Queen Máxima pays tribute to her sister 7 years after her death

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands has paid tribute to her younger sister, seven years after her death.

The Queen of the Netherlands spoke about her sister, Inés, while attending an event to launch an online mental health service.

“I often think of my sister Inés. Her death is the reason why I’m committed to helping with the health of young people. Not to make it problematic, but to work towards developing better mental resilience,” Queen Máxima said during a press conference.

While in Utrecht, she helped launch In je Bol – an online service to help young people with mental health resources.

Regarding the new service, the Queen said: “It’s important for us to continue to pay attention to these numbers and for us not to only focus on the problems. It’s important to take a positive mindset.”

Inés (second from left) is pictured at Princess Ariane’s christening, where she was one of the godparents. © RVD – Jeroen van der Meyde

She stressed the importance of mental health with the youth, remarking, “Like my daughters and all of the young people that live in the Netherlands, we should be paying attention to mental health. There’s nothing wrong with having a bad day. That’s not a tragedy.”

Ines committed suicide in her apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2018. She was 33 years old.

The Queen made an emotional statement following Inés’s death, where she said, “My dear, talented younger sister Inés was ill too. She couldn’t find joy and couldn’t recover.

“Our only consolation is that she has now finally been able to find peace.”