Royal trumps commoner in tape battle

13 April 2006

AMSTERDAM — A court in Amsterdam ruled on Thursday that Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn was not to make public a tape of a ‘lively’ argument between his estranged wife, Princess Margarita, and her aunt, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

The conversation took place in 2002 when the couple were suing the Royal Family for allegedly mounting a whispering campaign against De Roy van Zuydewijn’s business interests.

Margarita and de Roy van Zuydewijn claimed they were being bugged, but it was the princess who taped her conversation with the Queen. Margarita broke up with her husband in 2003 and reconciled with her family.

De Roy van Zuydewijn retained a copy of the tape and has been refusing to return it. A transcript of the tape in which the Queen spoke harshly to Margarita was read on talk show ‘Barend en Van Dorp’ on commercial station Talpa last week.

Margarita took the court case to regain the tape and to prevent De Roy van Zuydewijn disclosing the contents. The court ruled he will have to pay a EUR 50,000 fine if he does so. De Roy van Zuydewijn claims he no longer has the tape as it has been stolen.
The Princess is also seeking compensation from Talpa.

Subject: Dutch news