According to members of the royal family, Maxima's decision is driven by the realization that "the security of the country is no longer a given, and she wants to contribute to its defense," as many others do.
Reservists represent a flexible personnel resource for the Dutch armed forces and are usually called upon in emergencies, emphasizes the publication NLTimes. However, it is still unknown which specific unit the queen will serve in.
Now, at the age of 54, Maxima still has the opportunity to apply—the upper age limit for part-time service in the Ministry of Defense is 55 years.
She is not the first in the royal family to decide to serve in the military: Crown Princess Amalia recently completed basic military training at Defensity College and received the rank of corporal. Following her enrollment, the number of new students at the college has doubled. The Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands is currently conducting an active recruitment campaign, aiming to increase the armed forces from 80,000 to 100,000 by 2030, and in the long term, to 200,000 personnel.
