Queen Máxima says a queen's life is no fairytale

Being a queen isn't just a fairytale –– is is a great responsibility, Queen Máxima said in an interview with Al Jazeera. According to her, this idealistic image of the king and queen does not exist. "It's harder work than anything I've done before. And I worked at a bank in New York, where I worked 16 hours a day," the queen said.

"When you hold this position, you have a responsibility to make a difference somewhere. I take that very seriously," continued Máxima, who told Al Jazeera about her role as a special envoy to the United Nations. "This is just a small part of what I do."

Máxima said that she fills in her position as queen in her own way. She has no ambition to change that role. "Every person does it in his own way and according to his own ability. I hope that I can contribute something with my talents. But every queen is different. There is no fixed form for it."

The ideal queen does not exist, says Máxima. "It will be different in every country. And my daughter will also do it in a different way than I do. The only thing I can tell her is to go for what you like and gives you energy. Because if you do that you can bring about change."

Princess Amalia on Friday made her first official trip as Princess of Oranje in Norway, accompanied by her mother and father King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. Together they attended Norwegian princess Ingrid Alexandra's 18th birthday at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

The trip to Norway is the second official ceremony for the Dutch princess, who turned 18 in December. A day after her birthday, her father, King Willem-Alexander, introduced her to the Council of State: her first official appearance as princess.

Al Jazeera interviewed the queen last week during her UN trip to Ivory Coast and Senegal. Queen Máxima, like the rest of the royal family, rarely gives extensive interviews.