Princess Margarita Maria Beatriz of Bourbon-Parma, Countess of Colorno (Dutch: Margarita Maria Beatriz prinses de Bourbon de Parme; born 13 October, 1972), is the eldest daughter of TRH Princess Irene of the Netherlands and HRH Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma. Born in Nijmegen, she is the twin sister of Prince Jaime (Jacques) Bernardo of Bourbon-Parma, Count of Bardi. She also has an elder brother, Prince Carlos Xavier Bernando Sixto Maria of Bourbon-Parma, Prince of Piacenza, and a younger sister, Princess Maria Carolina Christina of Bourbon-Parma, Marchioness of Sala. In 1981 the parents of the princess divorced. Together with her mother and her siblings she moved from Spain to the Netherlands, to live with her grandparents, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld at Baarn. Later she moved to Wijk bij Duurstede. Margarita studied Cultural Anthropology at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam and is an interior decorator. On 2 september 1996 her father bestowed the title Contessa di Colorno (Countess of Colorno) upon her. The same year she was incorporated into the Dutch Nobility, with the title Prinses de Bourbon de Parme (Princess of Bourbon-Parma) and style Hare Koninklijke Hoogheid (Her Royal Highness). However she doesn't officially belong either to the House of Orange-Nassau or the Dutch Royal Family. In 1998 Princess Margarita met alleged Edwin Karel Willem de Roy van Zuydewijn, a man who would become known as a fantast. The civil marriage of the couple took place on 19 June 2001 in Amsterdam. Marriage in the Roman Catholic church took place in Auch(France), presided by Ronald Philippe Bär, former bishop of Rotterdam. De Roy van Zuydewijn wasn't trusted by the Royal Family, and the marriage wasn't attended by its higher members. The couple went to live in a castle in Bartas, France, but by 2004 the princess was more often seen in Amsterdam. On 13 August 2004 Margarita's lawyer declared she was filing for a divorce. The official divorce was signed on 8 November 2006. In the year 2003 a series of incidents had become known as the Margarita-affair. In the media, Margarita and her husband accused the Royal House and the Dutch Secret Service of obstructing the affairs of Fincentives, the company of De Roy van Zuydewijn. They also said their telephone-conversations were tapped. Although there seemed to be truth in these accusations, they ridiculed themselves by adding more preposterous claims and telling tales of private family affairs of the Dutch Royals. After it was revealed that the Queen's personal cabinet had indeed ordered an investigation, the right to do so was legally removed from the Queen. Because of the controversy Princess Margarita wasn't invited to attend either the marriage of Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima or the funeral of her uncle Prince Claus. However, since she ended her liaison with De Roy van Zuydewijn, the relationship with the royals has improved.
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