The heir to the Dutch throne was moved to the royal palace in the Hague over heightened security threats.
Princess Catharina-Amalia, 18, the eldest of King Willem-Alexander’s three daughters, is studying at the University of Amsterdam but will now only be able to venture on campus for classes, the royal family announced, according to the Guardian. Though it didn’t specify what the heightened security threats were, several Dutch outlets reported last month that her security was worried about the potential of criminal gangs kidnapping her for ransom.
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“The consequences are very difficult for her. No student life for her like other students have. … It’s not nice to see your child live like that. She can go to university, but that’s it,” her mother, Queen Maxima, said. “It has huge consequences for her life. It means she doesn’t live in Amsterdam and also that she can’t really go outside.”
The Dutch government has pitched in to tighten security.
“I guarantee that our security services are working day and night to ensure her security,” Justice and Security Minister Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius wrote in a statement on Twitter, translated by the Guardian.
— Dilan Yesilgöz – Zegerius (@DilanYesilgoz) October 13, 2022
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Catharina-Amalia is relatively popular in her home country, being seen by the public as down to earth, according to the BBC. She released an autobiography last year in which she opened up about her struggles with mental health and her choice to see a therapist.
The latest fears aren’t the first security concerns the royal has encountered. In 2020, a 32-year-old Dutch man was sentenced to three months imprisonment and forced to undergo psychiatric treatment after sending Amalia rape and death threats, according to the Associated Press. He was arrested outside the royals’ home three years prior, claiming to have a date with the then-13-year-old princess.
