"You can ask me to be cynical about lots of things, but not about the monarchy," said a student in Amsterdam. The vast majority of the Dutch press and public last week embraced the Prime Minister's advice to consider Prince Bernhard innocent until proved guilty. That generosity of judgment was partly self-interested: the toppling of national idols is always painful, and the Dutch understandably prefer their princes upright. Their open-mindedness was also a gesture of gratitude to the German-born prince, who in cool and timeless service to The Netherlands had transformed his...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
