Constitutionally it would be unfair to expect from the Princess of Orange to step into the role of regent or monarch if anything happens to her father from the day she turns 18 years old but for the Dutch not to pay her for that position. From her 18th birthday she will need a small staff and though she may plan all sorts of things the moment her father needs a regent or he dies/abdicates she is queen.
Most of her income will go into savings. The official part for the moment she has to buy or rent a residence for herself as heiress to the throne and for additional costs once she marries. The private component of her income will have to be used to create a trust fund once she gets more than one child so her younger children can be paid from that trust. That is how Juliana provided incomes for Irene, Margriet and Christina and Beatrix did so for Friso and Constantijn. Yes the two brothers of the king also had additional incomes from the jobs they worked in but they also had a basic income from their mother's trust.
This system assures that there is a decent income for younger Royals so the risk of them getting involved in less desirable activities is limited. Not biting the hand that feeds you is the basic principle behind this.
I do fear that this PR disaster will affect the financial arrangements of the Royals. However i always find it very curious how MP's have no trouble acting baffled by the fact that the income of the king increases but totally ignoring the fact that the same system also increases their own income. So somehow everybody in public offices and all civil servants can get an increase in income without it causing a commotion but when the Royals are part of that system their pay rise is unheard of.
The way that I see it, this is purely damage control, both socially and politically.
My bet is that the PM advised against going on a holidays days after the government called on the Dutch people to seriously restrict their travels. But Willem-Alexander is stubborn and, at times, arrogant and he thought he could get away with it.
Politically, he can, for now because the PM took the fall, as the PM is always responsible for what the King does. However, the PM is also the person who has warded off all sorts of financial investigations in the wheelings and dealings of the RF. And if that protection is no longer present, the financial future for the RF could change considerably in the years to come.
Starting with a strong political hint that the royals would be wise to check how the Belgian neighbours have handled the finances of the Duchess of Brabant.
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