Prinses Máxima, the wife of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, has won the Machiavelli prize for her role in strengthening the popularity of the monarchy. The Machiavelli Prize is awarded to people who excel in public communication. The princess says she is not the only one responsible.

“My husband and I are only able to do our work thanks to the authority of my mother-in-law Queen Beatrix ed., which she has built up in 32 years.” She said they work as a team, which is why she hesitated whether to accept the honour.

The princess was also given the prize for rejuvenating the monarchy. But the princess passed that off as a continual process, not one that depended on one person. She said that although she is often given the benefit of the doubt as princess, she still has to prove herself.

The Machiavelli foundation called Máxima “a great communicator” which began during the announcement of her engagement to Prince Willem-Alexander, because she expressed herself in Dutch although she comes from Argentina. Her comment to explain one of her husband’s blunders as “a bit stupid” is used commonly by Dutch people nowadays.