Dutch Queen Maxima pays emotional tribute to sister following her death

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands has paid emotional tribute to her sister while speaking publicly about her death for the first time.

Inés Zorreguieta, 33, was found dead in her apartment in Buenos Aries, Argentina on June 6, believed to have taken her own life.

Having initially postponed all her official appearances in the wake of the tragedy, Queen Maxima, 47, returned to work on Tuesday with a visit to a hospital in Groningen.

Delivering a statement to the media during the outing, the wife of King Willem-Alexander touched on the tragic loss of her "dear, talented" younger sister, who is said to have lived with depression and mental illness.

"Inés was ill too. She couldn't find joy and couldn't recover," Queen Maxima, who is originally from Argentina, said.

"Our only consolation is that she has now finally been able to find peace."

Visibly emotional, the mother of three also thanked the public for their messages and expressions of support and the respect shown to her family following Zorreguieta's death.

READ MORE: Queen Maxima of Holland's younger sister found dead in Argentina

Queen Maxima had a close relationship with the 33-year-old, a psychologist who worked for an office on social policies at the president's office.

Zorreguieta was bridesmaid at her older sister's wedding to then-Crown Prince Willem-Alexander in 2002, and was named godmother of Princess Ariane - the third and youngest daughter of the Dutch royals.

It's been a difficult 12 months for Queen Maxima's family, with her father Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta having passed away last year in Buenos Aires at age 89.

During her Gronigen visit, she acknowledged the weeks since her sister's death had been a "difficult period".

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