"AMSTERDAM — A court in The Hague ruled on Thursday that neither
Prince Bernhard nor the father or brother of Princess Margarita have
to give testimony under oath, denting the disgruntled princess'
chances of suing the royal family.
Princess Margarita and her husband Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn had
requested court permission to summons several royal witnesses. The
couple claim they were the victim of a smear campaign and are
considering suing the Dutch State and the royal family.
The couple allege that the Dutch state investigated them on request
from the royal family, constituting a breach of privacy. But the
court in The Hague ruled that it is not clear that testimony from
the royal family will unveil relevant facts to prove their claim,
news agency ANP reported.
"The _expression of several allegations against the state, without
further basis, is insufficient reason to allow temporary witness
testimony," the court said.
Princess Margarita and Edwin had wanted to hear testimony from
Prince Bernhard (the husband of former queen, Princess Juliana),
Carlos Hugo de Bourbon de Parme (Margarita's father) and Prince
Carlos de Bourbon de Parme (Margarita's brother).
They also wanted to summons the director of the Queen's Cabinet,
Felix Rhodius, former director general of the Government Information
Service RVD, Eef Brouwers, Dutch secret service AIVD director
Sybrand van Hulst and public news service NOS journalist Maartje van
Weegen.
Rhodius asked the AIVD — formerly known as the BVD — to conduct a
background check of Edwin and his family, but lawyers for the royal
couple claimed the results of the inquires included privacy-
sensitive information.
The royal couple also accused the royal family of running a smear
campaign against Edwin, damaging his business dealings. In a highly
publicised scandal, they threatened last year to sue for in excess
of EUR 30 million.
Meanwhile, lawyer Britta Bohler admitted she was "very disappointed"
with the court verdict. But despite the setback, she also said the
legal challenge against the state would go ahead, public news
service NOS reported.
In the next few weeks, lawyers will decide whether they will appeal
the ruling. But they may also decide against an appeal and directly
challenge the Dutch state in court."
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