Dutch Prince Friso dies 18 months after ski accident

Dutch Prince Friso, who had been in a coma after being buried by an avalanche last year, died on Monday, the Netherlands Government Information Service RVD said,

The RVD said that the prince died from “complications that occurred as a result of brain damage caused by oxygen deficiency in his skiing accident on Feb. 17, 2012 in Lech, Austria.

Forty-four-year-old Prince Friso, the middle son of the former queen Beatrix, is the younger brother of King Willem-Alexander.

He was buried in an avalanche when skiing off-piste in the Austrian Alps in February, 2012.

He was transferred last month from a London hospital to receive treatment at his mother’s residence in The Hague.

In the statement issued the RVD on Monday, the Royal Family thanked “all those who have provided Prince Friso with the excellent and dedicated care.

The prince’s death was met with dismay among Dutch political leaders and the public.

“Despite everything this news comes as a shock to me,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a statement issued by the RVD, calling it a “black and sad day.”

“For Princess Mabel and their two daughters Luana and Zaria it must be hard to imagine that they have to go on without their husband and father. Our thoughts are with them in the first place,” he said said.

“For Princess Beatrix the loss is indescribably great. Losing a child is the worst that can happen to a parent,” the prime minister said, “King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien have lost a brother who meant a lot to them. For all of them this is a black and sad day.”

Labor leader Diederik Samsom also said he was “deeply touched” by the death of Friso.

“Our sympathy goes out to the family of Prince Friso, his wife Princess Mabel and their daughters. Our thoughts are also with Princess Beatrix, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien. We wish them all extraordinary strength and power during this difficult time,” Samsom said.

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans wrote on his Facebook page that Monday is “a black day.” “Princess Mabel, Luana and Zaria, Princess Beatrix and other loved ones who have to bear this great loss can count on the sympathy of all Dutch, anywhere in the world. We mourn the passing of a special man, who always committed himself to others,” he wrote.