President Donald Trump may have received the red carpet treatment at this year’s NATO summit in the Netherlands — but it was Queen Maxima’s on-camera moment that has everyone talking.
The now-viral clip
Donald Trump’s visit to the Netherlands for the annual NATO summit has been described in positive terms. At a news conference on Wednesday, Trump sounded thoughtful as he spoke about feeling encouraged by other NATO countries stepping up to strengthen their own defense budgets.
Before the press conference, Trump had spent the night at a Dutch royal palace after flying in from Washington.
And while Trump was all smiles, flashing his signature thumbs-up as he posed for press photos with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, it was the Queen’s subtle move that’s now going viral. And depending on who you ask, it was either savage, hilarious — or downright disrespectful.
”It was great, the house is…”
In the now-viral clip, the trio is seen standing side by side at the Huis ten Bosch Palace. Trump engages in light banter with the King:
”That’s the picture we want,” Trump said.
”Well I hope you slept well!”, replied the King.
”It was great, the house is…” Trump began before turning back to the cameras with a grin.
”Thank you!” he added, gesturing warmly to those present.
But just as Trump finished his sentence, Queen Maxima — silent until that moment — seemed to mimic the way his mouth moved.
A ”royal burn”?
Then, in what many online are calling a “royal burn,” she turned and looked directly into the camera, à la The Office, as if to say, “Did you catch that?”
The moment set off a flurry of reactions online.
“Queen Maxima mimicking Trump’s mouth movements really got me,” one person tweeted.
“Poor lady just got herself an entire Truth Social post,” joked another.
“WAIT A MINUTE WAS QUEEN MAXIMA OF THE NETHERLANDS MIMICKING DONALD TRUMP?” a third user exclaimed.
Another praised her with:
“I’ve never been a fan of our stiff monarchy, but Queen Maxima rocks it! Treat him like a baby.”
But not everyone found it funny.
”What an unprofessional & b*tchy thing to do, not only for a woman of her age & position, but for a royal,” one angry commenter wrote.
”I hope this gets back to President Trump (which it will, everything always does) & he acts upon it! What an ahole of a thing to do in front of the whole world.”
Body language expert weighs in
And while the internet debated whether her gesture was intentional or just awkward timing, body language expert Darren Stanton chimed in with his take:
”The photo of Trump, the King, and Queen Maxima shows the Queen to be the more dominant of the two Dutch royals,” Stanton tells Unilad.
”The King can be seen looking ahead with the same self-soothing gesture, covering his abdomen, but the Queen is turned directly to Trump and mirroring his gestures — almost trying to assert her own dominance.”
As mentioned, Trump was in the Netherlands for high-stakes NATO meetings and even took a victory lap for brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran after more than 10 days of airstrikes. He reportedly coordinated with VP J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff via Qatari mediators.
Still, none of that was enough to keep the spotlight off Maxima’s subtle shade.
So was it a playful dig, a diplomatic blunder, or just a queen having a moment? What do you think?
