Margarita publicly requests divorce
15 October 2004
AMSTERDAM — Once bent on suing the Dutch royal family with her "spied on husband", Princess Margarita publicly requested a divorce from Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn on Friday.
A bailiff placed an advertisement on Friday in national newspaper Trouw on behalf of Princess Margarita requesting a divorce from De Roy van Zuydewijn, "of unknown address or residence in or outside of the Netherlands". He was given until 21 January to react to the filing.
Dutch media pounced on the advertisement, claiming that Margarita had lost track of De Roy van Zuydewijn's whereabouts, reporting also that such an advertisement is legally required if the other party has no fixed address or an unknown address.
It had previously been revealed in August that the princess wished to divorce her if(flashinstalled == 2){document.write("");}else{document.write("
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husband. It was also known that the royal couple had moved into separate homes in Amsterdam. Margarita was said to be living near the Amstel and De Roy van Zuydewijn in Gerard Doustraat, located in the city's De Pijp district.
And the lawyer for De Roy van Zuydewijn denied talk that Margarita was searching for her husband, claiming she had telephoned him earlier this week. The lawyer also indicated that Margarita knows his postal address.
Princess Margarita and De Roy van Zuydewijn caused a stir at the start of last year when they accused the royal family of spying on them and running a smear campaign damaging De Roy van Zuydewijn's business.
The royal family allegedly considered De Roy van Zuydewijn was an unsuitable husband for Margarita. Subsequent inquiries confirmed that the state security service BVD (now AIVD) had carried out an investigation into De Roy van Zuydewijn on behalf of Queen Beatrix.
In the ensuing publicly-fought battle, the royal couple started civil proceedings against the royal family, announcing they would sue for EUR 30 million. But Margarita and De Roy van Zuydewijn have since separated and the damages claim has lapsed.
The once outcast princess — whose mother, Princess Irene, is the sister of Queen Beatrix — has apologised to her family and is repairing strained relations.
[Copyright Expatica News 2004]