Who was he: Prince Bernhard was one of the more malicious faces of the Anglosphere power elite. Weapons trading, racketeering, bribery and plunder were his stock in trade. Prince Bernhard is best known for forming the infamous Bilderberg Group that is said to be a kind of "world government" that plots economic destruction and war whenever it meets.
A recent book, HRH: High Stakes at the Court of His Royal Highness, by historian Harry Veenendaal and journalist Jort Kelder, discusses all of these issues and more. It reveals, for instance, that Bilderberg-founder Prince Bernhard tried to foment a coup and take over the government of Indonesia in the 1950s. Bernhard wanted to rule over Indonesia in a feudal way as a kind of Napoleon.
This twisted passion for authoritarianism informed Prince Bernhard's entire life. From his Nazi past to the creation of the Bilderbergs to his fascination with eugenics and war, Prince Bernhard seems to have been focused mostly on ways to undermine human freedoms whenever possible.
The Bilderberg Group, although famous, was not the only "club" he founded. Under the guise of environmentalism, Prince Bernard founded the 1001 Club in 1970 with the aim of raising funds for the World Wildlife Fund (of which Bernhard was the first chairman, and top-eugenicist Julian Huxley was the founding father).
Background: Bernhard Leopold Friedrich Eberhard Julius Kurt Karl Gottfried Peter of Biesterfeld was born on the 29th day of June 1911. He was born a count due to his parents' morganatic marriage. In 1916, Leopold IV, the Reigning Prince of Lippe, allowed Bernhard the title of Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. At this point Prince Bernhard was admitted fully into the Lippe royal family lineage.
After the First World War, the family lost their principality and its accompanying revenues, yet they remained wealthy. Most of Prince Bernhard's youth was spent at Reckenwalde, the family estate located in East Brandenburg. He was home-schooled and then sent to schools in Zullichau and Berlin. Prince Bernhard graduated in 1929 after suffering frequently from ill health. Early on, it was predicted that he would die at a young age but he grew healthier with age. Prince Bernhard married Princess Juliana and they had six children. His daughter, Queen Beatrix, is the present day monarch in the Netherlands.
Prince Bernhard was extremely active in World War II, where he was a Dutch general in charge of the Dutch Armed Forces. He was a part of the London-based Allied War Planning Council. Prince Bernhard also was a member of the Royal Air Force and flew fighter and bomber planes into combat. He displayed courage and leadership during the War, and for his efforts and his qualities Prince Bernhard received an award for outstanding performance, being made a knight in the chivalric Military William Order. This was the highest honor that Prince Bernhard could be awarded in the Netherlands. He was made an honorary Air Marshall of the Royal Air Force of England and was awarded the Grand Cross from the Germans.
Prince Bernhard was highly thought of as a war hero and was appreciated for his efforts during the War. He founded the World Wildlife Association and was its first president in 1961; in 1970 he founded the 1001 Club, a Trust established to fund the World Wildlife Association, later named the World Wide Fund for Nature *(except in the US and Canada where it remains named the former).
Over the years, Prince Bernhard has been involved in several scandals. There are reports of an extramarital affair. The relationship was said to have produced an illegitimate child. And then there was the Lockheed Scandal of 1976, where the Prince was accused of profiting 1.1 Million USD from the sale of fighter planes sold out of Lockheed.
An investigation ensued and proof was produced of Bernard's membership in the Reiter SS. He demanded commission on the sale of planes to the Dutch. Charges were not pressed out of a respect for Queen Juliana. It was necessary for her to abdicate her throne due to Bernhard's scandalous activities. Prince Bernhard died in 2004.