previous            A–Z            next        Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti Pseudonyms:        Koningin der Nederlanden        Leila van den Bosch        mevrouw van Amsberg        Prinses van Oranje-Nassau Queen Máxima of the Netherlands (née Máxima Zorreguieta, 1971) is the wife of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. On 30 April 2013, she became the first Dutch queen consort since Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont who held that title until 1890.        On October 18, October 2001 Máxima was involved in a traffic accident. In the police report the name Leila van de Bosch was used instead of her actual name. Below a newspaper article from June 3, 2003 in Trouw about the aftermath of this incident: ‘Maxima should pay for the collision’ THE HAGUE – After their ‘investigation’ the Department of Justice was assured: Máxima was not to blame when her Audi collided with the Smart car, driven by the meat trader from Wassenaar. The access to the palace Huis ten Bosch ‘seems to be a driveway, but is not’, according to the head of office at the time.        Almost two years later the Hague court has ruled: it must be clear to every driver that this is a driveway. Therefore Máxima should have yielded. The court ruled that she is required to pay for his damages.        However, the meat trader is paying for the vast majority of his own damages. He was speeding and could not stop in time when Maxima’s car appeared. He was not wearing a seat belt and therefore, when the airbag broke, his injuries could have been prevented.        The fact that he was on a road, only accessible for destination traffic was irrelevant according to the court. Máxima ought also to have watched for destination traffic.        According to the court, the large fence with pillars and the continuous white line, leave no room for misunderstanding, she was indeed coming from a driveway and therefor must give the right of way to transversing traffic.        This contradicts the investigation by the Department of Justice in the days after the accident, and proved they got their facts wrong.        Also the name of Máxima Zorreguieta (as she was called at the time) was obscured in the police report. The judicial authorities though Leila van den Bosch to be a suitable cover name to protect the future princess.        The partiality of the Justice department angered the meat trader to such an extent that he filed a procedure against Máxima. The hassle with a cover name and the quick removal of Máxima by (her) security gave rise to thought that there maybe was more going on than a mere fender bender.        At the time the meat trader even though there was a blond man driving the Audi and that there must have been a reason to remove him so quickly.        An endless search for passersby who could testify to the accident brought little result. The few people who were found had seen very little or weren’t able to provide clarity.        The judge spend many hours on meticulous interrogations, but in yesterdays verdict this was not at all mentioned. The traffic rules were clear. The court did not rule on the amount of compensation. This is for the meat trader and the princess to decide among themselves. Source: 'Máxima moet voor botsing betalen', Trouw, retrieved 2 October 2013 previous            A–Z            next