Yesterday an interview was shown with Prince Constantijn shopping in a supermarket, being an daddy-assistant-referee alongside the football pitch, was on tutoyer terms with the interviewer (jij and jouw) instead of the more distant vousvouyer (u and uw).
We saw a modern and comfortable house in the very middle of a neighbourhood, be it a big and monumental one. It was strange to see an Audi from the Court picking up the royals in a totally normal neighbourhood street, with bicycling moms passing by, while an uniformed chauffeur saluted them.
It was mind-boggling to see the Prince in jeans, in a blue Mini, queuing in a supermarket and later, dressed in jacquet, waving to thousands cheering to him during the ceremonial procession at Prinsjesdag, seated in a horse-drawn gala berline. During the whole interview the Prince, sorry, "Constantijn", played down every royal aspect. As if it is just some nuisance so now an then, but comes handy in other situations.
It made me realize that every year 100 million Euro is spent on a royal lifestyle that really no one seems to pursue, after all even the King did perfectly fine just living in a private villa. I am not sure what to think. If the message is: "royals" are just the folks-next-door, then the documentary did hit bull's eye. But it also pops up the question. 400 men and women working in the royal household? For whom????? It must be the most swollen overhead on any organisation in the Netherlands. That is the confusion the documentary caused to me.
https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/ned...antijn-50-koningshuis-interview-diana-matroos
In order to emphasize on equality for working women the Prince changed his name in " Petrushka" for a week!Good.
An interesting and very positive article about Princess Laurentien in the Volkskrant (not usually a great fan of the RF).
https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-ac...teun-ze-is-een-topwijf-niet-normaal~bdfd8821/
Apparently she is playing a mediating role in the settling of the Childcare benifits scandal. A scandal which has shocked the country as families were ruined by the tax office.
The parents call her a pillar of support and 'een topwijf, niet normaal' (how to translate that ).
The princess is actively involved in the matter. It started by some parents receiving the phone number of the princess. They called her, talked to her and she is now trying to help them. She does this with her (and her husband's) 'Number Five Foundation'. It is called number 5 for the adress of the office, wich is in a part of the house of Constantijn and Laurentien in The Hague.
Since last year the parents can use the attic of the office as a meeting room. They named their group 'De Zolderkamer' (the attic chamber). One of the parents tells that she has stayed the night in the office too, as she had to attend two days in a row of debates in parliament about the matter while having little money to spare on gasoline or hotels.
The organisation tries to ensure that parents can have more input in the settlement of the case. Princess Laurentien mediates meetings and co-wrote a report of the organisation last year, though she made sure her name was not mentioned in it. The report contained recomendations to the government in how to proceed. Before debates in parlament they have received leaders of the political parties in the foundation's kitchen, to discuss the case with a group of parents.
The princess tries to make sure that the parties understand each other. She sometimes intervenes: 'did you hear this?', 'do you understand that?'. The parents compare her to 'Switzerland', a neutral mediator between themselves and the authorities.
An interesting and very positive article about Princess Laurentien in the Volkskrant (not usually a great fan of the RF).
https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-ac...teun-ze-is-een-topwijf-niet-normaal~bdfd8821/
Apparently she is playing a mediating role in the settling of the Childcare benifits scandal. A scandal which has shocked the country as families were ruined by the tax office.
The parents call her a pillar of support and 'een topwijf, niet normaal' (how to translate that ).
The princess is actively involved in the matter. It started by some parents receiving the phone number of the princess. They called her, talked to her and she is now trying to help them. She does this with her (and her husband's) 'Number Five Foundation'. It is called number 5 for the adress of the office, wich is in a part of the house of Constantijn and Laurentien in The Hague.
Since last year the parents can use the attic of the office as a meeting room. They named their group 'De Zolderkamer' (the attic chamber). One of the parents tells that she has stayed the night in the office too, as she had to attend two days in a row of debates in parliament about the matter while having little money to spare on gasoline or hotels.
The organisation tries to ensure that parents can have more input in the settlement of the case. Princess Laurentien mediates meetings and co-wrote a report of the organisation last year, though she made sure her name was not mentioned in it. The report contained recomendations to the government in how to proceed. Before debates in parlament they have received leaders of the political parties in the foundation's kitchen, to discuss the case with a group of parents.
The princess tries to make sure that the parties understand each other. She sometimes intervenes: 'did you hear this?', 'do you understand that?'. The parents compare her to 'Switzerland', a neutral mediator between themselves and the authorities.