Officials in Maashorst said the pieces, which had been stored in the basement of a town hall during construction, likely ended up discarded due to poor storage practices and a lack of oversight. Among the missing artworks is a 1980s Warhol silkscreen of Queen Beatrix, valued at approximately €15,000 (£12,800).

Mayor Hans van der Pas told broadcaster Omroep Brabant: “That’s not how you treat valuables. But it happened. We regret that.”

The municipality, formed through the merger of Uden and Landerd, said in a statement that artworks had been placed in temporary storage but were “most likely accidentally taken away with the trash.”

A report by investigators revealed that some pieces were kept in wheelie bins and not handled with appropriate care. It concluded that failures in registering, storing, and securing the art contributed to the loss.

In total, the missing 46 artworks were estimated to be worth around €22,000 (£18,800). The municipality has conceded it is unlikely the lost items will ever be recovered, BBC reports.

Warhol’s portrait of Queen Beatrix was part of his 1985 Reigning Queens series, which featured 16 colourful images of four monarchs, including Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Queen Ntombi Twala of Eswatini.

Ironically, another Warhol print of Queen Beatrix was involved in a heist last November. During a theft at the MPV Gallery in North Brabant, four Warhol prints were stolen, but two — including the Queen Beatrix print — were abandoned by thieves who apparently ran out of space in their getaway car.

Queen Beatrix ruled the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013 in favour of her son, King Willem-Alexander.