She was the daughter of Abraham de la Queillerie (1589–1630) from Tournai, Belgium and Maria du Bois (born 1594 died unknown) from France.

[citation needed] Little is known about the personality of Maria de la Queillerie, but in 1660–1661, the French priest Nicolas Étienne stayed ten months in Cape Town after a shipwreck; in a letter, he describes her as very pious (in Protestant faith of course), diplomatic and very intelligent.

A commemorative plaque of Maria van Riebeeck can be found in the ruins of Saint Paul's Church in Malacca, replacing the original tombstone that was transported to Cape Town in 1915.

It was offered in 1952 by the Dutch State for the commemorations of the 300th anniversary of the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.

Queen Juliana was not present having told Prime Minister DF Malan that she would not travel to South Africa while apartheid, implemented from 1948, is said to be in force there.