Prince Bernhard's Illegitimate Children

[Ilse]

Let's wait till nr. 4 comes along!

 

[lucien]

If indeed there are more children will they be retroactively included in the distribution of the estate of the late Prince?

No.It is not proven,and even if it was today,she would not be included retro or in any other way.And she isn't after that either.
Just another try by some author,or calling himself that,to make a buck over the back of the dead.Cheap...

 

[Marengo]

No.It is not proven,and even if it was today,she would not be included retro or in any other way.And she isn't after that either.
Just another try by some author,or calling himself that,to make a buck over the back of the dead.Cheap...

Reading the story in the papers i would say it is not a surprise that van der linden reached this conclusion. Four different sources confirmed it. The lady in question and her husband Joop seem respectable and nice people. The couple has 6 children.

She can not claim anything since she was legally adopted and had parents already. She says that her parents were wonderful so i doubt that she will denounce them. .

btw alexia lejeune now lives in london and seems to have expositions of her photography work once in a while.

 

[NGalitzine]

Can we assume that the prince was not aware of her existence since he did acknowledge her like his did his other 2 illegimate daughters?

 

[Marengo]

Neither Mildred nor the author of the book believe that Benrhard knew about it. Or perhaps he didn't want to know of course.

The interview on Knevel & van den Brink:

Player omroep.nl

Apparently it was Annejet van der Zijl who first traced down Mildred. She wrote a very succesful biography of the prince. She gave the info. to Marc as she said that this 'was not her style'.

Interestingly enough Marc van der Linden claims that prince Bernhard himself was the one who made sure that the press got the first picture of the prince and Alexia, as he thoguht it was time that people knew....

Van der Linden was too defensive IMHO. Basically he says that the lack of sources is the readers problem, not his...

 

[Marengo]

According to author Thomas Ross, Pricne Bernhard had a 4th extramarital daughter. He will reveal the identity in his next book 'De Schaduw contra de Schorpioen' that will be out for sales next week. A cheap publicity stunt is very likely IMHO, Ross has not been very accurate in previous books and seems to mix phantasy and reality. Apart from that he is a dedicated republican and one of the most ardant haters of the late prince Bernhard.

Anyway, let's see what evidence comes up with.

 

[NGalitzine]

Does anyone really care anymore if Bernhard took his role as "father of the nation" overly seriously, lol, ? Would it be considered scandalous at this point of time? Would it damage the monarchy under Queen Beatrix?

 

[Marengo]

Not really, he is generally seen as an old crook so an extra child here and there or another financial scandal wouldn't surprise anybody indeed.

 

[Lee-Z]

Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reports that P.Bernhard's (alleged) illegitimate daughter Mildred Zijlstra wrote an autobiography (in dutch, don't think an english version is available) about her life and her search for her biological parents.
Mrs. Zijlstra was adopted as a baby and searched her biological parents later in life and eventually met her birthmother but who her birthfather was, was not mentioned.
Only in her 50's a family friend (who was well acquainted with P.Bernhard as well) blurted it out "Bernhard is your father", and after repeatedly asking her birthmother also said once that Bernhard indeed was the father, but never mentioned it again.
The birthmother put her up for adoption because the pregnancy was the result of a one-night stand during the celebrations at the end of WWII and she didn't feel a bond with the child. It is quite possible that P.Bernhard (or whoever the other half of the one-night-stand was) wasn't aware that there was a child born after the fling.

Mrs. Zijlstra did participate in a DNA test with another potential daughter of P.Bernhard (Jane Eales from Australia) but the test was inconclusive as to whether they had the same biological father.

It is also mentioned that different from the two daughters that P.Bernhard acknowledged (Alexia and Alicia), Mrs. Zijlstra was indeed adopted and therefore officially had a mother and father (her adoptive parents), which makes her position different from the other two ladies.

Anyway: no direct evidence that P.Bernhard is her father, but Mrs. Zijlstra is quite convinced that with all the circumstantial evidence that this is the case.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

As so often, Mrs Zijlstra is a bit late. The good old man is dead for 12 years now...

 

[Lee-Z]

As so often, Mrs Zijlstra is a bit late. The good old man is dead for 12 years now...

She's not writing her biography for revenge or because she wants to be a part of the Oranje family

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Well, she has to convince you, me or others to buy her autobiography and why would anyone buy the story of a Mildred Zijlstra??? Oh wait... her father was Prince Bernhard. She says.

 

[Lee-Z]

Well, she has to convince you, me or others to buy her autobiography and why would anyone buy the story of a Mildred Zijlstra??? Oh wait... her father was Prince Bernhard. She says.

Yes, that is a fact, is that a problem for you?

 

[lucien]

I suppose "that is a fact" refers to the claim by that lady,NOT that she actually is an alledged daughter of our late bon vivant.Just to clear all doubts on that.

Mrs Zijlstra was on DWDD too a short while ago as well as on the late night show with Umberto Tan IIRC...I mean she's pretty active in getting her face around and her subsequent "message".

 

[Lee-Z]

I suppose "that is a fact" refers to the claim by that lady,NOT that she actually is an alledged daughter of our late bon vivant.Just to clear all doubts on that.

Mrs Zijlstra was on DWDD too a short while ago as well as on the late night show with Umberto Tan IIRC...I mean she's pretty active in getting her face around and her subsequent "message".

"That is a fact" in my message?
That refered to what was implied in the message that i responded to, namely that the main reason for anyone buying the autobiography is that P.Bernhard is allegedly her father; this to me seems pretty much the truth and therefore i used the phrase "that is a fact", but i should have used "I share your opinion that the main reason for anyone buying the autobiography is her mention of the name P.Bernhard"

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

So to read Prince Bernhard had no problems in paying for extramarital daughters or even letting them share in his heritage. So this Mildred Zijlstra is a bit late. But good luck Mildred. I am the illegitimate son of Claus von Amsberg, by the way. The King is my half-brother. Psssst... don't spread the news...

 

[tommy100]

This was envitable really wasn't it. Look at how many people claim to be the illegitamte children of dead royals? Add to that Bernhard having admitted to having 2 illigitimate children its obvious people are going to use this to claim they are another illigitimate children and use his admission as some sort of justification

 

[Marengo]

As one can read above: she was 'discovered' by Annejet Zijlstra, a very respectable and reliable historian and author. The story went to the press in 2011 but it seems only now Mrs. Zijlstra's book about her search is published.

The case that Zijlstra makes is a good one, which should be clear if some could overstep their prejudice about bastard children of royals who decide to speak out and who do not stay discreetly hidden in a corner. But indeed, she does not have DNA evidence.

As I said in 2011: she is not entitled to a share of the inheritance, as she is well aware. Although it may be difficult to believe for some cynics among us, sometimes people with a special story write that history down and share it with the rest of us. It happens all the time actually. To belittle Mrs. Zijlstra as a fortune hunter is unfair and petty.

 

[Blog Real]

What kind of relationship the Princess Beatrix with her stepsisters?

 

[Countessmeout]

Half-sisters. Step would mean they don't share a parent (Felix is half siblings with Henrik and Athena as share dad, William is step siblings with Tom and Laura as his dad married their mum).


At least according to Dutch wiki, Bea and her sisters have met the other 2 only once, when Bernhard died. Alicia and Alexia are said to keep in touch. Considering they are their dad's kids from affairs, and he never publically acknowledged them, its not surprising they don't have a relationship. The girls did visit their father in the last years.

 

[lucien]

What kind of relationship the Princess Beatrix with her stepsisters?

None.Each have their own lives and are OK with that.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

[...] Considering they are their dad's kids from affairs, and he never publically acknowledged them, its not surprising they don't have a relationship. The girls did visit their father in the last years.

The Prince did publicly recognize his two daughters. In a series of interviews with journalists in 1999-2003 he stated: "They must be left alone. My legacy must be shared by six. That is how I have stipulated in my testament." At that moment it was assumed the Prince's private fortune was worth around 200 million Euro (he had inherited part of Queen Juliana's private wealth earlier that year).

At the backcover of the book De Prins Spreekt (The Prince Speaks) he confirms the contents with a letter:

Soestdijk Palace
23 May 2003

I did not want to leave a biography.

The talks with the gentlemen Broertjes and Tromp in the past years were -for myself- meant to explain my point of view regarding a number of aspects in my life about which I would like to tell something more.

I do not consider the impact of this as a biography, but as a journalistic report. I can agree well with the contents of this.

Bernhard

Front cover

Back cover

 

[melina premiere]

Prince Berhnard recogniezd his two daughters and it became public after his death in a vidéo.
We cannot compare the cases of William because, Charles is not the father of the children of Camilla

Nicolai and Felix are the sons of prince Joachim and his former wife Princess Alexandra, they are born in the wedding of a marriage , their fatehr divorced and married again and had 2 other children with his second wife.it is a family where they are grown up with the other children.

Alicia and Alexia are illigitimat daughters , born after the affair of their father with their mother , their father being maried with the queen Juliana. They perhaps saw their father, we had no proofs. The princesses Béatrix, Irène, Margriet and Christina loved their father but we cannot ask them to love their half sisters and to have contacts with them, we don't know their feelings they also loved their mother and were not perhaps very happy that their father had affairs with other wifes.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

[...]

Alicia and Alexia are illigitimat daughters , born after the affair of their father with their mother , their father being maried with the queen Juliana. They perhaps saw their father, we had no proofs. The princesses Béatrix, Irène, Margriet and Christina loved their father but we cannot ask them to love their half sisters and to have contacts with them, we don't know their feelings they also loved their mother and were not perhaps very happy that their father had affairs with other wifes.

The eldest extra-marital daughter, Alicia Hala de Bielefelde, lived far away in America. But the youngest extra-marital daughter, Alexia had frequent contacts with her father. Prince Bernhard purchased an expensive appartement at the Avenue Raphaël in Paris for his poupette Hélène and his daughter Alexia.

The couple joined the Prince at his yacht in Antibes and also met the other sisters at the villa Il Elefante Felice in Porto Ercole, the royal summer residence in Italy. When Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard made a State Visit to President Pompidou, also le baron et la baronne Stanislas Lejeune were official guests and presented to the President and the Queen... The current 7th Baron Lejeune, Cyrille, is the a son of Hélène and therefore a halfbrother of Alexia. (Picture of Cyrille and Alexia).

The sister of poupette Hélène, Francine Grinda, married Henri Roussel. Their son Thierry married Christina Onassis and is the father of Athina Onassis. Small world...

http://www.lexpress.fr/region/les-grinda_481070.html

 

[melina premiere]

I read somewhere that the baron Stanislas Lejeunewere was ambassador of Niederlands at that time.

But we never saw Alexia at the 'privat events' as the weddings of the grand children of the prince Berhnard nor at the big family meetings . Perhaps Alexia and his mother joined P Bernhard and queen Juliana in hholidays( which is very strange for me, but I am an oldfashion wife but I think that the four sisters had anymore contacts with the daughters of their father.

 

[Lee-Z]

We cannot compare the cases of William because, Charles is not the father of the children of Camilla
.....

Alicia and Alexia are illigitimat daughters , born after the affair of their father with their mother , their father being maried with the queen Juliana. They perhaps saw their father, we had no proofs..

The reference to P.Charles' family was made by previous poster to explain the difference between step- and half-siblings, not to compare them to P.Bernhard's situation

About P.Bernhard's two out-of-wedlock daughters we actually we have a lot more proof and facts than of several other similar situations, most have been posted earlier in this thread, as an example this article of an interview with daughter Alicia
Koningin Beatrix heeft geen contact met halfzussen | Binnenland | de Volkskrant

I'd say the only situation i know of where the out-of-wedlock children are similarly acknowledged is that of P.Albert of Monaco and his eldest two children

 

[Lee-Z]

I read somewhere that the baron Stanislas Lejeunewere was ambassador of Niederlands at that time.

But we never saw Alexia at the 'privat events' as the weddings of the grand children of the prince Berhnard nor at the big family meetings . Perhaps Alexia and his mother joined P Bernhard and queen Juliana in hholidays( which is very strange for me, but I am an oldfashion wife but I think that the four sisters had anymore contacts with the daughters of their father.

Alicia and Alexia both joined their father and P.Juliana on vacation in Italy from 1994...

About the relationship with the in-wedlock daughters we know less, other than they are not as close with them as they were with their dad and P.Juliana...

 

[melina premiere]

I never saw this article , I understand that Prince Bernhard saw her daughters, it is normal but I did not believe that queen Juliana met and passed some days with the daughter and the lover of her husband, but as it is shown, I believe it, queen Juliana was a great woman with a big heart, I always appreciated her.
But I am shocked , I am an old oldfashion woman, personaly I would never meet the daughter of my husband if he had one also it is why I said that Queen Juliana was a warm person.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Stanislas and Hélène Lejeune indeed were presented to Queen Juliana at a State Banquet with President Pompidou. I have seen pictures of the Queen shaking her hands during the passage.

The Queen also welcomed Alexia at her holiday villa in Italy and aboard of the yacht in the Rivièra. Apparently Queen Juliana accepted the existence of her husband's extramarital adventures. But we need to understand that the whole marriage between the Queen and the Prince was arranged from A to Z. Almost every historian agrees that Queen Juliana was in love, deep love, with the mondaine German Prince. Almost every historian agrees that this feeling was not vice-versa.

When you read the correspondence of the German Ambassador in The Hague, Julius Graf Zech von Burkersroda, with the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonkheer Andries de Graeff, before and during the engagement, one can see both states were elbow-deep involved in this "spontaneous" affair.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Thank you to everyone who has shared. Duc, could you elaborate on this?

When you read the correspondence of the German Ambassador in The Hague, Julius Graf Zech von Burkersroda, with the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonkheer Andries de Graeff, before and during the engagement, one can see both states were elbow-deep involved in this "spontaneous" affair.