Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands celebrated 21 years of marriage on Thursday. The Dutch royals, who are currently visiting the Caribbean with their eldest daughter Princess Catharina-Amalia, were in Curaçao for their wedding anniversary.
To mark the occasion, Curaçao presented the King and Queen with a red heart-shaped padlock featuring “WA” for Willem Alexander and “M” for Maxima, along with the date “02-02-2023.”
The royal couple hung the lock on the Punda Love Heart sculpture located on a pontoon bridge in Curaçao.
In the evening, a dinner was held at the Cathedral of Thorns. The dinner was attended by “21 residents who make a valuable contribution to their community.” The number of guests symbolized the royal couple’s 21st wedding anniversary.
Maxima, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, married Willem-Alexander on Feb. 2, 2002. The King and Queen are parents to Princess Catharina-Amalia, 19, Princess Alexia, 17, and Princess Ariane, 15.
The monarchs and their firstborn kicked off their visit to the Caribbean on Jan. 27. The visit “is intended to introduce the Princess of Orange to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.” After Curaçao, the royals are set to travel to Sint Maarten followed by St. Eustatius and then Saba, which is where the visit will conclude on Feb. 9.