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Bernhard: prince without social antenna
Thanks to Prince Bernhard, Formula 1 returns to Zandvoort
– the recipe for a new PUBLIC RELATIONS fiasco. The prince has no idea what
society wants from him, says Maarten van Dun, who wrote a book about him.
Maarten van Dun27 August 2021, 18:53
https://www.parool.nl/nederland/bernhard-prins-zonder-maatschappelijke-antenne~b6c0c3aa/
Singer Joshua
Nolet of the popular band Chef'Special
aired his heart this week in a video on Instagram about the invitation
he received on behalf of Prince Bernhard and his business partners, owners of
the circuit in Zandvoort. Whether
Chef'Special wanted to perform
for free next weekend during the Grand Prix in Zandvoort. Free. And that at a
time when many artists earn virtually nothing due to the corona measures and
the money will soon flow in to Formula 1, which, unlike other multi-day events,
will be allowed to continue from the cabinet.
Nolet's post
caused a stir: how is it possible that a wealthy businessman is too fussy to
pay an artist for a performance in front of 70,000 paying guests? The man who
owes his success and fortune partly to his surname and princely title seems to
take so little account of the position of less fortunate compatriots.
Head-of-jut
He abrogs it
himself, but Prince Bernhard is always a catalyst for the most important
discussions that the Dutch are having heatedly with each other: the craziness
in the housing market, the growing wealth inequality, the responsibility that
comes with privilege, the crippling climate crisis and the inscrutable corona
measures. A prince in business is a grateful head-of-jut for critics to go
along with, as the PvdA plan for the Prince Bernhard tax showed. But research
for the book Zakenprins about the stormy career of Bernhard, by Michiel
Couzy and the undersigned, already
yielded the image of a prince who lacks a social antenna from the very
beginning of his business career.
Bernhard's hollow
offer to the musicians is not really surprising.
Uitspekken
For Zakenprins,
the authors spoke with more than a hundred sources that Bernhard experienced up
close, and did research in archives at home and abroad.
Most striking are
the hundreds of buildings in Amsterdam, where Bernhard and his business
partners violated the rental rules to 'expand' their houses for high monthly
rents, as it is called. It earned him the predicate 'pawnshop prince' and his
reputation is seriously smeared. Only when the municipality threatens with
penalty payments and there is scathing criticism from its compatriots, will
there be improvement. In small circles, however, Bernhard is incensed: it is
only because I am a prince, he says to his friends, according to insiders.
Earlier, in 2011,
to the surprise of stock market experts, Bernhard accepted a supervisory
position at the listed company Antonov,which shortly afterwards disappeared
from the stock exchange and left investors disillusioned.
Corruptiezaken
If he becomes
involved with radio station Wild FM as an investor during the same period, a
valuable business unit will be siphoned off and continued during the
bankruptcy, leaving employees unpaid. Bernhard remains a shareholder through a
BV shareholder, but years later the case is settled with the receiver. He
develops huge real estate projects in the Balkans and takes full advantage of
the excellent contacts with local officials, who are emerging in serious
corruption cases.
Bernhard of
Orange never wanted to respond to these issues, as also described in Business
Prince. Even if the province of Noord-Holland finds in May 2020 that
steamrolles without the right permits lay slabs of asphalt in the dunes around
the circuit in Zandvoort, officials do not have to count on a mea culpa from Bernhard. Only an expensively paid
lawyer reports.
Already at the
beginning of his career, Bernhard can count on raised eyebrows, when his
company Ritzen Koeriers, founded during
his student days, has fellow students with a public transport annual pass bring
around packages: Bernhard finds it no problem that he makes a profit thanks to
a train season ticket that has been paid for with general funds. The courier
company must later reach a settlement to avoid a criminal case for unpaid
social security contributions.
For Bernhard,
it's just a pebble in the shoe.
With a resume
full of legal settlements and an address book with dubious contacts in the
Balkans, the pawnshop prince has become the symbol of a proletarian elite that
thinks only of its own pleasure and wallet. At the same time, there is also
another side. As a member of the royal family, he does earn his own money, and
with his foundation Lymph&Co raises money for the fight against cancer,
after he himself had recovered from the disease. But it's that other image that
sticks, and causes him to soon get more
rubbed than he's responsible for. As with the plan to drive cars on the beach
around the grand prix. Another idea of the prince, it sounded then, while
Bernhard now knew nothing about it.
The accommodating
attitude of the municipality of Zandvoort, which covers everything around the
circuit with the cloak of love, is also wrongly attributed to Bernhard's
origins. It is not only awe of a prince: from conversations with those involved
from Zandvoort, the image emerges of a municipality that wants to see the grand
prix return at all price.
Petty-bourgeois
whining
Justified
criticism or not, Bernhard certainly does not seem to learn anything about
reputation management. Despite criticism from the Amsterdam city council, the
House of Representatives and even his nephew King Willem-Alexander, he
continues to disregard public opinion, while he cannot escape it because of the
place of his cradle. From the conversations with sources around Bernhard it
appears that he does not want to pay attention to the responsibility that his
origins entail. It is not second nature for him to have a feeling for the common
good.
Bernhard's best
friends and loyal business partners, mostly fellow students from Groningen,
prefer to focus on business success. They, too, do not remind him of the
responsibilities that come with privilege, wealth and a princely title.
Pointing this out is dismissed as petty-bourgeois whining, insiders say.
And yet, around
the grand prix there are countless opportunities for Bernhard to make a gesture
to all those people who do not win because of Formula 1. To the Zandvoort entrepreneurs whose business is not located
on the tightly fenced access roads, for example, and will no longer sell a
portion of bickering. Or to the vulnerable children who cannot go to school,
because the vans that transport them cannot drive due to the traffic
disruption.
Meanwhile,
Bernhard keeps Formula 1 in the news: singer Davina Michelle announced that she
would perform for free at the grand prix provided that other artists do get
paid.
Six more long
days until the racing festival erupts.
Thousands of places to sleep
Anger at camping at Formula 1 in Zandvoort: 'It's
depressing that this is allowed'
18 August 2021
12:30
Updated: 18
August 2021 16:38
Photo for
illustrationImage © ANP
MPs, festival
organisers and others from the event sector are stunned that a campsite with
thousands of places to sleep is rising right next to the Formula 1 site in
Zandvoort. This is allowed, while the government put a stop to multi-day
festivals with overnight stays. "Conjure with words, heavenly",
sounds the criticism from the event sector.
'A place to sleep
that everyone is jealous of. A unique location, right next to the circuit.' On
the site of the Dutch Grand Prix, the temporary campsite right next to the
Zandvoort circuit is touted with appealing phrases. From 295 euros per person,
trail visitors can rent a tent. Tents are also offered for several nights.
Sky-to-earth
On social media,
it's raining angry and outraged comments. Because: why is this allowed? After
all, multi-day camping festivals such as Lowlands were cancelled by the
cabinet.
Lowlands director
Eric van Eerdenburg doesn't have a good
word for it. 'Heavenly'', the Lowlands director calls it. "This is double
standards. It smells like corruption."
Getting the fuss
We understand the
fuss, says spokesman Simon Keizer of the Dutch Grand Prix, the organization
that organizes the gp in Zandvoort, to
RTL Nieuws. "I also understand that the promotional text about the
campsite on the site is in the wrong throat. But a separate permit has been
issued for this campsite. The campsite is covered by its own permit and
therefore not by that of the grand prix."
But the campsite
has been set up especially for the racing event and is located right on the
course. "Still, it's a regular campsite. The site offers sleeping places,
just like all other campsites in the Netherlands. For the grand prix you have
to buy a separate ticket."
However,
inquiries show that there are also combination tickets available: for both
camping and the F1 race.
No DJs
According to the
spokesperson, a large part of the campsite is intended for crew. Keizer:
"A smaller part is for visitors. Each person has 7.5 square meters for
himself. There are also clear corona rules at the campsite. The DJs and
festivities that were planned have been abolished."
The permit
application shows that the campsite offers space for 2,900 racing fans and
1,900 crew members.
A spokesperson
for the Dutch Grand Prix says that so far 1078 racing fans have booked a place
on the campsite. In total, based on the granted permit, there is room for 4800
people. Some of that is for crew members. The relationship between race fans
and crew members can be completed by the organization itself.
Municipality of
Zandvoort
The municipality
of Zandvoort has issued the permit. Walter Sans of the municipality says in a
response: "Normally this is a sports ground but a smart entrepreneur now
wants to temporarily rename this site into a campsite. That is allowed, because
it is a campsite comparable to all other campsites in Zandvoort." And, the
municipality spokesman continues: "The campsite is also outside the event
site."
Inquiries show
that this smart entrepreneur is DGP Race BV, the organization that is also
behind the Dutch Grand Prix.
Conjure with
words
Lowlands director
Van Eerdenburg calls it 'conjuring with words'. "The
Lowlands campsite is also not on the festival site. I just don't have words for
it."
He receives
support from MPs, including PvdA MP Attje
Kuiken: "I think it's rather absurd." Lisa Westerveld
(GroenLinks) says she wants clarity. She is going to ask a question about it
during the corona debate this afternoon. The local GroenLinks group also wants
clarification from the executive board of the municipality of Zandvoort and has
asked questions to the college.
The mayor of
Zandvoort, David Moolenburgh,informs RTL Nieuws in a response that the grand
prix will not be a disguised festival. "It is a campsite like so many of
us have in Zandvoort. The campsite is only meant for sleeping." He
understands the fuss, but says it is the result of choices made in The Hague.
"In Zandvoort, we are in any case very happy that we can continue to
organize Formula 1 in a limited setting."
Agnes the Good
and Eline Rietkerk
Dutch Grand Prix: Cheers and jeers as Zandvoort
returns to the fold Sport
September
4, 2021 Max Verstappen will carry the hopes of Dutch fans on Sunday.
Thirty-six
years after the chequered flag fell for the last time on a Dutch Grand Prix,
the circuit in the dunes is back on the Formula One calendar. Some 67,000
racing fans will pack the stands hoping to witness a titanic battle between
world champion Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, the 23-year-old pretender to
the throne.
A win for Verstappen in front of his home crowd would propel him
to the top of the standings with nine races to go. But the race has also attracted plenty of
criticism. Environmental campaigners argue it flies in the face of the
Netherlands’ obligations to reduce pollution, while some in neighbouring
communities are fed up with the engine noise from the circuit and traffic
congestion. The events industry is incensed that Zandvoort is able to put on a
three-day extravaganza while much smaller music festivals have been cancelled
under coronavirus restrictions. And the sight of hordes of fans at the circuit
– despite the government classifying the Grand Prix as a ‘placed event’ where
spectators are supposed to stay in their seats – has angered critics of the Dutch
pandemic response.
The first free practice session on Friday was accompanied by a protest by 20 farmers who are pressing supermarket chain Jumbo, one of the race’s main sponsors, to pay fairer prices. Court battles More concerted opposition has come from environmental groups such as Mobilisation for the Environment, (MOB) who claimed it would generate excessive levels of pollution. The group failed this week to obtain an injunction to stop the race, but has vowed to continue its legal challenge to the race, which is on the calendar until 2023. There have also been objections on grounds of noise pollution, with the Zandvoort circuit restricted to 12 days a year on which it can exceed the normal legal limits. Other races have been cancelled or folded into the Formula One weekend to comply with the rules. Some people living in the area are unhappy with the ban on traffic passing through Zandvoort, which has only one main access road out of the dunes. Children who rely on minibus transport to get to Haarlem were kept off school on Friday because the bus operator was not prepared to ask for permits for its 350 vehicles. Coronavirus rules The most vocal criticism has come from events organisers, who had to cancel almost the entire programme of summer music festivals after the government imposed strict limits of 750 tickets and no overnight camping. ‘This casts a very unsettling light on the 18 months of lockdown,’ Hans Paul
Nieskens, one of the organisers of ParkCity Live
in Heerlen, told 1Limburg. ‘It’s incredible that this can go ahead. It gives me
a sick feeling in my stomach.’ The circuit’s co-owner Prince Bernhard, a cousin
of King Willem-Alexander, said this week that ‘only a small group of people’
were against the race taking place. ‘I think a lot of people are in favour of
it and there are some people who, with good reason, are against it,’ he said.
‘Of course they’ll get a platform.’ ‘And you see that the people who are in
favour are really enjoying themselves and you see how happy they are. That
gives me so much energy.’ The road back Formula One fell out of love with
Zandvoort in the 1980s. The facilities were outdated, the venue was too
inaccessible and, crucially for the sport’s boss Bernie Ecclestone, it was
losing money. In 1985, after Niki Lauda pipped Alain Prost in a thrilling race,
Ecclestone pulled the plug. The road back to Grand Prix status was long and
difficult. Ecclestone’s departure in 2017 removed a major obstacle, while
Prince Bernhard’s investment added to the circuit’s financial and lobbying
clout. Zandvoort town council put up more than €4 million to improve the
infrastructure around the circuit, including a new €500,000 new access road.
Revamped layout The track itself has also been modernised, with two new corners
added to the 4.3km circuit at a cost of €15 million. Veteran Dutch racing
driver Jan Lammers said drivers would have few opportunities to overtake on the
narrow, twisting racetrack, which gives little margin for error. ‘This is a
very fast track, the average speed will be very high,’ Lammers told Reuters.
‘The newly introduced banked curves especially make it truly unique. There is
no other circuit like it in Formula One.’ The drivers reacted enthusiastically
to Zandvoort’s ‘old-school’ circuit after Friday’s free practice session, with
Hamilton describing it as ‘epic’. ‘I knew it was great when I was in Formula
Three, but it’s crazy in a Formula One car,’ he said. French driver Esteban
Ocon said it was a ‘pure pleasure to drive on this track. It’s good fun, the
banking but also just the layout in general.’
Read more
at DutchNews.nl:
THE DUTCH ROYAL FAMILY visits Zandvoort ignoring huge negative criticism
Criticism of Prince Bernhard
King
Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and their daughters are not the only ones
present in the royal family. Prince Bernhard, a nephew of Willem-Alexander, is
co-owner of the circuit in the Dunes of North Holland.
Prince Bernhard
received a lot of criticism last week because artists were asked to perform on
his behalf for free during the event. In return, they would only get VIP cards.
Bernhard solved
it by apologizing and paying all the artists who perform during the Grand Prix.
Davina Michelle will perform the
Wilhelmus on Sunday - without being paid for it.
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