Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked every bit the elegant royal as she and King Willem-Alexander were greeted by Donald and Melania Trump at the White House yesterday.
The Dutch royals had been invited to Washington by the US President, 79, for dinner and an overnight stay as part of their three-day working trip to the US, which will also see them visit Philadelphia and Miami.
Maxima, 54, wore a long-sleeved orange dress while First Lady Melania, 55, looked similarly glamorous in a white gown with black floral detailing.
The Trumps were seen waiting on a red carpet before welcoming the Dutch royal couple and Rob Jetten, the prime minister of the Netherlands, ahead of the dinner.
Willem-Alexander, 58, and the President shook hands upon arrival as their wives smiled next to them. The men both wore navy suits with a tie.
The Dutch royals’ visit to the US comes after King Charles and Queen Camilla revealed similar plans to visit the White House at the end of the month.
The decision has proved controversial but Sir Keir Starmer yesterday rejected a fresh demand to cancel the trip due to concerns over Trump’s behaviour.
The Prime Minister said that the royal trip to Washington would celebrate the two nations’ shared history, despite the President being labelled a ‘dangerous and corrupt gangster’.
They will visit the US at the end of April to mark 250 years since it won independence, with engagements including a glittering State Banquet at the White House thrown by Trump.
However, questions have been raised about whether they should be visiting at a time when the President’s frequent criticism of the UK has left the ‘special relationship’ in tatters and wider Transatlantic relations at a low not seen in decades.
The Dutch royals’ visit comes after Queen Maxima set the record straight on what she really said after she appeared to ‘mock’ Trump on television last year.
In July, the she stood next to the President as they posed for pictures after he arrived in the Netherlands for the NATO summit.
While making small talk, Maxima appeared to ‘mock’ the way Trump’s mouth moved and pulled a face before turning towards the cameras.
The split-second reaction was spotted by eagle-eyed social media users, who wrote: ‘You have to watch how Queen Maxima of the Netherlands mocks Trump’s speaking right in front of him.’
CNN journalist Vani Mehrotra observed on X: ‘Did she really do that? Queen Maxima of the Netherlands is believed to be mocking Donald Trump.’
But during the Dutch royals’ annual summer photo session later that month, Maxima set the record straight.
Maxima, speaking to Dutch outlet AD, clarified what happened by explaining that she had ‘said “thank you” to someone who had helped’ and that meeting the President had been a ‘pleasant experience’.
Meanwhile, her eldest daughter and heir to the throne, 22-year-old Princess Catharina-Amalia, said it was ‘really cool’ she had the opportunity to meet ‘the president of America’.
Elsewhere in the clip, the trio were seen smiling for the cameras as Trump gave a thumbs-up.
Trump and the King made small talk and shared a laugh while Maxima stayed on the sidelines and continued to smile.
