Prince Bernhard zu Lippe-Biesterfeld was hospitalised earlier today, but refused further treatment and passed away this evening. He had lung cancer and tumors in the intestines.
I generally don't care much about royalty but I've always had a soft spot for the old man. In his long life, he did some good things, and some bad, opportunistic things, but he was never dull and nearly always came out on top. He last flew his airplane 10 years ago at age 83, and he just had to do a backwards looping because that's the sort of guy he was. I'll miss him.
Official memorial with a biography. Together, the sanitized version offered by the Royal House and the rather unkind spin on his life at Wikipedia offer a good overview of the Prince's life and acts.
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Rest in peace, you old rogue
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Comments (4)
Does this mean we'll never learn the true identity of Victor Baarn?
Posted by cmkaapjes | December 2, 2004 1:43 AM
Posted on December 2, 2004 01:43
Who's Victor Baarn?
Posted by Einar | December 2, 2004 3:01 AM
Posted on December 2, 2004 03:01
Presumed to be Prince Bernhard himself. Something to do with the Lockheed affair.
Posted by Reinder | December 2, 2004 10:33 AM
Posted on December 2, 2004 10:33
Also a running joke in Agent 327, arguably the best or second best comic strip series ever to come out of the Netherlands.
Agent 327 is the true polder version of James Bond, a Maxwell Smart-like parody. (The creator, Martin Lodewijk, admitted that with fear and loathing he watched the episodes: "Don't go there, Maxwell!", he used to yell, as he had to strike yet another joke he could no longer use.)
One of the many, many running jokes in the series are when the secret service have somehow misplaced the state secrets, among which the "true identity of Victor Baarn".
(Other candidates for "Best Comic Strip Series" would be Tom Poes/OBB and Kick Wilstra.)
Posted by Branko Collin | December 4, 2004 2:05 AM
Posted on December 4, 2004 02:05