Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander wave as they welcome guests to a traditional New Year's reception at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam

Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander looked cheerful on Monday as they welcomed guests to a traditional New Year's reception.

The Dutch royal family, 52, and her husband the king, 56, waved as they prepared to welcome several hundred guests from politics and public administration and from various sectors of Dutch society to the Royal Palace.

The Queen looked elegant in a camel-colored coat, layered with a turtleneck in the same neutral palette to keep warm.

She chose her classic makeup style and kept it naturally bronzed with a smokey eye and nude lip, while her blonde locks became slightly windswept during a busy series of appointments.

King William wore a navy blue single-breasted suit and a patterned tie to match Maxima's outfit as he and his wife hosted their annual gathering.

Also present was his mother Princess Beatrix, 85, who continues to attend important events even after her abdication from the Dutch throne in 2013.

She also wore an elegant royal blue cape with gold details at the collar and welcomed the guests to the impressive and high-quality event.

Máxima was born in Argentina and married into the Dutch royal family in 2002, three years after meeting her husband-to-be in Seville, Spain.

Despite reportedly having no idea that Willem-Alexander was heir to the throne when the couple first met, she eventually became queen consort when her husband took the throne.

Willem-Alexander became king when his mother Beatrix abdicated the throne in April 2013 after 33 years as reigning monarch.

The couple have three children, the eldest of which is the twenty-year-old Crown Princess Amalia, who is the heir apparent.

Her siblings, Princess Alexia and Ariane, are 18 and 16 years old.

For their Christmas card last December, the Dutch royal family showed the rest of Europe's monarchies how it's done with an adorable family photo.

They even enlisted their dog, Mambo, to join in as they posed for portraits in front of the Christmas tree at Huis ten Bosch Palace.

The family looked closer than ever as they showed off their close bond, as they appeared to coordinate their looks by each choosing a winter coat from a complementary color palette – with Alexia opting for navy blue while Ariane opted for jade green.

The eldest of the three sisters celebrated her twentieth birthday in November and thanked royal fans for their well wishes on Instagram.

The Princess of Orange said via the account of the Netherlands Palace: 'Thank you very much for all the congratulations I received on the occasion of my twentieth birthday.

'All the heartwarming messages made my day even more special.'

It has been a turbulent few years for the heir to the throne, who is currently studying at university but is no longer allowed to live in a student house after possible kidnapping plans came to light.

During a Dutch royal tour of the Caribbean earlier this year, the Princess of Orange talked about missing “normal life, the life of a student” after a security threat forced her to move back to her home in The Hague just weeks ago . after she enrolled in college.

She said: 'I'm going to be completely honest, I'm still struggling.

'I miss normal life, the life of a student. Walking the streets, being able to go to a store.”

Meanwhile, she said she enjoyed having some freedom again during the international tour: “I had a great time.”

Last October, the Dutch news agency ANP quoted Queen Máxima during a state visit to Sweden with her husband King Willem-Alexander: 'She can hardly leave the house.

'The consequences are very difficult for her. There is no student life for her like that of others,” she added with an unusual amount of emotional candor.

The princess's name, along with former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, is said to have emerged in communications between organized crime groups, indicating they may have been targeted for kidnapping.

“I am very sorry for her and of course I am very concerned about it,” the prime minister said, without revealing details of the threats or security measures.