Prince Bernhard's Illegitimate Children

[Alexandria]

Originally Posted by Ennyllorac

How much of a relationship did the Prince have with his other daughters? I would think that if it was a good relationship, that they would have gone to see him before he passed away.

One of the above articles says he saw them each at least twice a year, winter and summer or something to that effect.

I presume that he would've kept in contact with them otherwise the rest of the time however, whether through letters, e-mail or phone calls however.

Can anyone tell me if they visited Prince Bernhard before he passed away or in the days after made a private visit? The Queen, her sisters and and other members of the family paid visits to Bernhard in the days before his death. (Members posted pictures of Constantijn, Laurentien and family, Margriet, the Queen and others visiting the Prince.

[GrandDuchess]

The youngest half-sister of Queen Beatrix, Alexia Grinda-Lejeune (born 1967) is 37 and lives in an apartment in one of the most exclusive streets in Paris. Her mother Hélène Grinda was some sort of model. Her mother later had two sons with baron Stanislaus Lejeune.

Alexia was indeed not at the funeral, but she said goodbye to her father privately at Soestdijk Palace before he passed away. I also read in the Dutch media that she paid her respects while Prince Bernhard lied in state. She also stayed with Princess Margriet at Het Loo for a little while during his last days alive and also after he passed away.

In the interview with Prince Bernhard that was published after his death in de Volkskrant, he told that Alexia sometimes came to visit him in Italy, often with a friend, and that he had a lot of contact with her. All of his daughters will share the inheritance after Prince Bernhard equally; this is what he said in the same interview.

I’ve also read in the Dutch press that Alexia and her mother were allowed to visit him at Soestdijk Palace a few times.

The oldest half-sister of Queen Beatrix, Alicia, is thought to be around 50 and living in the US. Her mother is not known, and Prince Bernhard said she is to be left in peace.

[royal_sophietje]

Originally Posted by Alexandria

Why weren't they allowed to go? Queen Juliana seemed to have made peace with her husband's infidelity and the existence of his two other daughters, so I don't understand why they weren't allowed to attend and say a final goodbye to their father?

I am curious to know how long the Queen and her sisters have been aware of their half sisters, and if in the future there might be an occurence where Alicia and Alexia could "bond" with Beatrix, Irene, Margriet and Christina?

They were allowed to go to Soestdijk to say goodbye, but they were not allowed to go to the funeral. The queen thought it would take to much attention away from the service and the day itself.

[The Watcher]

Gossip photographers found Alicia, a illegitimate daughter of Prince Bernhard
----------------------------
From BRMB:
Weekend: Alicia found! (translation Dutch article)
Wednesday the weekly Weekend will publish photographs of Alicia, the illegitimate daughter of the late Prince Bernhard.


The weekly will also publish the names and other personal information known about the American lady. This was said by M. van der Linden, the chief-editor of Weekend.

Tuesday the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (RVD - Government Information Service) gave no opinion about the article in the gossip magazine.

Prince Bernhard, whom passed away in the beginning of December, has revealed the existence of Alicia and another illegitimate daughter, the 37-birthday Française Alexia, in a series interviews with De Volkskrant, a newspaper, than only was allowed to publish these after his death. Both daughters will divide in the Prince's inheritance.

According to Mr van der Lincen Alicia was born in May 1954 and resembles exactly the Princesses Irene and Margriet. She is a landscape architecte and does live in a villa in a medium-sized place in California. According to the chief-editor Alicia has never ever posed for photographs.

About the last name of Alicia the chief-editor says that these only differs with one letter from Prince Bernhard's own last name [zur Lippe-Biesterfeld / HM ]

Bernhard had been cautious about Alicia. In the interviews with De Volkskrant, he said: "She must be left with pace". Mr van der Linden finds that nonsense. "That is not up to the Prince. His daughters are newsworthy and he himself has thrown the stick in the chicken's cage (Dutch saying) with his interviews with De Volskkrant.

For next week the weekly announced a continuation reportage about Alicia. "Including a number of reactions from people around the Court", according to Mr Van der Linden. The coming of Alicia was a direct consequence of the marriage-crisis between Prince Bernhard and Queen Juliana in the Fifties, a consequence of the Hofmans-affair. According to the Prince, Queen Juliana knew about his two illegitimate children knew. "The existence of my illegitimate children has never been a painful history. Both children have been touched by how dear mammie [ The Queen / HM ] was for them. And in her turn my wife said how terribly sweet/lovely the chldren were."

---------------------------------------------

The full name of this daughter is according Weekend: Alicia de Bielefelde
That's strange because it looks like her fathers name: Van Lippe-Biesterveld)
She is a landscape gardener.

Here is a old interview with her (article has the name: Volunteers light up historic island ): http://www.belleville.com/mld/cctime...el/3705863.htm

And also the picture. I really think she looks a little bit like Princess Margriet.

[The Watcher]

Bigger picture of Alicia from the ´Weekend´

[USCtrojan]

That is oh so sad. They should have been allowed to goto their fathers funeral, and at least been low key, to unnoticible, or heck at least allow them to go period. Shame on the Dutch royals for not allowing Bernards other daughters come to his funeral when they knew that both of them existed. The girls even knew eachother, Beatrix should have allowed her half-sisters to attend.

[The Watcher]

Originally Posted by chanel

That is oh so sad. They should have been allowed to goto their fathers funeral, and at least been low key, to unnoticible, or heck at least allow them to go period. Shame on the Dutch royals for not allowing Bernards other daughters come to his funeral when they knew that both of them existed. The girls even knew eachother, Beatrix should have allowed her half-sisters to attend.

Actually the two illegitimate daughters both didn't want to attend the funeral. They didn't want to be in the spotlights and they didn't want to give up their privacy.

[lori]

Originally Posted by Alexandria

I think there was a lot of give and take in Juliana and Bernhard's relationship, from Juliana's "new age" medical treatments for Christina's blindness to Bernhard's infidelities, they are a testament of a couple who struggle and put up with each other rather than just cutting each other loose.

I don't think there is a lot of give and take in this marriage. I interpretate it more one side down relationship. We are not talking about occasional adultery and family supports. This was a series adulter. 2 daughter from 2 women. one long affair in London. Another rumor of two sons (even though the sons were not confirmed, the affair must be the first to spread) And this is what we know about, I image more were under the carpet. And Prince Bernard talked about marriage crisis like a marriage vacation or licence to screw(sorry about the term, but it's the fact). I understand what "political marriage" entails, but nobody blew more righteous hot air than he did. Why did he seek understanding from common folks, when he only needed to seek understanding with his wife who last I heard and before she die was not talking to him.

[MoonlightRhapsody]

Originally Posted by lori

I don't think there is a lot of give and take in this marriage. I interpretate it more one side down relationship. We are not talking about occasional adultery and family supports. This was a series adulter. 2 daughter from 2 women. one long affair in London. Another rumor of two sons (even though the sons were not confirmed, the affair must be the first to spread) And this is what we know about, I image more were under the carpet. And Prince Bernard talked about marriage crisis like a marriage vacation or licence to screw(sorry about the term, but it's the fact). I understand what "political marriage" entails, but nobody blew more righteous hot air than he did. Why did he seek understanding from common folks, when he only needed to seek understanding with his wife who last I heard and before she die was not talking to him.

I'd have to agree with lori on this one. Adultery and one illegitimate child once, could be forgiven as a one-time mistake. But twice? Now, there's a problem there. That's the beginning of a habit. I believe he was no longer committing adultery due to marital problems, but rather committing adultery because he knew he could get away with it.

[monos26]

I found Juliana's acceptance of this appalling. What kind of example did that set for her daughters?

[Maxie]

Originally Posted by monos26

I found Juliana's acceptance of this appalling. What kind of example did that set for her daughters?

I wouldn't call it appalling. These were other times and definitely other social circles than the ones we're used to nowadays. She handled the whole thing with dignity and I won't love her less for handling the situation the way she did, to be honest.

[Next Star]

The late Prince Berhand had guts to admit he had fathered two illegitmate daughters from two different women knowing this would the talk of the whole town forget that the whole world in this case. People love a juicy scandal and this one of those poor Alicia and Alexia their caught in the middle because of their father's not so good decisions and his late wife Juilana took his faults and accepted them not once but twice Berhand had cheated on her and he had fathered a child form both women. His other four daughters' Beatrix, Irene, Margit, and Christina must have been angred to know their father cheated on their mother two different times with two diffrerent women. It is sad that Alicia and Alexia did not want to attend their father's funeral atleast they had the chance to say good bye before he had passed.

[Lakshmi]

Prince Bernhard behaved like a ruthless macho. Inviting extramarital daughter to palace was like slapping his legitimate daughters faces, for them both half sisters probably were living proof of their father infidelity and lack of respect to their mother. And inviting Alexia's mother to palace? I should not say too much bad things about the man who passed away, but I have feeling he never loved any women in his life and never loved either of his children. Maybe having six children with 3 different women were something like proof of fertility to him. Maybe being macho he felt very unconfortable being just a consort. So he decided to treat his wife as one of his women only and children with her only as one of his many children. Sort of poligamic man not devoted to women and not to children.

[Marengo]

I don't think one can compare the way he treated Alexia or Alicia with the way he had a relationship with his other daughters. He naturally saw his legitemate daughters much more often, while the relations with the other two were much less frequent and discrete. Though I agree it doesn't show a lot of respect to his wife, I am glad that he actually paid attention to the exisstance of the other two daughters and did not abandon them all together as so many other fathers do to children born out of their marriage.

[fanletizia]

Bernhard, unfaithful prince
Beatriz of Holland distributes with her extramarried sisters the inheritance of his father
…
The American Alicia de Bielefeld and French Alexia Grinda, the two extramarried daughters of the deceased prince Bernardo of Holland, father of the present sovereign Beatriz and husband of the previous queen, Julian, has received an advance of their inheritance. Although its existence was only confirmed by its ancestor in an interview published for a reason or purpose posthumous in 2004 by the metropolitan newspaper Of Volkskrant, Bernardine it wanted to distribute to his legacy to equal parts among them and their other four legitimate daughters. These last ones, princess Irene, Margarita and Cristina, in addition to Beatriz, have fulfilled part of these desires now sending 800,000 euros to their foreign sisters.
The sum comes from the valuation of three buildings property of the prince that follow lived and on that the regal quartet preferred that Alicia and Alexia did not demand their rights. The press finishes keeping awake the agreement, but it is not clear still if it will happen the same with the rest of the inheritance, calculated in about 200 million.
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/agend...lpepiage_2/Tes

[Henri M.]

Originally Posted by fanletizia

Bernhard, unfaithful prince
Beatriz of Holland distributes with her extramarried sisters the inheritance of his father
…
The American Alicia de Bielefeld and French Alexia Grinda, the two extramarried daughters of the deceased prince Bernardo of Holland, father of the present sovereign Beatriz and husband of the previous queen, Julian, has received an advance of their inheritance. Although its existence was only confirmed by its ancestor in an interview published for a reason or purpose posthumous in 2004 by the metropolitan newspaper Of Volkskrant, Bernardine it wanted to distribute to his legacy to equal parts among them and their other four legitimate daughters. These last ones, princess Irene, Margarita and Cristina, in addition to Beatriz, have fulfilled part of these desires now sending 800,000 euros to their foreign sisters.
The sum comes from the valuation of three buildings property of the prince that follow lived and on that the regal quartet preferred that Alicia and Alexia did not demand their rights. The press finishes keeping awake the agreement, but it is not clear still if it will happen the same with the rest of the inheritance, calculated in about 200 million.
ELPAIS.com - Bernardo, príncipe infiel - Internacional

See also this post

[Marengo]

H. Jacobs´ Royal Blog has an article about Alicia de Bielefeld. Apparently her complete name is ´Alicia de Lippe von Bielefeld´. Her mothers last name is ´Weber´.

I remember reading recently that Alicia´s mother had something to do with the Nazi´s. She was an illegitemate child of a Nazi official or something like that. Perhaps somebody else has the complete story.

[Marengo]

Boulevard magazine ´Prive´ claims they have found the 6th daughter of prince Bernhard, Alexia Lejeune. Take a look here, inside the magazine they put on the centerfold page the portraits of the 6 daughters of Bernhard next to each other btw. Many people doubt that this is actually Alexia Lejeune, as no recent pictures of her are known so nobody can confirm it is her (except the ´anonimous´ sources of ´Prive´.

[Marengo]

Alexia Lejeune´s brother (Cyril) and a nephew (Fabrice) have denied that the lady on the picture is Alexia Lejeune, they say it is a friend of the family. RTL Boulevard has an item on it, here.

Website Zijonline claims that this all was a trap of the RF, they had a courtier confirm to Prive that this was Alexia, to make Prive magazine look idiotic... sigh, always nice these conspiracy theories... Article in Dutch here.

Some pictures of a young Alexia, her mother Helene on the website of Alexia´s (half)-brother Cyril Lejeune, here.

And according to royalblog it is unsure if Alexia still lives in France, some sources say she lives in Paris now, read more in Dutch here.

And here the website of Fabrice Grinda, apparently there are old pictures of Alexia to be found there.

Courtesy: ATR

[prinsesbeagle]

To me this shows once again how silly and bad the dutch gossipmagazines really are. They never really check AND doublecheck their sources.

I'm certain Prive will try to blame SOMEONE for this major error (probably in next weeks issue), but really, they have no one to blame but themselves. They should imho refund everyone who was naive enough to buy their magazine this week. Even if this info was given to them by a 'trusted source' all they had to do was CHECK ONLINE or contact one of her relatives and they would have seen this story was nonsense.

Zijonline is just another gossipsite imho. But even if the RF tried to trick Prive - which I don't believe, sorry - even then I'd say: good for them!