The funeral has taken place in Argentina of the sister of Queen Maxima of Holland, who committed suicide earlier this week.
Ines Zorreguieta, 33, who reportedly had been battling depression and other mental issues, was found dead by a friend in her apartment in the Almagro district of Buenos Aires.
The 47-year-old queen, an Argentine, arrived in Buenos Aires on Friday for the funeral accompanied by her husband King Willem-Alexander and their three daughters.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his youngest daughter Princess Ariane. Ms Zorreguieta was the 11-year-old’s godmother
Queen Maxima of Holland’s sister Inés Zorreguieta, pictured in a red hat at Princess Ariane’s christening in 2007
A private funeral was held at a cemetery in the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires.
Police said the autopsy report on Zorreguieta would be available in a week but did not suspect foul play.
Maxima maintained a close relationship with her sister, 13 years her junior.
Ines was the maid of honour at Maxima’s wedding, as well as a godmother to her youngest daughter, 11-year-old daughter Princess Ariane.
Maxima has two brothers, Martin and Juan, as well as three stepsisters from the first marriage of her father, Jorge Zorreguieta, who was secretary of agriculture in Argentina’s military dictatorship.
Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands accompany the coffin of the Queen’s sister Ines Zorreguieta
The coffin of Ines Zorreguieta is wheeled through the Memorial park in Pilar, in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, for her funeral
The coffin is accompanied by the Dutch royal family along with friends and relatives for ceremony
The 33-year-old had suffered from depression and other mental health problems. Queen Maxima walks behind the coffin with King Willem-Alexander
Friends and relatives gather for the funeral of Ines Zorreguieta, who was close to her older sister, Queen Maxima of Holland
She wrote a thesis about suicide at university, eight years before she took her own life.
Entitled ‘Gender differences and their relation to suicide and related behaviors’, the paper for her psychology degree at the Belgrano University looked at what drives women to take the own lives.
Queen Maxima became the first Latin American-born queen-consort of Holland when King Willem-Alexander ascended to the throne after his mother’s abdication on April 30, 2013.
The pair met in Seville, Spain, in 1999, but she was unaware he was a prince since he introduced himself only as ‘Alexander.’ They announced their engagement two years later.
The news sparked controversy in Holland due to her father’s being in office during early stages of the Dirty War in Argentina, which saw up to 30,000 people killed or go missing during a seven-year military regime.
- For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local branch. See www.samaritans.org for details
- LIFELINE: 13 11 14. Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
- If you or anyone you know needs to talk, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)