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The engagement between Crown Prince Willem Alexander and Maxima Zorreguieta was announced by Queen Beatrix in a rare national television address on March 30.

Well before the announcement there was widespread speculation and concern that the former Argentinian government official might attend the royal wedding. But since Prime Minister Wim Kok announced, after the queen's address, that the bride's father had bowed to Dutch objections and had agreed to stay away from the ceremony, congratulations have been pouring in.

Wim Kok also said that the prince's bride-to-be, Maxima Zorreguieta, "whole-heartedly endorses" democratic values and principles.

In a statement, the Uniting Protestant Churches in The Netherlands, the biggest Protestant body here, welcomed the reassurances about the political views of "Maxima," as the press and public affectionately call her. The Uniting Churches also welcomed a statement from Ms. Zorreguieta about the 1970s government of General Jorge Rafael Videla, in which she referred to tortures, murders and "disappearances."

The marriage of the 33-year-old Protestant prince and his 29-year-old Catholic fiancée is expected to take place next year. They have been going out together for two years.

Since the first reports of the couple's romance, the nation has engaged in an emotional debate over whether Maxima's father should be allowed to attend his daughter's wedding.

Prime Minister Kok said that Jorge Zorreguieta had decided to stay away from the wedding after Kok explained "what was best for the daughter's future."

Zorreguieta was a state secretary and later agriculture minister during Argentina's military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. Nearly 9000 people "disappeared" during a crackdown on dissidents and left-wing opponents, according to a 1983 report by the National Commission on the Disappeared (CONADEP). Between 2000 and 3000 more disappearances from that period were reported after the commission completed its work.

Prime Minister Kok said Zorreguieta's activities were "limited" during what the Dutch premier called "a dark period" in Argentina's history. An investigation by the Dutch intelligence agency BVD into Zorreguieta's past did not come up with any evidence that would prevent marriage between his daughter and the crown prince.

The constitution requires that parliament give approval to marriage plans by an heir to the Dutch throne. Despite objections from some members of parliament, the planned marriage is expected to win the vote of approval by a good margin.

Among the church officials to comment on the issue was the head of the Roman Catholic Church in The Netherlands, Cardinal Adrianus Simonis, who said last November, as speculation raged about Maxima and Prince Willem Alexander, that Jorge Zorreguieta should be allowed to attend the wedding if there was one.

The cardinal said he thought that the Videla government had tried to bring order to the chaos, though he admitted that the government had not been "perfect."

In his choice of spouse, Prince Willem Alexander continues a long-standing tradition of Dutch monarchs marrying foreigners. Since The Netherlands became a monarchy in 1815, all six monarchs have chosen to marry foreigners—five to Germans and one to a Russian.

Dutch monarchs traditionally belong to the Dutch Reformed Church. Maxima has announced that she wishes to study the Protestant faith.

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April (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45