When it came to the vows, Maxima was unable to contain herself once again. She looked close to tears as she and the man she calls “Alexander” approached the altar. Their witnesses, Maxima’s best friends Samantha Deane and Florencia de Cocco, affirmed that, yes, they wished to witness the union, as the bride reached out and tenderly grasped her friend’s hand.
Then it was their turn. Clasping their right hands together, Maxima and Willem-Alexander sealed their union. “Will you take Maxima as your wife?” asked Carel A ter Linden. “Yes,” came the reply. Maxima was asked the same question. “Yes,” she answered. The two knelt and bowed their heads as the officiating clergyman placed his hands on their head, blessing the marriage.
As the rings were exchanged, Willem-Alexander seemed to have some difficulty putting the ring – made in Argentina by a jeweller who had charged them a symbolic peso – on his bride’s finger. More tears and laughter from Maxima, as the congregation shared her joy. As she said a simple, “Ja” to the same question, a cheer went up from the hordes of royal-watchers outside. Willem-Alexander beamed a smile of love and pride at his wife, clasping her hand as if his new life depended on it.
An accordionist stood up and the melody of a tango, Adios Nonino, by Piazzola, which has special significance for the bride, filled the church with its poignant notes. Then the voice of soprano Miranda Van Kralingen, who was resplendent in electric blue, soared over the charged atmosphere, singing Schubert’s Ave Maria. The Dutch nation’s future king looked at his new wife and whispered, “I love you,” tenderly to her.
The voices of the 1,000-strong congregation filled the church as they sang Thine Be The Glory, the bride and groom adding theirs to the throng. It was followed by the Dutch national anthem. The royals needed no prompting for the words, their latest addition to the family relying on the song sheet to calm her nerves.
As the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel, sung by the choir, the protagonists of this happy day made their way regally down the aisle, Maxima and her Crown Prince smiling at their friends. Queen Beatrix, regal in purple smiled at her new daughter-in-law and mouthed: “Congratulations.”
The train disappeared from the view of the congregation and, a few moments later, the couple emerged into the crisp bright sunlight between two lines of soldiers impeccably clad in the uniforms of the Royal Guard, who had formed a tunnel with their ceremonial swords. The public roared their approval, with Maxima beaming a million mega-watt smile to her new people.
The opulent gold coach drew up outside the church and the couple got in, before it bore the Crown Prince of Orange and his radiant princess, who waved enthusiastically to the onlookers. Then it was back off to the palace for an opulent wedding breakfast and celebrations with their important guests.
THE KISS...
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
