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Queen Maxima's sister Ines Zorreguieta wrote university thesis on suicide 8 years before she took her own life

Queen Maxima of Netherlands‘ younger sister, Inés Zorreguieta, was found dead in Buenos Aires from an apparent suicide on Wednesday.
UPDATED FEB 26, 2020
Queen Maxima (Getty Images)
Queen Maxima (Getty Images)

Queen Maxima's younger sister committed suicide last night at her apartment. The news shocked the world and more so after we learned that she wrote a thesis about suicide at her university.

33-year-old Ines Zorreguieta of Holland hung herself late on Wednesday night at her residence in Buenos Aires.

Confirming her death to  Argentinian newspaper La Nation, a spokesman for the Dutch government added that as of now, police "assume it was a case of suicide" until further investigation.

Zorreguieta has suffered from eating disorders and battled with depression in the past. In 2012, she also spent a significant amount of time in a mental health clinic.

However, today it emerged that back in 2010, the 33-year-old had conducted a thorough research into suicide while studying at her university in Buenos Aires, according to the Daily Mail exclusive.


Her final paper for completion of her psychology degree investigated what drives women to take their own lives. Belgrano University reported that the paper was titled "Gender differences and their relation to suicide and related behaviors."

In her paper, Zorreguieta goes on to explain how women tend to be less successful as compared to men at committing suicide in a paragraph in the 32-page document acquired by Daily Mail.

She wrote, "It is estimated that, on average, four men commit suicide for each man; while four women attempt suicide for each man. This reciprocity is maintained in all age groups."

"The reason for the difference in mortality is the methods used by men and women, and various factors are involved in the choice of method."

There is an eerie foreshadowing in one of the paragraphs, predicting the breakdown of a relationship she had two years later, after which, the royal sibling fell into depression and finally her untimely demise. She wrote, "The life events which cause women to attempt or commit suicide are often losses or crises in interpersonal relationships.

"Suicide is most common among women who are single, or recently separated."


In another excerpt, Zorreguieta expounds on eating disorders like anorexia and how it affects women more, resulting in a "high risk of suicide." Allegedly, she battled the same herself.

The royal sister also conducted a research into the methods adopted by men and women for committing suicide, and she found that among both sexes, hanging was the most commonly used method to take one's life.

She further explained that women "chose less violent methods because of concerns about body appearance - what they will look like once they die."

Zorreguieta worked as an official in the Ministry of Social Development for the government in Argentina. She was godmother to Queen Maxima's 11-year-old daughter, Princess Ariane.

On Wednesday night, relatives living in Buenos Aires rushed to her residence following the discovery of her lifeless body.

According to local media, the "building is currently controlled by agents of City Police, who arrived as soon as they were told of the incident."


After being unable to contact her daughter and raising concerns about her well-being, Maria del Carmen Cerruti, the mother of Zorreguieta and Queen Maxima discovered her daughter's body at her apartment, according to Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office.

The apartment, situated on Rio de Janeiro street in the Caballito neighborhood of the Argentinian capital, was opened by Cerruti along with one of Zorreguieta's friend using a spare key after she didn't hear from her daughter since the previous day.

A spokesman said, "Around 9.50 pm yesterday (Thursday), the mother and a friend of Zorreguieta agreed to go to the woman's apartment since they had not been able to communicate with her during the previous day. He added: "Zorreguieta's mother needed to be restrained by members of the psychological assistance team."

A Dutch government statement presuming she had committed suicide was corroborated by "the first tests carried out by police forensic teams" that "pointed to the same hypothesis", according to a law enforcement source.

That being said, Queen Maxima canceled all her upcoming engagements in her schedule, including visits to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia next week and traveled to her homeland in the following hours.


Last year, Queen Maxima's father, Jorge Zorreguieta, died at the age of 89 after suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma on August 8. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a statement, "The sudden death of the sister of the Queen comes as a great shock. It is intensely sad and heartbreaking news, that is comprehended for those that are left behind."

Rutte wished the Queen and her family "all the strength needed to carry this awful loss."

When King Willem-Alexander took the throne after his mother gave it up on April 30, 2013, Queen Maxima became the first queen-consort of Holland who was born Latin American.

Queen Maxima met the love of her life back in 1999 in Seville, Spain, when he introduced himself only as "Alexander" to hide his royal status.

Two years later, the couple announced their engagement.

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