Dutch prosecutors say a 33-year-old man prepared an attack on Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia and her sister Princess Alexia earlier this year, and the first procedural hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday in The Hague.
The suspect was arrested in February after officers reported finding two axes and a handwritten note bearing the princesses' names, evidence the Public Prosecution Service has cited as the basis for prosecuting him on suspicion of preparing a murder.
Catharina-Amalia, 22, is first in line to the Dutch throne. Her sister Alexia, 20, is second. Both are daughters of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.
The Public Prosecution Service, known as the OM, says it has not determined how concrete the alleged plan was or established a motive.
According to prosecutors, one of the axes was carved with the name "Alexia" alongside the words "Mossad," a reference to Israel's intelligence service, and "Sieg Heil," the Nazi salute.
The handwritten note found on the suspect contained the names "Amalia" and "Alexia" and the Dutch word "bloedbad," meaning bloodbath.
The Telegraph and other outlets have characterized him as a suspected far-right extremist; the OM has not publicly adopted that label.
The suspect's lawyer, Tinco Delhaye, told Dutch news agency ANP that he would set out the defense's position at the hearing and would not comment beforehand.
The first pro-forma session is scheduled for Monday at the district court in The Hague, on the morning of the Dutch national Remembrance Day. A pro-forma hearing addresses procedural matters and detention, not the merits, with a full trial to follow.
The royal family attended public King's Day celebrations on April 27 in Dokkum, in the northern province of Friesland, days before the case became public.
The disclosure renews attention to security around the heir apparent, who has lived under sustained threat for years.
In 2022, Catharina-Amalia was moved out of student housing in Amsterdam after her name surfaced in intercepted communications among organized crime figures.
King Willem-Alexander disclosed in April 2024 that she had subsequently lived in Madrid during 2023 under Spanish protection while continuing her studies online.
Then-Prime Minister Mark Rutte was also named in the intercepted communications and placed under enhanced protection. Rutte became NATO secretary-general on Oct. 1, 2024.
The Hague court is expected to address detention status and a schedule for further proceedings at Monday's hearing.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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