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Bea
Keeper of the Western Door
Canada
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: May 18 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - October 06 2002 : 5:26:43 PM
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HRH Prince Claus of The Netherlands has died : The Government Information Service has : announced that this evening at seven p.m. : local time, October 6th, His Royal : Highness Prince Claus of the Netherlands : has passed away at the Academic Medical : Centre in Amsterdam. : Prince Claus, husband of Queen Beatrix, was : 76 years old. Queen Beatrix and the : Prince's three sons were at his bedside : when he died. : In a speach to the nation via radio and : television, Prime Minister prof. mr. : dr. Jan- Peter Balkenende spoke of the : noted role the Prince played in his work : for the environment, poverty and : developmental assistance. The : Minister-President said The Netherlands : had much to thank the Prince for, and also : praised the support he gave Queen Beatrix. : The German-born diplomat of noble descent, : Claus Georg Otto Wilhelm Friedrich Gerd : von Amsberg, married Princess Beatrix in : 1966. A government-appointed historian : investigated his role as a soldier in the : German army in Italy, and found nothing : damaging in his past. However his marriage : festivities in Amsterdam were marred by : demonstrations and a smoke bomb. : In the years after his marriage he became a : noted international figure due to his : activities in the field of developmental : assistance, the preservation of monuments : and culture. : Because of his easygoing manner he soon : became popular in the Netherlands. Prince : Claus and Queen Beatrix had three sons of : whom the eldest, Prince Willem Alexander, : the Prince of Orange, is the heir to the : throne. : Prince Claus has been in poor health for many : years. In the early 1980s he struggled : with severe depression, undergoing two : years of treatment. Ten years later he was : diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In the : summer of 1998 he was operated on after he : was found to have cancer. : The Prince subsequently lost his left kidney : as a result of the radiation treatment. : Despite his weakened condition he managed : to attend the wedding of his eldest son, : Prince Willem Alexander, to Máxima : Zorreguieta in February this year. This : spring he also celebrated the birth of his : first grandchild, Countess Eloise. Shortly : afterwards, however he was hospitalised : with a pulmonary embolism. While in : hopital he also suffered a heart attack. : He spent several months recovering at home : before returning to the Academic Medical : Centre in Amsterdam, where he died this : evening. : It is the first death in the Royal Family : since the grandmother of Queen Beatrix, : Queen Wilhelmina, passed away in 1962. An : official period of national mourning will : probably not be announced. It is expected : that the funeral will take place in the : Nieuwe Kerk in the town of Delft, where : the Orange-Nassau Mausoleum is located, on : Wednesday the 16th of October. : Because of the Prince's death, all Dutch : television and radio stations have : interrupted their regular schedules and : are broadcasting appropriate music. : Ilse, your thoughts? I am deeply saddened by his death. I still remember watching his wedding to Princess Beatrix.
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Scott Bubar
Colonial Militia
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: May 17 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - October 06 2002 : 5:50:54 PM
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My condolences to our friends in the Netherlands.
I'm a bit surprised that there would be no period of official mourning.
~~Aim small, miss small. |
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Ilse
The Dutch Trader
Netherlands
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: May 17 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - October 06 2002 : 8:20:04 PM
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The Prince is dead. We Dutch don't know him as Claus just as the Prince. He was the conscience of the Dutch monarchy. As a die hard republican in the face of monarchy, I am in tears tonight.
You see The Prince was special. A German coming to Holland, when everybody hated Germans. He overcame that and became the most loved, respected member of the royal house. He had a very hard time adapting to the restrictions his position put on him. Underdevelopment, poverty, human rights, that was what engaged him.
The Prince was a devoted father and husband.
One time, he threw out an official speech to declare his love for his wife. As a matter of fact, the last 10 years (when he was very ill) he threw out much of all the decorum surrounding him.
Claus was special, but a very humble man, Scott. A very private man. National mourning wouldn't have been his way and is not the Dutch way anyway.
He will be so much missed, really.
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Bea
Keeper of the Western Door
Canada
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: May 18 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - October 06 2002 : 8:51:08 PM
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My condolences to you Ilse, and of course to the Netherlands!
I was quite shocked when I got the news in a royalty forum! Total disbelief. He was a special human being, one the world needs more of. A man of substance who, as you very well pointed out was not into decorum and pomp. This is a great loss...
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Bea
Keeper of the Western Door
Canada
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: May 18 2002
Status: offline
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