Dutch prince spills secrets from grave

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Even in death, Prince Bernhard managed to stir controversy at the Dutch royal house Tuesday.

Queen Beatrix's German-born father, who died two weeks ago at age 93, acknowledged in a series of secret interviews that he had a second illegitimate child and accepted more than $1-million in corporate bribes from Lockheed Aircraft Corp.

The former businessman and war veteran said the previously undisclosed daughter was named Alicia and was a landscape artist in the United States. Several years ago, he acknowledged another daughter living in France.

He also said the riches of the Dutch royal family are exaggerated in the media. In 2003, Forbes magazine scaled back its estimate of the family's wealth from $2.5-billion to $250-million, with the queen's share at $50-million.

"She doesn't have that much either, but let it lie," he said.

His own wealth, he said, would be divided equally among his six daughters: four he had with the former Queen Juliana, who died in May, and the two illegitimate children.

Bernhard again confirmed he had accepted more than $1-million in bribes in 1976 from U.S. aircraftmaker Lockheed to persuade the Dutch government to purchase its planes. However, Bernhard told the paper he kept none of the money for himself, but gave it to others who were supposed to pass most of it on to charity.

The circumstances of the interview are characteristic of the flamboyant Bernhard, known for his disregard of restrictions on the royal house. Family members must receive government approval before speaking to the media.

Over several years, after formal interview requests had been rejected, the prince met nine times with journalists from the Volkskrant daily newspaper, behind the backs of the queen, the Royal Information Service and the prime minister.

The resulting 24-page special edition, published three days after his funeral, was the topic of a heated parliamentary debate Tuesday and dominated national news broadcasts.

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende dismissed calls demanding more freedom for the royal family to speak - even though some royal historians thought the interview was "shocking."

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