthening national defense, in which the future center-right government plans to invest billions of euros in the coming years, reaching an investment of 3.5% of GDP.
The queen — the most popular member of the Royal Family according to the latest polls — has participated in military police exercises in recent years, visited the Engineer Regiment in full uniform, and joined aerial training exercises for fighting forest fires. Last October, she participated in a gendarmerie maneuver dressed in camouflage.
The Dutch royal family has a long-standing tradition of service with the Dutch Armed Forces: King Willem-Alexander served in the Royal Navy and later in the Army and Air Force, while Prince Bernhard, the current monarch’s grandfather, was Inspector General of the Armed Forces in the 1970s. Willem-Alexander’s daughter, Crown Princess Amalia, 22, has become the first female member of the Dutch royal family to complete her military service. Last week, she finished her general military training at the Defence College, a Ministry of Defence program that combines university studies with military training. After completing the basic course, she was promoted to the rank of corporal — a ceremony attended by an emotional Queen Máxima — and will continue her involvement with the Ministry of Defence as an unpaid trainee.
Following Amalia’s enlistment on the Defense College program, the number of applications doubled, a phenomenon dubbed the “Amalia effect” by the media. The queen’s decision could have a similar impact and help to normalize the role of the reservist, including among older people.
Military training is quite common among European royalty, although they often complete it at a younger age. Spain’s Princess Leonor is in the final stage of her military training at the Air Force and Space Academy in San Javier (Murcia), where she has already completed her first solo flight. Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium began her military training in 2019. Christian of Denmark, the heir to the throne, has also received military training, while Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden underwent basic training with the Stockholm Amphibious Regiment in late 2024.
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