Wearing matching smocked dresses, Princesses of the Netherlands Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria, 4 ½, Alexia Juliana Marcela Laurentien, 3, and Ariane Wilhelmina Máxima Ines, 15 months, posed during a Dutch Royal Family photocall at Landgoed de Horsten on July 11th in Wassenaar, Netherlands. Parents are Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima.
Photo by Mark Renders/Getty Images.
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Sara on
Could they be any cuter?!
cathylee on
THAT has got to be the most adorable thing I have ever seen (and I’ve seen my boys being born!)
ll65 on
They girls are so beautiful. Love the green dresses. Interesting that Ariane looks decidedly different from Amalia and Alexia. Amalia clearly looks like her father and Queen Beatrix while Alexis looks like Maxima. Ariane has a bit of both sides.
Elissa on
What a cute family. Three beautiful little princesses!
Bancie1031 on
OMGosh they couldn’t be cuter if they tried! So adorable!!! Also I like their dresses.
jo.ann on
It’s adorable how they are ALWAYS wearing matching outfits
Lynsey on
Amalia looks alot like Queen Beatrix, while Alexia is all Maxima, and Ariane is the spitting image of Willem-Alexander!
Here is Maxima as a little girl: http://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/english/content.jsp?objectid=13683
Compare that to Alexia. They look just alike! Those girls are darlings!
Philippa on
those girls are so adorable! amalia looks a lot like her grandmother, queen beatrix!
Stephany on
Wow. I usually skip pass all the “royal family” posts but I couldn’t pass up this one! How cute are those girls?! Wow. Adorable!!!
Linda on
Dutch television has footage form the entire session. Scroll to about 12m30sec into the videoclip. http://www.nos.nl/nosjournaal/artikelen/2008/7/11/110708_oranje_fotoshoot.html
Maxima told the press Amalia likes going to school and has made friends there. Alexia is a bit jealous because she wants to go to school too (Alexia goes to Kindergarten and daycare several times a week). Maxima also helps around in the school every now and then, just like the other moms. The girls love to play ‘mommy&daddy’ together, make puzzles and know their way around the computer!
In exchange for these photomoments, the dutch media has promised not to publish any pictures of the girls without permission and so the dutch paparazzi leave them alone.
chanie on
Alexia is a mini Maxima!
Courtney on
Oh I lOVE IT!!! I love the matching dresses. Partly because my girls were also very close in age, even closer than these girls and we always did the matching outfits too. I miss those days. Mine are just a little older now, they are 7,6 and 5 and the matching outifts dont happen near as often, especuially with a boy too..LOL
They are just precious!
ysenia on
This took my breath away. The most beautiful picture this site has posted. EVER.
jillyen on
the older one looks like Chastity Bono when she was little. they have some long names. I’ve learned from my experience having 4 names it’s a really good way to tell how much trouble you’re in. not a fan of dressing kids alike though
L on
Jillyen,
My fiance is Dutch and he and his four brothers all have four names. Most Dutch people I know have very long names. I’m wondering if it’s common in parts of The Netherlands – it’s something I’ve never asked him after all these years!
I’m currently preparing to move to The Netherlands and have been reading lots of magazines to try and learn some of the lingo. Maxima is usually in them. I really love this family…so cute!!
Brooke on
OMG – Could Amalia look anymore like her daddy? And Alexia looks exactly like Maxima!
Ariane is a mix of them both….
terri on
Royalty tend to have long names to honor so many people. The little girls are precious.
Larissa on
@ Linda: Alexia doesn’t go to Kindergarten yet, she goes to preschool, she is only 3 years old. Amalia is the one going to Kindergarten, she is 4 years old. In Holland every child goes to Kindergarten at age 4. When kids are 6 they go to first grade (Kindergarten is 2 years). Almost every child also goes to preschool before Kindergarten. Preschool is for kids aged 2 and 3. I am from the Netherlands and I am an elementary school teacher, so I know all about the school system here:)
I think it’s great that Amalia is going to a public school, that way she will have a pretty normal childhood (for as far that is possible).
Larissa on
Oh, about the names; most Dutch people have 2 names, but 3 names is not an exception. Members of the Royal Family always have 3 or more names.
Lisa on
Hi:
Great photos: Enjoy seeing the photos of the kids in their matching dresses. They are so cute. I think that the youngest looks more like Alexia. Love this family.
Lauren on
I usually skip over royalty postings also, but this photo really caught my eye. Their matching outfits are adorable, and I can’t get over how much Catharina-Amalia resembles a young Jenna Bush. She looks like her mini-me!
Jennifer on
These girls are so cute! I love the matching dresses! 
Linda on
Larissa, you are right! Sorry! It’s called pre-school. But you know what I meant.
If you look at pictures of Maxima when she was Amalia’s age, you can actually see Amalia looks a lot like her mom.
The long names are pretty common in The Netherlands, but only one of them is used in daily conversation. In this case: Amalia, Alexia and Ariane. I guess it’s standard for CBB to name all of the names in the posts.
The girls are usually only dressed alike for (semi)official occasions. Outside of that it’s different and more modern outfits.
Larissa on
Linda, I knew what you meant, but maybe other people didn’t 
Are you from the Netherlands btw?
And you’re right, they only dress the girls the same when they take pictures for the press. Though I d’like to see them dress the girls differently for press pictures, matching colors, but not the exact same outfits.
Jessica on
all of those european prince/princess or king and queens really know how to make their children look absolutely beautiful
sinclair on
“
Jillyen,
My fiance is Dutch and he and his four brothers all have four names. Most Dutch people I know have very long names. I’m wondering if it’s common in parts of The Netherlands – it’s something I’ve never asked him after all these years!
I’m currently preparing to move to The Netherlands and have been reading lots of magazines to try and learn some of the lingo. Maxima is usually in them. I really love this family…so cute!!
Posted by: L at Jul 11, 2008 6:20:36 PM
“
L, have you ever been to the Netherlands? Just curious…
glad you are reading up on mags, etc, but that will not prepare you for the Dutch PEOPLE. Hate to say it!! I have some close and not-so close Dutch friends and they are interesting–to put it mildly :^)
enjoy NL.
umma a on
dang. talk about being perfect princesses!
martiandoll on
lovely, just lovely picture of the princesses of the Netherlands. I’ve always had a spot for Amalia (her and Infanta Leonor of Spain), she seems such a happy child. Alexia seems to have overcome her crying fits during photoshoots 
, she’s a beauty already. Ariane is so cute!
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