Crown prince Willem-Alexander and princess Maxima are to sell their holiday home currently being built in Mozambique because of the negative publicity surrounding the project.

The prince has written to prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende informing him of the decision, just one day after the premier updated parliament on the couple’s plans.
In the letter, the prince said he had hoped the exclusive project on the Machangulo peninsula would bring benefits to the local population as well as providing a private holiday home for his family. But the publicity surrounding the prince’s participation in the project was putting that at risk, he wrote.
Time and energy
‘This discussion is costing a lot of time and energy which, in this time of crisis, should be directed at other issues,’ the prince said. ‘That also goes for our work for and in the Netherlands.’
There has been growing speculation about corruption, environmental damage and a lack of investment for the local population in connection with the property development project, which also involves a number of the prince’s friends.
MPs and royalist groups had urged the prince to pull out, saying his continued involvement is damaging the monarchy.
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