Princess Margarita & Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn News & Photos 1 (Feb 2003-Sep 2006)

[Jacqueline]

Princess 'takes revenge' on Dutch royal family
By Joan Clements in The Hague
(Filed: 14/02/2003)

A princess has caused a scandal in Holland by alleging that her Spanish-born aristocrat father had an illegitimate son by his Dominican housekeeper.

The disclosure is seen as an act of revenge by the princess on the fiercely- private Dutch royal family for her ostracisation after marrying a commoner.

Princess Margarita, 30, the eldest daughter of Queen Beatrix's sister, Princess Irene, claims she and her husband, the self-styled Baron Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn, have been sidelined since their marriage in France in September 2001 against her parents' wishes. Neither her father, Carelhugo de Bourbon Parme, nor the Queen attended the wedding.

In an interview with the Dutch magazine HP/De Tijd, the princess said: "I have always been a loyal member of my family but did not get support when I needed it most. They have even tried to destroy my happiness."

Of her father she said in a separate interview: "He has double moral standards. He disagrees with my husband but he himself has a son by his former Dominican housekeeper: my dark skinned half-brother Zavier."

She went on to accuse her father of revealing to relatives details of her husband's financial situation dating from a period when he received Dutch social security benefits.

Princess Margarita, who claims her home in Amsterdam is bugged, complains that her husband is constantly ignored by Dutch royals.

Even when they are included as guests at royal parties, members of the family "constantly continue to converse when my husband is trying to speak", she said. "[They] bump into him as though he is invisible and some ladies-in-waiting refuse to shake his hand."

She said the Queen did nothing to correct the royal family's "bad behaviour". Despite a number of conversations with Queen Beatrix, she said, the coolness continued "so I can only accept that my aunt, the Queen, is backing this behaviour".

The spurned princess's apparent attempt to court public support in her dispute with her relatives follows a previous attempt to persuade the Dutch authorities to intervene.

In October 2001 she wrote to Wim Kok, then prime minister, asking him to intercede with the Queen. But Mr Kok replied that he could not involve himself in "family matters".

There is as yet no evidence that the princess's decision to air her grievances in public has won her sympathy. Queen Beatrix, 65, enjoys the affection of most Dutch people. She is still mourning the loss of her German-born husband, Prince Claus, who died in October.

Some observers suggest that the interview may have been masterminded by Princess Margarita's husband. He claimed in the same interview to have seen the Queen "tired and the worse for wear" during a birthday party. Princess Margarita added that her aunt "likes her wine".

Observers say the princess's husband resented royal acceptance of the marriage of Crown Prince William Alexander when his bride, Maxima, was a member of Argentina's former military junta.

Article From: The Spectator