Arizona Tribune - Dutch version of 'The Crown' charts royal couple love story

The first season -- a second is already in the works -- follows the life of Maxima Zorreguieta from her birth in Buenos Aires in 1971 to her engagement with then Crown Prince Willem-Alexander.

A trailer shows a young Maxima, played by Argentinian actress Delfina Chaves, dancing manically at a party as the love-struck Willem-Alexander (Martijn Lakemeier) gazes on.

"In the first season, we see how a young Argentinian girl transforms into a confident young woman who falls madly in love with a Dutch prince," said Peter van der Vorst, chief content officer at RTL Nederland, owner of streaming platform Videoland, which broadcasts the first episode on Saturday.

"But of course the story continues. Maxima marries, becomes mother and queen. So many events that are engrained in our collective memory and that we will see again in the future," he added.

Maxima and Willem-Alexander met in 1999 and married three years later. The couple have three daughters. Crown Princess Amalia, 20, played her first official role during a state visit on Wednesday.

Daughter of a minister in the dictatorial Argentinian government of General Jorge Rafael Videla, Maxima has managed to capture the hearts of the Dutch, even if her popularity has waned slightly in recent years.

According to public broadcaster NOS, she scores an average 7.1 points out of 10, compared to eight out of 10 in 2020. The king scores 6.6 points.

In the second season, "Maxima discovers that maintaining the love of the Dutch people is not as easy as winning it," according to Rachel van Bommel from production house Millstreet Films, cited in a statement sent to AFP.

The series, based on the best-selling book by Marcia Luyten, has already been sold in several countries including Germany and Belgium, plus others in Latin America.

Producers told AFP they had contacted the Royal Household (RVD) "which took note of the fact that a series was in production but did not get involved beyond that."

The RVD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Filming for the second season is expected to begin in October.

R.Lee--AT