Teenage Dutch princess forced to leave student home over kidnap fears
14 October 2022, 14:50
Princess Catharina-Amalia was under heightened security due to reports that criminal gangs might target her for kidnapping or an attack.
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The teenage Dutch Princess has been forced to move out of her rented student apartment and return home to the royal palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague.
“This has major consequences for her life - it’s very hard for her”, her tearful mother, Queen Maxima, shared during a state visit to Sweden with her husband King Willem-Alexander.
“There is no student life for her like others have”, the Queen added.
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The heir to the Dutch throne began studying at The University of Amsterdam in September, pursuing a degree in politics, psychology, law and economics.
Reports from Dutch media outlets indicate that the Princess, as well as the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, appeared in organised crime communications, causing concern that both could become potential targets.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said he cannot specify the details of the threats but called the situation "terrible" and shared that he was "very worried".
The down-to-earth royal, whose official title is Princess of Orange, is well known in the Netherlands for speaking candidly about her mental health and refusing to claim her income until she’s a full, working royal.
Her family have expressed their hopes that the intensified security is only temporary.
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