Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, the brother of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, died in The Hague on August 12 from injuries sustained when he was caught in an avalanche while skiing in Lech (Austria) in February 2012. He had been in a coma since the accident.
Friso, aged 44, who was married and the father of two children, “was not attached either to his status as prince or ‘king in waiting’”, points out De Volkskrant. However, the daily notes that —
Friso was more important to the monarchy than his low profile might suggest. He was a quiet-spoken, behind-the-scenes genius. An engineer and economist who had relied on his own resources to climb the corporate ladder, he also acted as an advisor to his mother the Queen, and his brother the future king.
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