Crown Prince Willem Alexander and his wife Princess Máxima are abandoning their project to build a holiday villa for themselves in Mozambique.
The move follows criticism in parliament and the media about the handling of the affair by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, who is formally responsible for public actions of the Dutch Royal family. Doubts were raised whether the project would benefit the impoverished local population.
The holiday home that is currently being built as a part of a luxury resort will be sold once it has been completed. Prince Willem-Alexander wrote to Prime Minister Balkenende that he no longer wants the real estate project to be surrounded by adverse publicity.
RNW's Eric Beauchemin visited the site and spoke to local residents
Royal holiday villa on Mozambican coast (NOS screenshot)
Royal holiday villa on Mozambican coast (NOS screenshot)
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We are about to buy our own apartment in our home country or achieve some bare land in some secure area and build us a home. We are still comparing costs upon it, in order to go with the most advantageous option. Presently, we`re living in those apartments for rent in Toronto which are really great for the moment, but we`re planning on moving back to Europe soon. It`s more than obvious that this decision is way easier to make for another people. They will always be the royalties we are watching on news time in the evening.
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