Queen Máxima will take over the reigns of power as regent if king Willem-Alexander dies before their oldest daughter, princess Amalia, reaches the age of 18, the state information service has announced.

Should the king die before 2021, Máxima will also retain parental authority over Amalia.

She will then be supported by two family members and three others: the vice president of the government’s highest advisory body, the Raad van State, the president of the national auditor and the president of the supreme court.

The provision for a regency are contained in a draft law which has been sent to the lower and upper houses of parliament, and is aimed at achieving a smooth continuation of the monarchy.

If Máxima has already died before Willem-Alexander, prince Constantijn, the king’s younger brother, will become regent.

The last time there was a regency in the Netherlands was when king Willem III died. His daughter, Wilhelmina, was ten years old at the time and her mother, Emma, was appointed regent. Wilhelmina officially became queen in 1898.