25 April 2004	Sunday	04 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

DELFT, April 24: Dutch Prince Johan Friso married his scandal-touched fiancee Mabel Wisse Smit on Saturday without the permission of the government and in doing so gave up his right to succeed to the throne.

Johan Friso, second son of Queen Beatrix, chose to marry Wisse Smit despite failing to win government approval after the couple acknowledged she had a more involved relationship with a murdered mobster than she had originally said.

Shortly after their engagement a year ago, Wisse Smit issued a statement saying she had known Dutch mobster Klaas Bruinsma for a few months when she was a student, but had broken with him when she learned of "the practices he engaged in".

Few of Europe's royal houses sent representatives to the wedding but among VIPs were Norway's King Harald, billionaire philanthropist George Soros and the prime minister.-Reuters