Caped crusader! Queen Máxima of the Netherlands stuns in scarlet ensemble as she visits sustainable shoe recycling factory

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Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked sensational in a scarlet cape as she visited a sustainable shoe recycling factory today.

The Argentine-born European monarch, 51, opted for a deep red colour palette for her engagement at the FastFeetGrinded factory in Heerhugowaard.

The mother-of-three kept her long flowing piece of outerwear on throughout her  tour - which she wore over a red cowl-neck, long-sleeved top. 

She then paired this with some charcoal grey tweed trousers with a straight-leg cut.

Tying her look together, the royal wore a pair of grey suede pointed heels which she paired with a boxy dark red clutch bag.

Queen Maxima, 51, opted for a deep red colour palette for her engagement today. The European royal visited the FastFeetGrinded factory in Heerhugowaard

Maxima's dark brown nails completed her polished ensemble - along with her purple-and-green stone statement earrings.

The monarch styled her hair straight for today's engagement and wore a brown smokey eye with a nude lip. 

During her visit, the royal was taken on a tour of the factory and also sat down with staff to discuss their environmental mission. 

According to the company's website, FastFeedGrinded's factory pulverises old shoes which can no longer be worn and uses these materials to create new trainers.

So far, the company - which was founded in 2008 - has recycled 700,00 shoes.

It appears as though sustainability is a topic close to Maxima's heart - as she presented eco-friendly company MUD Jeans with their own Plaque for Sustainable Entrepreneurship last year.

Yesterday, Maxima stepped out in a similar outfit when she returned to a cancer hospital in Utrecht five years after she opened it.

The Queen of the Netherlands wore the same cape but in a camel shade, which she accessoried with a jumper dress and a pair of tan boots.

The mother-of-three sat down with staff to hear more about the brand's sustainability mission

During her engagement, Maxima also took a tour of the premises in Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands

Maxima styled her hair straight for today's engagement and opted for a dark brown smokey eye look

The royal finished off her ensemble with some grey suede court heels, tweed trousers and a red clutch bag

The Queen's cape, which is a break from her tradition of wearing bold colours, has had another outing to the ward after she also stepped out in the layer at the end of January with her husband, King Willem-Alexander, at the Royal Palace. 

Máxima's hospital was a poignant one as she returned to the Princess Máxima Centre, which has become a hub for research into childhood cancers since the royal first opened it in 2018. 

All children with cancer in the Netherlands are treated at the paediatric oncology ward, which it claims makes it the largest paediatric centre in Europe.

According to the centre's website, its mission is: 'To cure every child with cancer, with optimal quality of life.'

Last year, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 63 Ukrainian children moved to The Netherlands so they could receive cancer treatment at the centre.

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, 51, posed with a young child who has received cancer treatment on her visit to the Princess Máxima Centre in Utrecht, which treats all children in the nation who have been diagnosed with cancer

Oh-so chic in camel! The Queen beamed as her blonde locks were swept up in the wind as she left the hospital

During her visit to the medical centre she first opened nearly five years ago, the Queen was given a tour

While the treatment at the centre is funded in part by the health ministry in The Netherlands and also by health insurance, its research relies heavily on donations.

She was pictured smiling with some children and chatting to others, showing her affinity with little ones as she walked around the centre.

At one point, she was pictured exclaiming something as she chatted with a child, whom it appears she may have first met several years ago.

The Queen was presented with a photo on an easel of herself in a previous visit, leaning down to speak to a young child in a wheelchair at the centre.