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The story of ambitious young boy Freddy Heineken and how he became one of the most famous Dutch people ever.

Dramatized account chronicling Queen Beatrix's reign and private struggles, blending reality and fiction to portray her resilience during crises.

The older Prince Bernhard tells the story of his exciting life to Princess Máxima. After all, when Prince Willem-Alexander takes the throne, she will be his Queen and take up much the same position as Bernhard did as husband to former Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. His story takes us from Palace Soestdijk to once-German Reckenwalde with the young Bernhard, to Nazi-Berlin, wartime in London, Argentina and Canada and much more. It paints a portrait of the world from the thirties to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Bernhard survived the deepest of crises: accusation of treason by Ian Fleming during the war, corruption in the fifties and seventies, extra-marital daughters and even being the main reason for a dutch governmental crisis.

In this Dutch version of "Yes, Minister", mediocre politician Karel Bijl is unexpectedly made minister of Administrative Affairs. He learns the hard way that top-level government is a ruthless big boys game, where nothing is what it seems. Since his own staff and top civil servants are ambitious better at it, they really run him and he ministry while often paying hollow respect.

As reigning Queen surrounded by ambitious confidants, Juliana has mounting political ambitions and craves power, incompatible with the constitutional system of government by a parliamentary majority government. She opposes Berhard also on his Bilderberg conferences.

While her mother, queen Wilhelmina, presides over the government in exile's war effort, Juliana feels banished but safe in Canada. She becomes a good friend of president Roosevelt's first lady Eleanor. Meanwhile she suspects her spouse prince Bernhard's infidelity. When mother takes her fanatical support for the resistance so far as to intend deposing collaborating MPs in favor of royal nominees, Juliana and her entourage consider she may be ready to succeed to the Dutch throne and preside over the reconstruction after the Allied landing and victory.

The Allies have won the war in Europe, liberating the Netherlands so the Orange dynasty can return home. However for years the humanitarian situation of natives and refugees from the colonies remains tragic, Juliana tries to help. In the Dutch East Indies, a movement for Independence unilaterally declares a republic, Queen Wilhelmina favors military repression, Juliana the retreat which ultimately will happen. Juliana bears a daughter, but her health is affected by a refugee infection. She also discovers Bernahard's London affair, but the marriage survives. Old-fashioned Wilhelmina refuses to abdicate, but worsening health finally allows the government to make Juliana first regent, later announce her succession to the throne.

Juliana succeeds her aging mother's throne. During the Cold War, Queen Juliana's was a pacifist opposing not only the repression of the Indonesian secession, in 1949, but also against the death penalty. This exasperated the Dutch governments, the military and war and resistance heroes, including Bernard. Marital tension between Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard was aggravated by Princess Marijke's bleak medical prospects, and his objections to her dubious 'faith healer' Greet Hofmans.

Dutch royal palace Soestdijk, December 2004. Courtiers search the controversial, just deceased former prince-consort Bernard's estate as commanded by queen-regnant Beatrix. In 2003, he explained to Maxima, the pregnant wife of his grandson, crown prince Willem-Alexander', how dynastic succession works and is arranged. Reckenwalde, May 1934. Bernard 'Barnilo/ Benno', heir to the (nominal) prince of Lippe-Biesterfeld, is a masterly womanizer. Initially he prefers an industrial career to marrying Dutch queen Wilhelmina's shy heiress Juliana, his dying father's wish, but changes his mind after catching his lover cheating.

Berhard tells Maxima and some research journalist in 2003/4 how he accidentally met her then young father in Argentina during the war. Queen Wilhelmina, who absurdly conceived a major boast for the Orange dynasty's socio-political role by constitutional reform, had resorted to suicide threat in order to make him accept exile in Londen, Juliana in Canada. Benno still had a mind of his own, concluding from countless contacts Churchill was in a sense conspiring with the Nazis and hence wanted to accept a gubernatorial role in occupied Holland.

Bernhard continues his tale how both his ambition to become Nazi governor and Wilhemina's plan for an active monarchy instead of democratic indecision came to nothing. His wife Juliana finally succeeded to the Orange throne, but the devout fool needed his help, yet often lacked the good sense to take his realistic advice, even rather believing crazy faith-healer Greet Hofmans. Meanwhile he enjoys the trappings of royalty and international diplomacy, especially in dodgy dealings with the greedy-generous Argentine Perron regime.

Former prince-consort Bernhard continues his tale, how he understood global politics far better then even foreign minister Luns, let alone his naive, moralistic wife, whom he finally persuaded to abdicate in favor of their firstborn daughter Beatrix before dementia sets in. When the press gets wind of $1,000,000 commission he received for a legal fighter planes deal with Lockhead, actually to keep his Swiss mistress and love child, the Den Uyl ministry sidetracks disgraced Bernarnd completely.