Ariane Wilhelmina Máxima Ines recently came of age at 18! She is the youngest daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Born in The Hague on April 10, 2007, she just celebrated her 16th birthday! To mark this memorable event the royal palace released four beautiful portraits of Princess Ariane. These beautiful photos show her unflappable grace and dazzling sartorial elegance.
Well-known Dutch photographer Frank Ruiter was responsible for the portraits. He photographed them at the hometown base, Palace Huis ten Bosch, in The Hague. Ruiter is particularly skilled at bringing to life the personalities of royal family members. He captured Ariane’s elder sisters, Princess Catharina-Amalia and Princess Alexia, in their respective 18th birthdays. These gorgeous photos capture Ariane’s unique spirit and sense of whimsy as she moves into womanhood.
In one of the portraits, Princess Ariane stuns in a spectacular red lace Self-Portrait midi dress. The queen finishes off her style with beautiful diamond chandelier earrings which used to be owned by her mother, Queen Máxima. In the second portrait, she stands with poise in an elaborate mint green broderie anglaise dress. She completes her outfit with magnificent diamond and aquamarine earrings that used to belong to Queen Juliana. These stunning ensembles are a true testament to her developed style, combined design and noble origin.
As depicted in the series, Ariane’s upbringing largely embodies the tension between royal duties and personal passions. She graduated from primary school at Bloemcampschool in Wassenaar. From there, she progressed to Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet in The Hague for her secondary schooling. She is now putting all her efforts toward finishing her International Baccalaureate studies at UWC Adriatic in Duino, Italy.
Our young princess loves it all from hockey, tennis, playing her guitar, singing, dancing to all kinds of music. Explore her interests. These passions paint a picture of her well-rounded character and dedication to the classroom, as well as her extra-curricular endeavors.
The palace has not publicly stated any concrete plans for Princess Ariane at this time. Most think she will eventually decide to go to college, as her older sisters both did. Princess Catharina-Amalia is studying Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at the University of Amsterdam. At the same time, Princess Alexia of the Netherlands is studying Civil Engineering at University College London.
Princess Ariane embarks on a wonderful new chapter in her life. Like the royal family, the British public is looking forward to seeing how she juggles her new responsibilities with her personal aspirations.
