Dutch Princess Amalia moved out of student halls amid kidnap fears
Princess Amalia, the heir apparent The Netherlands’ throne, has been moved out of her university student rooms in Amsterdam amid fears that criminal gangs are plotting to attack or kidnap her.
In a rare speech about family matters, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima on Thursday suggested that threats to their daughter meant she had been forced to move back into the royal palace Huis ten Bosch and was not allowed to leave except for classes.
“It means that she doesn’t live in Amsterdam and that she can’t really go outside, and these consequences are very difficult for her,” said Queen Máxima at a press conference while on a trip to Sweden. “So for her, it’s not the student life that other students have.”
They did not give further details about why she was considered at risk, but Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported last month that Princess Amalia and Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, had been named in intercepted messages between criminals.
The newspaper said security services were planning for a possible kidnap attempt or attack.
Responding to the news, Mr Rutte said that he could not give further details but insisted that “everyone involved is doing their best to ensure that she is safe”.
Struggle to contain powerful organised criminal gangs
The Netherlands has been struggling to contain increasingly powerful organised criminal gangs that two justice ministers have admitted is threatening the rule of law in the country following a series of high-profile murders linked to a court case against a drug kingpin.
Seventeen alleged criminals, including suspected joint ringleader Ridouan Taghi, are currently on trial over the killings as part of the massive “Marengo” trial.
Among those murdered was Peter R. de Vries, a journalist, who was assisting the crown witness in the case. He was shot fatally on the streets of Amsterdam last year, and a court case is ongoing into who was behind the murder.
The crown witness’s brother was also murdered in 2018 and his former lawyer Derk Wiersum was assassinated outside his home in 2019.
Separately, last month, four men were arrested in the Netherlands for allegedly preparing to kidnap the Belgian justice minister, after a summer of Dutch drug and gang violence spilling over into Antwerp.
‘It makes me a bit emotional’
The revelation about Princess Amalia's restricted movements was made while the Dutch Queen was responding to questions about student life for her 18-year-old daughter, who began a degree in politics, psychology, law and economics at the University of Amsterdam last month.
“It makes me a bit emotional,” said Queen Máxima, as she teared up. “It’s not nice to see your child not so happy. She can go to university, but that’s it ... I think she is very brave.”
King Willem-Alexander added that it was a “tough” situation.
Princess Amalia has made a point of trying to live a relatively normal life.
Last year, she waived her right to an annual income of €1.6 million (£1.35 million) that she would normally get from the age of 18, saying she would not accept it until she began taking on royal duties full-time.
She has previously said that would not be fazed by the monarchy being abolished, explaining: “I’ll just carry on with living my life.”
And she has talked candidly about her mental health, saying she had seen a child psychologist when her parents were concerned about her.
