Princess Laurentien is standing down as chairwoman of a foundation working to ensure speedy compensation for the victims of the childcare benefit scandal.

The princess said in a letter to the foundation’s supervisory board that she could no longer fulfill the role. The foundation has been mired in controversy about the cost of its compensation scheme and about the princess herself, who has been accused of behaving aggressively toward civil servants.

Last month the foundation was given the green light to press ahead with helping thousands of parents who were the victims of the scandal, under strict conditions and at a lower cost.

The scandal, which brought down the government in 2021, involved over 50,000 Dutch parents who were incorrectly accused of fraud and unjustly ordered to pay back thousands of euros in childcare benefits by the Dutch tax office.

Royals

Laurentien is the wife of prince Constantijn, the brother of king Willem-Alexander.
Political commentators say the princess’s position had become impossible because the cabinet is officially responsible for the public activities of members of the royal family.

Laurentien told RTL news that no-one had asked her to stand down. “The last thing I wanted was to make it all about me and to embarrass the people and organisations that are close to my heart,” she said.

“I too want peace, to do my job,” she said. “I also want to be a happy person. I’ve never caused any trouble in 20 years. Maybe it is inappropriate to say so, but I have been a boring person for 20 years.”