Some sad news from the Dutch Royal Household. Queen Maxima is mourning the death of her father, who has died in Buenos Aires from cancer at the age of 89. An official statement confirmed that Jorge Zorreguieta had a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and died on 8 August. He will be buried "in closed circle", with Argentina-born Maxima, King Willem-Alexander and their three daughters in attendance.
© Photo: Getty ImagesQueen Maxima's father, Jorge Zorreguieta, has passed away at the age of 89
Jorge served as Argentina's Minister of Agriculture during the violent regime of General Jorge Rafael Videla. As such, he was banned from attending major royal events in the Netherlands, including his daughter’s 2002 wedding to the then Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, and Willem-Alexander's accession to the throne in 2013. He was, however, allowed to attend the christening of his three granddaughters, Princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane, since baptisms are considered private affairs rather than matters of the state.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMaxima pictured with her parents and her brother Martin at her 40th birthday celebrations
In 2014, Maxima went incognito to visit her sick father in Argentina, making a whistle-stop 36 hour visit to her home country to be by his side. She took a commercial flight to the country and was later spotted at the Fundaleu Clinic in Buenos Aires, where Jorge was being treated. After spending the day with her dad, the royal left at around 4.30pm to catch a flight back home to the Netherlands.
