By Frankie Fouganthin – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wiki Commons
Queen Máxima’s life story will soon grace television screens as filming for a series called Máxima Zorreguieta: Motherland began last week in New York City.
The series is a co-production between Millstreet Films and Videoland, and is based on the book Máxima Zorreguieta: Motherland by Marcia Luyten, published in 2021.
Máxima Zorreguieta: Motherland will trace the Dutch queen’s early days in Argentina, including her father’s controversial connections to the Dirty War, her career days in New York, and her romance with then-Prince Willem-Alexander.
The show’s official description reads: “From the moment Máxima Zorreguieta appears at the side of the Dutch crown prince, she is in the spotlight. When Willem-Alexander asks her to marry him, the past catches up with her as a heated discussion erupts about her father’s political career in the Videla regime. It is a discussion that she never had in her own circles. What makes this Argentine finally thrive at an old European court? And how can Máxima stay true to herself without giving up her family, or do these things not go together?”
The series will air over six 50-minute episodes and will bounce between periods in Queen Máxima’s life.
In a statement last year when the project was announced, Máxima’s director, Anne de Clercq said, “I find it appealing that the book tells Máxima’s story with so many beautiful, small everyday details that make her very human, but also a layered character. A woman that loves music and dancing, that is a bit chaotic yet also very structured, that is great at shot put, but also ambitious and a hard worker.”
Delfina Chaves, an Argentinean actress, has been cast as Queen Máxima. King Willem-Alexander will be played by Dutch actor Martijn Lakemeier.
Chaves posted a carousel of images to her official Instagram account last week with the caption “We started.” The first image is a selfie with scripts for Máxima Zorreguieta: Motherland in the actress’s hands.
Filming has begun in New York, where Queen Máxima spent the early days of her career in finance. The production will also film in Argentina, Spain and the Netherlands to trace the queen’s life.
Videoland, the production company behind Máxima Zorreguieta: Motherland revealed in an Instagram post that the series will premiere next year.