Huis ten Bosch Palace has three new residents! Queen Maxima of the Netherlands has released three hedgehogs at the palace in The Hague. The Dutch Royal House shared a photo last week of the Queen holding one of them, while wearing gloves.

“Hedgehogs are having a harder time in the Netherlands. Due to hot summer months, the worms are deeper in the ground and there are fewer crawling insects. In recent years, more and more sick, weakened or injured hedgehogs are coming in to hedgehog shelters. The hedgehog’s habitat has also become smaller due to construction and increasing traffic,” the Dutch Royal House wrote alongside the photo (translated to English).

The palace continued, “Queen Máxima has adopted three hedgehogs and evicted them in the garden of Paleis Huis ten Bosch. The garden and the forest area offer enough food and space for the hedgehogs through the many diverse plants and shrubs.”

©Patrick van Katwijk/WireImage

Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander, along with their three daughters, moved to Huis ten Bosch Palace in January of 2019. The royal couple’s youngest daughter Princess Ariane left home back in August to continue her secondary education at UWC Adriatic in Italy. While the King and Queen’s firstborn, Princess Catharina-Amalia, left the nest last year to study at the University of Amsterdam, it was reported in October of 2022 that the future Queen had moved back home due to threats made against her.

Maxima’s middle child, Princess Alexia, is currently taking a gap year following her graduation from UWC Atlantic. During the family’s summer photocall, the Dutch Princess shared that she had “a lot of plans.” She said (via AD), “A bit of traveling, working and everything.”