Letter of HRH Prince Johan Friso to Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende

The Hague, 9 October 2003

Dear Mr. Balkenende,

In connection with the coverage in the media over the past few months and recent questions in the Second Chamber Mabel Wisse Smit and I have reflected the events and our own role in them. We have come to the conclusion that we ourselves have played an important part in the situation which has arisen now. Therefore we would like to offer our sincere excuses to the Government, and the Queen and especially you. Before drawing my conclusions from this Mabel and I wish to give you our vision on the situation.

In the Autumn of 2000, when it became clear to us that our relationship might possibly once lead to a marriage, Mabel has told me about the contacts she had with Mr Bruinsma more than ten years ago. Since we have discussed this friendship in all openness. I am well up in the matter of the relevant facts and details.

Because Mabel was never involved in the criminal activities of Mr Bruinsma and as it didn't concern a love affair, I myself never saw an interference for Mabel's contacts with the Royal Family, nor for a possible marriage with the consent of the States General.

Already at an early stage we decided not to be secretive about these contacts but we did decide to make known as few details as possible to third parties. Also in our conversations with the Queen and you before June 30 of this year we kept following that line. We thought to prevent that way what now has happened: dragging up painful memories of which Mabel had hoped that they belonged to the past. In the past weeks it became clear to us how naive and unwise this decision has been.

Unwise, because we have not realized enough that especially in our contacts with the Government immediately full openness about the character, the frequency and the duration of the friendship should have been given. By not doing so uncertainty had arisen about what really has happened.

Naive, because we should of course have realized that especially those details of these contacts once could become public and that we never could avoid this by our own action. Now that this actually has happened we have to face an overwhelming attention of the media; a 'hype' in which some people try to damage Mabelīs reputation by spreading untruth, rumours and details which do not matter.

During the conversations with you in the period before the announcement of our marriage we gave the impression that it had been a superficial relationship of about two and a half months in 1989, with afterwards an occasional meeting. The contacts should mainly have to be seen in the range of sea sailing and should have been ended by Mabel after she became aware of Mr Bruinsma's activities.

What we should have said in June was that it was more than a superficial relationship and that they have had regular contact with each other for three months in 1989. When Mabel became aware of his activities she decided not to continue her friendship with Mr Bruinsma in the same way. However she has seen him with some regularity in the following one and a half year. It is also a fact that Mabel has stayed at Mr. Bruinsma's several times. However the truth remains that there there never business contacts between Mr Bruinsma and Mabel, nor did they ever had a love affair. Besides it has only became fully clear to her after his death with which practises he really was occupied.

With this explanation we absolutely do not want to justify our way of action and it is clear to us that we have made a serious mistake by not telling the whole story immediately. With the consequencesof our action the Queen, you, both our families and ourselves are now confronted.

In June you have expressed the intention to introduce a bill of consent at the States General. This was according to our wish in view of my connection with the Royal House, our respect for the Queen and her family, and the supporting role which Mabel and I possibly could fulfil.

Your decision was partly based on the incomplete view we had recalled regarding Mabel's contacts with Mr Bruinsma. Because we have not been open in all ways in time, your confidence in us has been violated. We admit our mistake and accept the consequences. Therefore it is now our wish that the Government doesn't introduce a bill of consent for our marriage at the States General. Herewith we also hope to avoid damage to the Queen, the Royal House, our families, friends and others.

Partly as a result of our actions Mabel's family and others who never knew Mr Bruinsma, were, fully unjust, involved in the discussion around this case. There are also some people who because of this situation again are confronted with very painful facts from their past. We hope that their right of privacy will be respected as quickly and as fully as possible.

We also very much would like to offer our excuses publicly in a proper way and at the therefore right moment to everybody we have disappointed or hurt. Also because of that we don't mind the publication of this letter, which you, if desired, can see as a statement.

We will bear the consequences of our actions in a worthy way in our further lifes. We still have the intention to get married in the Spring of 2004. Together we hope to be able to continue to support my mother and family.

Yours sincerely,

Was signed,

Friso

October 9, 2003