Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Princess Julie of Nassau have announced that their son, Prince Frederik, has died at 22 after suffering from a rare genetic condition called POLG Mitochondrial disease.
Videos by InspireMore
“It is with a very heavy heart that my wife and I would like to inform you of the passing of our son, the POLG Foundation Founder and Creative Director, Frederik,” Robert wrote in a statement on the POLG Foundation website.
“Last Friday, February 28th, on ‘Rare Disease Day,’ our beloved son called us into his room to speak to him for one last time,” he continued. “Frederik found the strength and the courage to say goodbye to each of us in turn – his brother, Alexander; his sister, Charlotte; me; his three cousins, Charly, Louis, and Donall; his brother-in-law, Mansour; and finally, his Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Mark. He had already spoken all that was in his heart to his extraordinary mother, who had not left his side in 15 years. After gifting each of us with our farewells – some kind, some wise, some instructive – in true Frederik fashion, he left us collectively with a final long-standing family joke. Even in his last moments, his humour, and his boundless compassion compelled him to leave us with one last laugh … to cheer us all up.
Prince Robert Calls Prince Frederik His “Superhero”
Robert shared that his son had been unable to speak “for several days” before their final conversation, which made the experience truly bittersweet. He also wrote that Frederik “needed reassurance that he had contributed all that he possibly could in his short and beautiful existence and that he could now finally move on.”
POLG is a “mitochondrial disorder that robs the body’s cells of energy, in turn causing progressive multiple organ (brain, nerves, liver, intestines, muscles, swallowing and ocular function, etc.) dysfunction and failure.” While the prince was born with the condition, he was not diagnosed until he was 14.
Prince Frederik passed away on March 1st.
This story’s featured image is by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images For Cour grand-ducale.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.
