Queen Maxima of the Netherlands has finally spoken about that viral moment with Donald Trump, where she appeared to imitate the US President on live television. On Monday, the Dutch Queen dismissed claims that she was mocking Mr Trump and said that she was simply thanking someone who had helped her during her meeting with the US President.
She told Dutch news outlet AD: “I said ‘thank you’ to someone who had helped.” Maxima added that it was a “pleasant experience” to meet the US President, who visited the country along with other leaders from around the world headed to attend the NATO summit in the Hague.
Speculation grew about the Dutch Queen’s intentions after footage from the meeting with the US President went viral on social media.
Mr Trump was welcomed by the country’s King Willem-Alexander and his wife, Queen Maxima, at the royal palace Huis ten Bosch, one of the three royal residences of the sovereign.
In a clip which appeared on national TV and was later uploaded on social media, the trio could be seen posing inside the palace, before Trump was shown around the room.
But as they all thanked the photographers with the US President was heard saying “thank you very much,” the Dutch queen could be seen imitating his mouth movements in a manneurism which Mr Trump usually uses, before moving on to show him the rest of the room.
Royal fans picked up on the moment quickly, with one sharing the clip on Instagram with the message: “The more I watch Queen Maxima of the Netherlands mock Trump’s mouth, the funnier it gets [laughing face emoji].”
The video, uploaded by user @yallgreatyet, who regularly criticises the US President, which now has over 33million views, was captioned: “Homegirl let the intrusive thoughts win, and we get a moment that looks like something from ‘The Office’ as a result #QueenMáxima #Trump #NATOsummit.”
Fans rushed to the comment section to praise the Dutch queen, with one writing: “Now that’s a queen!!”
A second fan wrote: “I’m on Season 7 of this video.” A third one added: “Gotta love a queen with a great sense of humor(sic).”
Maxima’s comment came during the annual summer photo shoot of the Dutch royal family at the Huis Ten Bosch Palace.
Her eldest daughter and heiress to the Dutch throne, Princess Catharina-Amalia, 21, also met the US President and said that it was “really cool” to meet the “President of America”.