Vacancy
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Using the lint remover over a jacket, ironing a hem and occasionally doing some shopping or walking the dog. Princess Beatrix is looking for a new Maid of Honor. A lady-in-waiting who focuses primarily on the personal care of the princess. A job in – according to the Royal Household – a special environment. Yet the princess has difficulty filling the vacancy.
From maintaining the wardrobe to taking care of her pets. The function of ‘chamberlain’ involves providing personal assistance in the broadest sense of the word. “It is her closest assistant,” says royal family expert Rick Evers. “Even in the bedroom.” Since her previous chamberlain retired, the princess has not been able to fulfill the function properly. “Her previous chamberlain Emy Bloemenheuvel did it for decades. She retired in 2015 and died unexpectedly in 2020.” Beatrix had a close bond with her assistant. “They even had dogs from the same litter.”
After her time, Evers says there were several maids. “But it was a mess. I kept seeing different young ladies as her maid. The turnover is high.” The vacancy was open last year and now again, it doesn’t seem like an easy job. “You really have to get along with her and it’s not like it’s going to be very cozy. So you really have to be able to meet her requirements.”
Maximum
A maid of Beatrix has to be a bit more versatile than, for example, that of Máxima, Evers thinks. “Because there is a smaller team around Beatrix now than when she was still queen. A maid is really for the clothes. Máxima’s maid can also make hats, for example, but Beatrix doesn’t wear them that much anymore.”
Since Beatrix is no longer queen, her clothing style has changed. “Dressing Beatrix is always custom-made,” says Josine Droogendijk. She wrote the book ‘Fashion Queen Máxima’ and knows everything about the royals’ clothing. “She now mainly wears jackets from suits she has worn before. She doesn’t really need the latest fashion and expensive outfits. She used to wear a lot of skirts, but now that she often wears support stockings, we often see her in dark blue trousers.”
© ANPBeatrix now mainly wears jackets and trousers
A less exciting wardrobe than Maxima’s. “Her maid has to make hats, steam clothes and pack suitcases. Beatrix’s is more about physical care: deciding when to wear support stockings, for example.”
To trust
So someone like that gets very close to the princess. “Beatrix really has to be able to trust her one hundred percent and also get along with her. It’s not a side job, she really has to be able to find someone who is very dedicated.”
Valet
Men can also have a similar function, but then you call it a valet. A kind of personal assistant, but then for male members of the royal family. The king’s valet also takes care of his clothing, prepares awards and polishes his shoes.
