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Witness History: Confessions of a Prince

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Confessions of a Prince

14/05/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, Confessions of a Prince

How Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands broke his silence to reveal a love child

How Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, husband of former Queen Juliana, revealed details to a Dutch newspaper of his extra-marital affairs and an illegitimate love child

Over a period of four years before his death in December 2004, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, the consort and husband of former Queen Juliana, gave a series of secret interviews to two Dutch journalists, on condition that nothing was published until after his funeral. In his conversations with the reporters, the German-born Prince sought to justify a string of extra-marital affairs and a million dollar bribe he had received in the 1970s from the American aircraft manufacturer Lockheed. Prince Bernhard also revealed for the first time the existence of an illegitimate daughter born as a result of an affair in the United States. The publication of the Prince's confessions by De Volkskrantran newspaper shocked the Dutch public, but were met with silence by the Palace. Mike Lanchin spoke to Jan Tromp, one of the journalists who spent hours interviewing the controversial Dutch royalty.      

Photo: Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard on the day of their wedding, January 1937 (Getty Images)

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