Dutch Prince dies after ski accident
Dutch Prince Johan Friso, who went into a coma following a skiing accident in February, 2012, has died, the government said on Monday.
Queen Beatrix\’s middle son, 44, was skiing off-piste in the Austrian Alps when he was buried in an avalanche in February 2012.
"Prince Friso died from complications that arose as a consequence of the brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation following his skiing accident," the government said in a statement.
Friso was initially treated in a London hospital and was brought back to The Hague last month.
The prince was skiing with one companion away from marked ski runs when the mass of snow, 30 metres wide and 40 metres long, hit them in the resort of Lech.
"Prince Friso died from complications as a result of oxygen shortages during his ski accident on February 17, 2012," a royal palace statement said.
Friso was buried for 25 minutes before rescuers found him.
It then took nearly 50 minutes to resuscitate the prince after he was pulled from the snow.
The prince gave up his right to the Dutch throne a decade ago when he married a commoner whose past was considered too tainted for her to become a member of the royal house.
When he asked for official permission in 2003 to marry Mabel Wisse Smit, Dutch media published details of her relationship with mobster Klaas Bruinsma, who was shot and killed in 1991 in front of the Amsterdam Hilton hotel.
Following the revelations, the couple decided not to get official permission for their marriage.
The prince\’s older brother is Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his younger brother is Prince Constantijn.
Source: Agencies
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