The sad story of Friso, the prince who died after a skiing accident

The tragic, premature death of Prince Friso
Prince of The Netherlands
Three boys
He was 'the Nerd'
Technical and economic studies
Private lessons to possibly become king
Prince Friso's career
Honorary positions and social work
Official response to rumors: 'I'm straight'
Name change
Engagement with Mabel Wisse Smit
The problem with Mabel Wisse Smit
No permission
They got married anyway
Mabel and Friso's children
Ski holiday
2012: a fateful ski trip
Dangerous off-piste skiing
Avalanche
Found under a thick layer of snow
25 minutes with little to no oxygen
Resuscitation
Coma with little hope of recovery
Heartbreaking for his family
Signs of life?
In the end, he didn't make it
His daughters grew up without their dad
The tragic, premature death of Prince Friso

The Dutch Queen Beatrix used to have three sons. The second, Prince Friso, tragically died in the summer of 2013. What happened to him?

Prince of The Netherlands

Prince Friso was born on September 25, 1968, as the second son of then-Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus. His older brother Willem-Alexander, also called Alex, would later become king.

Three boys

Friso spent his childhood with his parents and two brothers in the royal Drakensteyn Castle. According to the newspaper Het Parool, he used to tell their friends: "You can beat up Alex, but you can't beat him to death, because then I'd have to become king."

He was 'the Nerd'

According to Het Parool, Prince Friso was known in the media as Prince Nerd, because he completed no fewer than three university studies.

Technical and economic studies

Friso did the Mechanical Engineering course at the College of Engineering at the University of California. He then studied aerospace engineering at the Delft University of Technology. In between, he also studied business economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Private lessons to possibly become king

As if that wasn't enough, he took private lessons in parliamentary history and Dutch law, among other things. It is common for the second in line to also prepare for possible kingship.

Prince Friso's career

With three university studies behind him and a noble title, Friso was bound to have a glorious career. He started at McKinsey & Company, then worked at Goldman Sachs International, TNO Space, Wolfensohn & Company, and URENCO.

Honorary positions and social work

Friso also had some philantropical positions. He was, among other things, honorary chairman of the Prince Claus Fund - an NGO that promotes culture and art in places in the world where it's having trouble developing by itself. He shared this leadership position with his younger brother Constantine.

Official response to rumors: 'I'm straight'

In 2001, after years of rumors about his sexual orientation, the prince officially announced that he was heterosexual. According to the newspaper Trouw, he was tired of this gossip surrounding his identity.

Name change

Friso was a bit of an odd man among the three princes. In 2004, he officially announced that he no longer wanted to be called Johan Friso as he was named by his parents. He said he preferred that people would just call him Friso instead.

Engagement with Mabel Wisse Smit

In 2003, the prince got engaged to Mabel Wisse Smit. She was a kind and educated woman, but still, the engagement embarrassed the royal family at the time, the newspaper AD recalls.

The problem with Mabel Wisse Smit

According to several investigative reporters, Mabel Wisse Smit used to hang out a lot with the top criminal and drug lord Klaas Bruinsma. The prime minister (image), who has to give permission for the royal marriages, backed out and said he could not do it.

No permission

The prime minister said he felt that Mabel and Friso had initially not been honest with him about this sensitive information. He was embarrassed to find out about her connection to the criminal through the media. Mabel then admitted in a statement that, although she had been involved with the criminal, they didn't have a romantic relationship.

They got married anyway

Eventually, the couple got married. But to do so, Friso had to give up his senior membership of the royal family. He could no longer become heir to the throne. Again, he went his own way, compared to his two brothers.

Mabel and Friso's children

Mabel and Prince Friso had two children: Luana was born in 2005 and Zaria in 2006. Their full names are Emma Luana Ninette Sophie and Joanna Zaria Nicoline Milou.

Ski holiday

The royal family traditionally goes on a winter sports holiday in Lech, Austria every year. They have been doing this since the 1950s; a tradition that Friso's grandfather Bernhard had started.

2012: a fateful ski trip

Prince Friso participated in this annual tradition and was a very experienced skier, the newspaper AD reports. However, on the last day of his holiday in February 2012, fate struck the prince.

Dangerous off-piste skiing

On that day, Friso decided to take a trip off the slopes with his local childhood friend.

Avalanche

Once off the slopes, an avalanche surprised Friso and his friend. They got buried under the snow. According to AD, Friso's friend managed to free himself very quickly because he was carrying an avalanche airbag.

Photo: Nicholas Cool / Unsplash

Found under a thick layer of snow

Prince Friso did not have an avalanche airbag, but according to AD, he did have an avalanche beeper with him. This way, rescuers could hear where he was located.

Photo: Pascal Treichler / Pixabay

25 minutes with little to no oxygen

Friso was buried under a snow layer of forty centimeters (16 inches) for 25 minutes before the rescue team could free him. Unfortunately, by that time, his brain had been deprived of oxygen for too long.

Resuscitation

Prince Friso was resuscitated for fifty minutes. According to AD, his heart then started beating again and he was taken to a hospital in Innsbruck.

Coma with little hope of recovery

An MRI study showed that Friso had suffered serious brain damage due to the lack of oxygen. He was in a coma and it was unknown if he would ever regain consciousness.

Heartbreaking for his family

The situation was heartbreaking for his mother - the Queen - and his wife and two daughters, only 6 and 7 years old.

Signs of life?

On November 19, 2012, the RVD reported that it appeared that the prince occasionally showed signs of life. However, the situation remained very uncertain.

In the end, he didn't make it

In July 2013, after being in a coma for 1.5 years, Prince Friso was taken to the royal Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague. Doctors had informed that further treatment no longer had any added value. The prince would die on August 12.

His daughters grew up without their dad

Friso died at the age of 44. His daughters Luana and Zaria are growing up without their father. They are now teenagers living with their mom in London.

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