Squatters take over lodge behind King's home

The hunter's lodge in the back yard of villa De Eikenhorst, the home of King Willem-Alexander, is being occupied by squatters. The owner is now taking measures to remove the unwanted guests, the Algemeen Dagblad (AD) reports.Huis Ter Horst, as the building is called, is located in Voorschoten, close to The Hague. The neo-Gothic structure stands on the edge of the royal estate De Horsten. The national monument was built in 1838, and still has antique features such as the water pump in a large pond. Squatter Jelena (31) tells the AD that they have not done any damage to the home, which was agreed upon in discussions with Monument conservation organization Monumentenzorg. "We are actually maintaining the house. When we came here a few years ago, it was incredibly damp. The gutters were never cleaned, the rainwater could just run into the walls. In the library, the wooden beams are coming down off the damp walls. On the advice of Monumentenzorg, we keep the windows open as much as possible." The owner of the home, who bought it from Queen Beatrix several years ago, is currently in Hong Kong, according to the subpoena. He wanted to live there originally, but put it up for sale in the end, due to "changing financial circumstances." According to the AD, the last known asking price was €1.8 million. According to the home owner, the reason for his move to evict the squatters is that they are a nuisance. He claims that loud parties are held there. Jelena admits that a birthday party "got out of hand" last year. "There were a few more guests than we had expected. But the military police and the park ranger who came to look did not find it a big problem. In the court documents I read that someone complained."