King Willem-Alexander

King Willem-Alexander

Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, has told MPs to draw up plans to tax King Willem-Alexander and his family.

The move comes on the back of a public outcry over revelations that members of the family have spent extortionate sums having their properties redeveloped.

The renovation work for the former Queen Beatrix in The Hague, allied to the king spending £362,000 on a temporary office in the grounds of his personal home, prompted a strong response from the public and some MPs.

Madeleine Toorenburg, a Christian Democrat MP, is among those to have accused the government of trying to hide where taxpayer money is going, saying: "It is annoying that the government is not clear where the money is being spent."

The sense of anger is compounded by the royals spending £28 million on the restoration of the Huis ten Bosch palace.

Mr Rutte has tried to defend the spending habits of the monarchs, explaining: "I understand that it is a lot of money but its is a normal price for renovating a 17th century palace."

However, he has reluctantly wilted in the face of public pressure, announcing plans to impose a tax on the royal family.