Dutch royal’s foundation ‘comes to a halt’ after Princess is accused of creating a ‘culture of fear and intimidation’

A Dutch royal’s foundation has reportedly come to halt after she was accused of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ towards staff at the Ministry of Finance where she works.

Following the claims, Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, 58, who is married to King Willem-Alexander’s younger brother, sensationally stepped down from her role as chairwoman of the Equally Worthy Recovery Foundation in August, stating that she no longer believed she can fulfil the role.

Despite not undertaking her role as chairwoman, Laurentien contended that she would continue to assist the board, citing her desire to help parents and children affected by the Dutch childcare benefits scandal.

However, the foundation’s activities have reportedly paused, with new victim registrations allegedly blocked, and the majority of those already signed up to the scheme are still waiting for help, according to local media.

The scaling up plan, which was agreed with the Ministry of Finance last July, outlined that the foundation should have been able to accept new registrations from the start of September, according to Dutch news outlet NRC.

Laurentien established the foundation following the Dutch childcare benefits scandal, which came to light in 2021 after thousands of families were wrongly accused of child welfare fraud and left to face financial ruin.

Earlier this year, state secretary Nora Achahbar informed the foundation to scale up, following a request of the House of Representatives.

‘The route must offer a faster and more generous alternative to the government’s recovery operation, which many affected parents are critical of,’ the NRC explained when translated to English.

However, parents are now facing delays in securing reparations via the foundation, with the Ministry of Finance telling the NRC that new applications aren’t expected to be accepted until later in the year.

MailOnline has contacted the Ministry of Finance for comment.

The foundation previously explained that scaling up was necessary as a quick response to help parents affected by the scandal since the government’s plan could take as long as 2027 for help to materialise.

Prior to the delays, the foundation was confident that it could offer a faster alternative, because their method was ‘designed with urgency, acceleration and scalability in mind,’ according to NRC.

While the foundation has claimed that the ministry has blocked new registrations, a ministry spokesperson told NRC: ‘Victims with additional damage can simply report to the organizations that handle this, such as the foundation or the Actual Damage Commission.’

Laurentien, who is married to Prince Constatijn of the Netherlands, sensationally stepped down from her role as chairwoman of the Equally Worthy Recovery Foundation in August

Laurentien made the decision to resign from the role on her own, without input from members of the Dutch Royal Family (pictured from L to R: King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Princess Laurentien and Prince Constatijn in 2019)

It comes after the princess faced a scandal put forward by Dutch newspaper AD in August, claiming that her foundation has created an alleged ‘culture of fear’ for civil servants due to a ‘pattern of intimidation’.

The Dutch newspaper accused anonymous foundation staff of ’emotional reactions, name calling, and not tolerating contradiction’, and claimed that, despite civil servants reporting the behaviour, no changes occurred, according to NL Times.

In conversation with RTL Nieuws at the time, Larentien said no member of the royal family obliged her to resign. Instead, she contended that she quit to promote her happiness and to prevent a spectacle, saying: ‘The last thing that I want is for this to be about me’. 

In response to the allegations claiming she made a ‘culture of fear and intimidation’, the royal said she never sat alone, meaning there must be enough witnesses if employees wanted to come forward.

When asked whether she knew of an official investigation into her behaviour at the Ministry of Finance, Laurentien said she was unaware and added that she did not know what to defend herself against.

Following the announcement, Charman Gert-Jan Segers of the foundation’s supervisory board released an open letter to the foundation’s website, stating that it’s a decision ‘personally difficult’ for him, according to NL Times.

He added that while they have no choice but to accept Laurentien’s wishes, they still want her expertise, adding that they look forward to her future contributions.

The royal, pictured with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima in April, faced allegations from Dutch newspaper AD

Pictured: King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Princess Amalia of The Netherlands, Princess Alexia of The Netherlands, Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands and Prince Constantijn of The Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde at Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2023

In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for The Equally Worthy Recovery Foundation claimed the complaints are a ‘personal attack’ on Laurentien. 

The Ministry of Finance confirmed receipt of the complaints, agreeing that ’emotions have sometimes run high’ and that ‘a number of our colleagues’ reported so verbally, but did not comment on whether the claims directly named the princess.

The Ministry of Finance does not plan to make further statements on the matter, due to the complaints being made to them in confidence.

The foundation’s efforts to help parents affected by the scandal was also acknowledged and appreciated by the ministry, with a representative adding that they are confident the foundation will continue to help those affected.

In 2021, a Dutch childcare benefit scandal came to light, where as many as 26,000 innocent parents were left in financial ruin after being wrongly forced to pay back tens of thousands of euros in a wrongdoing dating back to 2012.

Some were targeted because of minor errors in paperwork such as mis-matched signatures, while up to 11,000 were subjected to extra scrutiny for being dual nationals – leading to claims of systemic racism.

The scandal led Dutch PM Mark Rutte, who had been in office since 2010, and his entire cabinet to resign. He described the affair as ‘shameful’ and announced at the time that ‘the buck stops here’ after a crisis meeting of his four-party coalition cabinet.

Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands (pictured) and her foundation, The Equally Worthy Recovery Foundation, have been accused of creating a ‘culture of fear’

Princess Laurentien is photographed with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, now the Queen, at Clarence House in 2013

Princess Laurentien set up her foundation to support victims and help determine their route to recovery from financial ruin.

Following AD’s ‘personal attack’, the royal and her foundation are said to be considering legal action against the newspaper if the claims are not rectified, according to NL Times.

The editor-in-chief of AD, the Dutch newspaper, said the outlet stands behind the claims.

The foundation spokesperson agreed that times have been ’emotional’ and ‘heavy, saying: ‘The foundation regrets that those involved from both organisations experienced the process as emotional and heavy at times,’ according to NL Times.

Laurentien is the wife of Prince Constantijn, the third son of the former Dutch queen, Beatrix, 86, and Claus von Amsberg, and younger brother of the reigning Dutch king, Willem-Alexander.

Laurentien and Constantijn wed in May 2001, with a blessing taking place in the Grote of St Jacobskerk in the Hague. 

The royal couple live with their children, Eloise, Claus-Casimir, and Leonore, in the Hague.

She carries out official duties as a member of the Dutch Royal House and is patron of multiple societies, including of the Centre of Expertise on Disability and Study.