Revealed: Dutch Crown Princess Amalia was forced to flee to Spain for a year after being threatened with kidnap by Dutch organised crime
dailymail royals The Netherlands Crime Royals Spain Queen Maxima
David Averre www.dailymail.co.uk
Amalia, 20, was forced to abandon plans to live in student digs over security fears, just weeks after she started at Amsterdam University to study politics, psychology, law and economics in 2022
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Mail Online
Dutch Crown Princess Amalia fled to Spain to escape threats to her safety by organised crime groups in the Netherlands and spent more than a year living there, it has been revealed.

Amalia, 20, was forced to abandon plans to live in student digs over security fears, just weeks after she started at Amsterdam University to study politics, psychology, law and economics in October 2022.

The heir to the Dutch throne was captured beaming by photographers when she started her studies, with much made of the fact that she planned to live in student accommodation.

But the royal couple later said their daughter had been forced to return to the heavily guarded palace in The Hague following kidnapping threats.

A new report by Dutch public broadcaster NOS this week revealed the 'Princess of Orange' did ultimately escape the confines of The Hague and has studied in Madrid for more than a year, citing royal sources.

Amalia, the eldest of three sisters and first in line to the throne, is said to speak fluent Spanish thanks to her mother, who is Argentine by birth.

Officials would not confirm details of Amalia's initial departure from her studies in Amsterdam, but the move came weeks after reports that Amalia and Prime Minister Mark Rutte were mentioned in communications by organised crime groups - leading to fears of kidnappings.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at the time: 'I'm very sorry for her and I'm obviously very concerned about it.'

He added that Dutch authorities were doing everything to ensure that the princess is safe.

'She can't live in Amsterdam and she can't really go outside (the palace)... It has enormous consequences on her life. There is no student life for her like others have,' said an emotional Queen Maxima at the time.

Amalia herself told reporters during a royal family tour of the Caribbean early last year that she missed 'the normal life of a student', having hoped she would be able to enjoy the student experience like her peers.

'Sadly the reality was different,' she said.

Her father, King Willem-Alexander, said in the podcast Through the Eyes of the King that the situation had 'had a very hard impact' on his daughter and his family.

'The uncertainty, the lack of freedom, that is not how you want to raise your children and what you want to pass on to your children,' he said.

The Minister for Justice and Security, Dilan Yesilgöz, told reporters in the weeks following Amalia's withdrawal from studies in Amsterdam: 'I guarantee that our security services work hard day and night to guarantee her safety.

'It is terrible that this is necessary, in the first place for the Crown Princess herself.'

NOS this week said the threat to Amalia had not completely disappeared, but she was able to return from Madrid to live and study in the Netherlands again due to unspecified 'measures'.

It was not clear what circumstances had changed that allowed for her safe return.

She is said to have been living in Amsterdam once again since February, and is continuing her studies.

Posting on the Dutch Royal Family's official social media accounts in December, Amalia thanked her followers and fans for 20th birthday wishes - but made no mention of her living arrangements.

The words were accompanied by a black-and-white photo of her smiling on a boat.

In the message of thanks, the future Dutch queen said: 'Many thanks for all the congratulations I received on the occasion of my 20th birthday.

'All the heartwarming messages made my day even more special.'

News of the Princess' return to Amsterdam comes as Amalia played her first official role as a royal in the two-day state visit of the Spanish royals to the Netherlands.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain were welcomed by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima in front of the majestic Dam Palace this morning.

The visit is set to reinforce the friendship between the two royal houses, while Felipe and Maxima also gave a speech in support of the Spanish community living in the Netherlands.