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Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands took a break from royal duties to play tourists in the Big Apple. The Dutch monarchs were spotted shopping in New York City on Tuesday, July 16. While in Manhattan, the royals dropped by The Container Store, Sephora and the Gap. Maxima and her husband were photographed carrying their purchases as they strolled the streets.
The Dutch Queen, 48, looked every bit the stylish New Yorker wearing a summery print dress by Akris. Maxima completed her city look with a pair of statement green earrings, brown ankle wrap sandals, and a matching thin brown belt at the waist.
When she wasn’t shopping on Tuesday, the mom-of-three also visited the United Nations, where she attended a meeting with UN Secretary General António Guterres. Maxima, who has served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) since 2009, was on hand to mark the 10th anniversary of UNSGSA.
Willem-Alexander and Maxima’s trip across the pond comes ahead of the royal family’s annual summer photocall. Last year, the Queen and King, along with their three daughters—Crown Princess Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane—posed at their old home, Villa Eikenhorst in Wassenaar. “It is emotional to leave here,” the King admitted at the time. Maxima added, “We leave this house with nostalgia.”
The family moved to Huis ten Bosch Palace, one of three official residences of the Dutch royal family, back in January. The palace was renovated prior to the royals’ move. Princess Beatrix, Willem-Alexander’s mother, previously lived at Huis ten Bosch Palace until 2014. The palace, which features a number of rooms, is a national monument from the seventeenth century. It is used as a residential palace and for representative purposes such as official receipts from dignitaries.