Queen Máxima of the Netherlands was supported by her husband King Willem-Alexander and their three daughters as she attended the funeral of her father Jorge Zorreguieta on Thursday. The former politician died of cancer, aged 89, on Tuesday, with Máxima flying out to Buenos Aires, Argentina over the weekend to visit her father in hospital. Her family followed shortly after, arriving in Argentina on Thursday morning via private plane, just hours before the burial.
The funeral took place at the Remembrance Park in Buenos Aires. Máxima and her husband Willem-Alexander were seen comforting their three children – Princesses Amalia, 13, Alexia, 12, and Ariane, ten – after the burial. Máxima's mother María del Carmen Cerruti Carricart was also present at the funeral, and was one of the first to arrive with her son Martin. According to local reports, the first part of the ceremony was reserved for Jorge's children, grandchildren, family and closest friends. A further 200 more people joined after.
© Photo: Getty ImagesJorge's funeral took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jorge's death was confirmed by the Dutch palace on Tuesday. An official statement announced that Jorge had a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He had been battling the disease at the Fundaleu Clinic in Buenos Aires. President Mauricio Macri released a statement, offering his condolences to the Dutch royal family on behalf of himself and his wife Juliana.
© Photo: RexJorge's widow María del Carmen Cerruti Carricart at the funeral
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 since baptisms are considered private affairs rather than matters of the state.
