Queen Máxima of the Netherlands went incognito to visit her sick father in Argentina over the weekend. The Dutch queen made the whistle-stop trip on Saturday, travelling to her home country for less than 36 hours. Arriving late at night, Máxima had taken a commercial flight to the South American nation, accompanied by two bodyguards. The following day she was spotted at the Fundaleu clinic in Buenos Aires where her father Jorge Zorreguieta is reportedly being treated for leukaemia.
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Máxima is believed to have spent the day with her 86-year-old dad and left at around 4:30pm on Sunday to catch her flight back to the Netherlands. Flying the flag for the country where her husband King Willem-Alexander is from, the elegant Máxima wore orange trousers – the national colour of the Netherlands – and a chic black and white patterned top. The Buenos-Aires born royal accessorised with a matching orange clutch, a two-strand bracelet and added height to her figure with orange summer wedges.
Queen Máxima was visiting her father Jorge Zorreguieta in hospital
The fleeting trip will have been a welcome visit for Máxima and her dad Jorge, who doesn't often see his daughter and wasn't allowed to attend her and Willem-Alexander's royal wedding in 2002, due to his connections to former Argentine president and dictator Rafael Videla. Jorge had served as Minister of Agriculture under the oppressive regime for two years. Máxima and Willem-Alexander were granted permission to marry by the Parliament, as it was deemed that the future queen had herself done nothing wrong. The government's approval was necessary for Willem-Alexander to stay in line to the Dutch throne.
Jorge Zorreguieta (second left) wasn't allowed to his daughter's wedding, but visited for her 40th birthday in 2011
When the royal couple ascended the throne in April 2013, Jorge was once again not allowed to attend the investiture. However the retired politician and his wife were allowed to fly over for the christening of their granddaughters, princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane, as baptisms are considered a private matter and not a state one. Máxima's impromptu trip to Argentina came just a couple of weeks after she and Willem-Alexander travelled to the Far East on a royal tour. The couple made a first stop in Japan, where they were welcomed by Emperor Akihito and his wife Empress Michiko, followed by a short visit to South Korea, where they were met by President Park Geun-hye.