World Cup: Who is an Argentine-born Dutch queen to root for?
| Utrecht, Netherlands
She is married to the monarch of The Netherlands, but was born in Argentina.
So which nation's team will Queen M谩xima cheer today when The Netherlands take on Argentina in the second semi-final of the World Cup?
M谩xima's dual nationality 鈥� and where her heart truly lies 鈥� has been subject of much speculation in both the Dutch and Argentine media.
M谩xima only became queen of The Netherlands last year, when her husband, then-Prince Willem-Alexander was crowned king after his mother's abdication. (Though technically "queen consort," she has been granted the title of "queen" by the Royal House.) But she was born M谩xima Zorreguieta in Buenos Aires, and grew up there 鈥� including, when she was seven years old, during Argentina's 1978 World Cup victory at the expense of the Dutch.
As such, some in the Argentine media assumed she has a "divided heart" between Holland and her native country. And there has still been some playful doubt in the Dutch media about who she'd root for. De Telegraaf wondered how the atmosphere in the royal living room will be.聽, the paper speculated. Some creative Dutch fans have even created some doctored photos speculating about聽聽that the match might bring to the royal couple's home in Wassenaar.
The official word is that M谩xima will join today with her subjects to cheer "hup Holland hup," the Netherlands Government Information Service confirmed. "Naturally, the king and queen are supporters of the Dutch team. Queen M谩xima is Dutch and thus supports the Netherlands," the service said, according to state broadcaster NOS.聽
The fact that the government released an official statement on the matter shows how important the match is to Dutch citizens.
But M谩xima has not been shy about her support for the Dutch in sports. Though M谩xima and Willem-Alexander will not attend today's match, they already put in an appearance in Brazil, watching the Netherlands defeat Australia 3-2, and even to congratulate the players.
Today's match is not the first time M谩xima's loyalties have been tested. In 2006, The Netherlands and Argentina met during the group phase of the World Cup in Germany. M谩xima annoyed football fans in her country of birth then, by supporting The Netherlands. 鈥淚 am interested in Argentina, but I am Dutch,鈥� she was quoted as saying.
In the Netherlands sports and royalty go together like fries and mayonnaise (a Dutch favorite), and not just because the jerseys that Dutch players wear are orange, in reference to the royal family's last name. In 1898, Queen Wilhelmina, Willem-Alexander's great-grandmother, became the first Dutch queen to attend a game.聽
In 1974, the Dutch national team made it to second place in the World Cup and was invited to the royal palace. Queen Juliana, Willem-Alexander's grandmother, , according to a media report. Her husband, Prince Consort Bernhard, attended the final in West Germany.
Should The Netherlands lose today, would M谩xima then support Argentina in the final against Germany? A spokesperson for the Netherlands Government Information Service said questions needed to be sent by e-mail, but as of this morning no comment was forthcoming.聽
