Dutch King's sister-in-law Princess Laurentien of Orange-Nassau is accused of 'treating civil servants working with her foundation inappropriately' and creating a 'culture of fear and intimidation'

 The sister in law of the king of the Netherlands and her foundation are facing accusations of 'inappropriate behaviour' towards staff at the Ministry of Finance where she works.

Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, who is married to  King Willem-Alexander's younger brother, is facing a scandal put forward by Dutch newspaper AD, claiming that her foundation, The Equally Worthy Recovery Foundation, has created an alleged 'culture of fear' for civil servants due to a 'pattern of intimidation'.

The Dutch newspaper accused anonymous foundation staff of 'emotional reactions, name calling, and not tolerating contradiction', and claimed that, despite civil servants reporting the behaviour, no changes occurred, according to NL Times.

Laurentine established the foundation following the Dutch childcare benefits scandal, which came to light in 2021, after thousands of families were wrongly accused of child welfare fraud and left to face financial ruin.

In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for The Equally Worthy Recovery Foundation claimed the complaints are a 'personal attack' on Laurentien. 

Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands (pictured) and her foundation, The Equally Worthy Recovery Foundation, have been accused of creating a 'culture of fear'

The Ministry of Finance confirmed receipt of the complaints, agreeing that 'emotions have sometimes run high' and that 'a number of our colleagues' reported so verbally, but did not comment on whether the claims directly named the princess.

The Ministry of Finance does not plan to make further statements on the matter, due to the complaints being made to them in confidence.

The foundation's efforts to help parents affected by the scandal was also acknowledged and appreciated by the ministry, with a representative adding that they are confident a collaboration with continue to help those affected.

In 2021, a Dutch childcare benefit scandal came to light, where as many as 26,000 innocent parents were left in financial ruin after being wrongly forced to pay back tens of thousands of euros in a wrongdoing dating back to 2012.

Some were targeted because of minor errors in paperwork such as mis-matched signatures, while up to 11,000 were subjected to extra scrutiny for being dual nationals - leading to claims of systemic racism.

The scandal led Dutch PM Mark Rutte, who had been in office since 2010, and his entire cabinet to resign. He described the affair as 'shameful' and announced at the time that 'the buck stops here' after a crisis meeting of his four-party coalition cabinet.

Princess Laurentien set up her foundation to support victims and help determine their route to recovery from financial ruin.

Following AD's 'personal attack', the royal and her foundation are said to be considering legal action against the newspaper if the claims are not rectified, according to NL Times.

The royal, pictured with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxim in April, is facing allegations from Dutch newspaper AD

Pictured: King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Princess Amalia of The Netherlands, Princess Alexia of The Netherlands, Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands and Prince Constantijn of The Netherlands at the balcony of Palace Noordeinde at Prinsjesdag on September 19, 2023

The editor-in-chief of AD, the Dutch newspaper, said the outlet stands behind the claims.

The foundation spokesperson agreed that times have been 'emotional' and 'heavy, saying: 'The foundation regrets that those involved from both organisations experienced the process as emotional and heavy at times,' according to NL Times.

Laurentien is the wife of Prince Constantijn, the third son of the former Dutch queen, Beatrix, 86, and Claus von Amsberg, and younger brother of the reigning Dutch king, Willem-Alexander.

Laurentien and Constantijn wed in May 2001, with a blessing taking place in the Grote of St Jacobskerk in the Hague. 

The royal couple live with their children, Eloise, Claus-Casimir, and Leonore, in the Hague.

She carries out official duties as a member of the Dutch Royal House and is patron of multiple societies, including of the Centre of Expertise on Disability and Study.

Princess Laurentien is photographed with the then-Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at Clarence House in 2013

It comes after Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked animated as she watched her country compete in the mountain bike cross-country finals at the Paris Olympics in July.

The European monarch, 53, and her husband King Willem-Alexander, 57, stood on the sidelines to watch the women's race - and made no secret of their enthusiasm.

The royal couple were accompanied by their daughters Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, 20, and Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, 19.

The Dutch racer, Pieterse Puck came in fourth place with a time of 1:29:25, losing out by just minutes to the USA, Sweden, and France, who took gold with Ferrand Prevot Pauline.

Watching from the sidelines, Maxima donned a stunning floral dress to complement the generously bright and sunny weather.

The modest multicoloured floral number helped keep the queen cool in the seasonably warm Paris climate.

She paired the look with a pair of trendy sunglasses, long sunset coloured earrings and a bright orange cap in her native Netherlands team colours. She added a sensible pair of fashionable trainers beneath the hem of her flowing frock.

Also sporting a team Netherlands sunhat was Maxima's husband, King Willem-Alexander, who also donned a matching T-shirt to show his support for his country.