Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain
By John Smith • Published: 10 Oct 2024 • 16:18 • 1 minute read
King Willem-Alexander and his immediate family Credit: ©RVD - Patrick van Katwijk
Whilst some working members or those directly related to King Willem-Alexander receive financial support from the Government of The Netherlands, others do not.
For example, the King’s brother Prince Constantijn, and his wife Laurentien receive nothing and are expected to earn a living income although it may well be that former Queen Beatrix, with an estimated worth in excess of €250 million could have helped them financially.
Regardless of this however, despite the fact that many members of the Royal Family receive no funding from the Government, they are still expected to remain aloof from politics in particular.
Princess Laurentien has been singled out for criticism of the Ministry of Finance and her opposition to the way in which the Government handled the childcare benefits allowance scandal where 26,000 parents were wrongly accused of making fraudulent benefit claims.
The Princess was put under so much pressure following her stance that she decided that she would have to resign from her own foundation (Gelijk)waardig Herstel.
The Netherlands Parliament has been discussing the obligations of members of the Royal Family (paid or unpaid) and recognises that the King and Queen’s youngest daughters will be placed in a similar situation when they come of age.
Even Queen Maxima has come under criticism for making comments about the proposed digital euro so it seems that Government is going to issue a new set of guidelines about steering away for matters considered inappropriate although, it is not as this stage going to debate on the matter of taxing the King.
There was opposition against a recent ‘pay rise’ of €78,000 for him, but the decision to award that amount did carry.
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Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
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