Dutch princess splits from husband

CONTROVERSIAL Princess Margarita of the Netherlands — who is in a public feud with her aunt, Queen Beatrix — has separated from her commoner husband, it was reported yesterday.

Margarita and her husband Edwin de Roy van Zuidewijn caused an uproar when they accused the royal house of abusing its powers to investigate his background before the couple married in September 2001.

The royal house denied the charge, but the queen was embarrassed when Margarita granted a tell-all interview in a national magazine, airing the family's dirty laundry.

The couple have also filed a criminal complaint against the Dutch secret service and Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende who is responsible for the queen's actions for allegedly allowing the royal house to misuse Van Zuidewijn's personal information. The discussion over the issue at one point reached the floor of the parliament.

The national newspaper De Telegraaf reported yesterday that Margarita had "dumped" Van Zuidewijn, and the national news agencies NOS and ANP cited sources around the couple" and "close to the princess" as saying the two had separated.

But Van Zuidewijn appeared on television last night, saying the two were still together and still pressing their lawsuit.

"We stand together in this case, as man and wife," he said. "We have a love bond that keeps us standing strong."

The royal house declined to comment.