President of the Council of State
Under the Constitution the monarch is President of the Council of State, a historical role which is purely symbolic in nature since the Vice-President is in charge of the day-to-day management of the Council.
The Council of State has two main tasks: advising on legislation and dispensing administrative justice. The Advisory Division advises the government and Parliament on legislation, while the Administrative Jurisdiction Division is the country’s highest administrative court in fields such as spatial planning and immigration. Although the King is the President of the Council of State, he takes no part in these tasks.
Queen Máxima has a seat on the Council of State. This means that she may attend meetings of the Advisory Division and take part in the discussions but may not vote. She is of course not involved in the Council of State’s judicial functions.