Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands

Little did she know that not only would she meet the mystery royal, but he'd also take a keen romantic interest in her. It was hardly a case of instant romance, however. When the prince came to visit her in New York three weeks later, says Maxima, "I'd nearly forgotten what he looked like."

The daughter of a wealthy landowner, Maxima was born May 17, 1971, to Jorge Zorreguieta and Maria del Carmen Cerruti in Buenos Aires. Educated at the English-style Northlands School in the city, she received a bilingual baccalaureat in 1988, going on to study economics at the Universidad Catolica de Argentina.

Although Maxima, then 27, met her prince while working for Germany's Deutsche Bank in New York, she came to the world's attention in August 1999, when the pair appeared together in public for the first time. Although they were dating seriously, Maxima kept her new beau's identity hidden from her parents. "I would tell them something different (about Willem) every time, but at some point I had no other remedy than to say: 'He's the prince of Holland.'"

But the romance was not a fairy-tale Maxima and Willem-Alexander walked into a storm when it emerged that during the Seventies, Maxima's father had served as Argentina's agriculture minister during the rule of country's brutal military dictatorship, infamous for human rights violations. The news sparked a national discussion on whether Maxima was a suitable person to join the royal family.

Throughout the controversy the Dutch parliament even went so far as to debate the issue Queen Beatrix continued to embrace her son's girlfriend. And on Jan 31, 2001, on the queen's 63rd birthday, she posed for photos alongside the couple, giving the relationship the royal stamp of approval. Two months later, accompanied by the happy couple and her husband Prince Claus, the monarch praised Maxima as "an intelligent modern woman" in a rare nationally televised address as she announced the couple's engagement. However, though the wedding would go ahead, Maxima's father would not be present.

Facing reporters for the first time, Maxima candidly accepted the protocol that would keep her father away from her big day. "As a daughter I find it terrible that my father won't be there," she said, "but that's the way it is, and I understand the feelings of the Dutch on the question."

Becoming crown princess of the Netherlands doesn't mean that Maxima, who has dual Argentine and Dutch citizenship, plans to lose her identity. She says: "I am Latin and I will continue being Latin in respect to some aspects of my culture. I dance, I sing and I will keep on dancing and singing." And does Willem-Alexander join in on the fun? "I keep trying to push him," she says humorously of Willem-Alexander's efforts on the dance floor. "His hips are a little rigid."

Her prince said he hoped the down-to-earth woman with the winning smile wouldn't change after she became part of the royal family. "I fell in love with this Maxima: spontaneous, interesting, nice," he says. "It wasn't always, nor will it be easy, but I hope that she stays the same person as she is now."

And 16 months after their wedding, as Maxima joyfully announced she was expecting the couple's first child - "I was so happy, I couldn't believe it!", she exclaimed - it was clear the princess hadn't lost a bit of her vibrant personality. Their first baby, Princess Catharina-Amalia, was born on December 7, 2003 and their second, Princess Alexia Juliana followed in June 2005. A third girl, Princess Ariane, joined the family on April 10, 2007.

And it seems the future queen has her feet planted firmly on the ground. Even in the run-up to her wedding, watched by the eyes of thousands, she said: "When we're in the church, we have to say, 'This is our day'. I think I won't see anyone there but Alexander."

Click here for more information on the Dutch royal family