Dutch Prince Bernhard's involvement with Hitler's party confirmed through discovered Nazi card

The Dutch government has confirmed the authenticity of a Nazi party card belonging to Prince Bernhard, who was the prince consort for many years after World War Two. The card was discovered by Flip Maarschalkerweerd, a former head of the palace archives, while going through the prince's belongings after his death. Despite the prince's repeated denial of being a member of Adolf Hitler's NSDAP political party, historians did not believe him. In 1996, a researcher named Gerard Aalders claimed to have found a copy of the card in a US university archive. Aalders recently stated on social media that Prince Bernhard had lied about his Nazi past. Prince Bernhard, who was married to Dutch Princess Juliana, denied being a Nazi member until his death in 2004. He did admit to being part of two Nazi organizations - the Sturmabteilung security service and the Schutzstaffel (SS) - but argued that he did so out of necessity. The revelation of the prince's party membership has shocked those who had participated in the Dutch resistance and had celebrated the liberation with him. Following the release of the card's image in the media, the royal house confirmed its existence and emphasized the importance of independent research and understanding of the past. Various political parties and Jewish groups have called for an investigation into the matter. Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte acknowledged the negative impact of this revelation but pointed out that previous research had already indicated the prince's Nazi affiliations.