Dutch 'Sad But Not Shocked' Over Prince Friso Death

BBC: The royal palace in the Netherlands says Prince Friso, the younger brother of King Willem-Alexander, has died at the age of 44.

He had been in a coma since being buried in an avalanche while skiing in Austria last year.

Anna Holligan reports. (+ video) » | Monday, August 12, 2013

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Obituary: HRH Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: HRH Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, who has died aged 44, was second in line to the Dutch throne until being excluded from the line of succession by his choice of a wife; for the past 18 months he had been in a coma after being buried by an avalanche at an Austrian ski resort.

In the summer of 2003 Prince Friso announced his engagement to Mabel Wisse Smit, a beautiful and intelligent blonde who was known for her work in the promotion of human rights. Soon afterwards, however, it was claimed that, 15 years earlier, she had been in a relationship with a Dutch mobster and international drug dealer called Klaas Bruinsma.

The claim was made by one of Bruinsma’s former bodyguards, who said that his boss and Mabel had been lovers — and that she had been the only woman allowed on board Bruinsma’s yacht. Miss Smit strenuously denied the allegations, saying that she had been merely an acquaintance of Bruinsma; she admitted that she had spent the night on his yacht on several occasions, but denied that there had been a sexual relationship, insisting that she had known him for only a few months and broke off contact after she found out how he made his money. They had, she said, shared a passion for sailing.

Miss Smit had been an expert on the Balkans at the UN, and promoted the cause of human rights for the Open Society Institute, funded by George Soros. She had been vetted by the Dutch secret service and approved as a suitable bride.

Shortly after becoming engaged, however, she issued a statement saying that she had known Bruinsma — who was shot dead in a gangland killing in 1991 — for a few months while she was a student, but had broken with him when she learned of “the practices he engaged in”. » | The Daily Telegraph | Monday, August 12, 2013

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Dutch Prince Friso Dies After Skiing Accident

Dutch Prince Johan Friso has died at the age of 44.

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Dutch Prince Johan Friso Dies After Skiing Accident Coma

THE GUARDIAN: The prince – once second in line to the throne – had been in a coma since February 2012, following fall in Lech, Austrla

Dutch prince Johan Friso, who went into a coma following a skiing accident in February 2012, has died, the government said on Monday.

"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.

The prince, 44, was skiing off-piste in Lech, Austria, when he was buried in an avalanche. Rescuers pulled him from the snow, unconscious, 20 minutes later. He was resuscitated at the scene and flown to hospital, but remained in a coma for months.

Before the accident, Friso, the second of the former Queen Beatrix's three sons, had sometimes been known as "Prince Brilliant". He studied at UC Berkeley, the Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam, graduating from the Dutch universities cum laude, with degrees in engineering and economics. He later earned an MBA at France's prestigious INSEAD school of business. » | Agencies, Amsterdam | Monday, August 12, 2013

LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR: Décès du prince Johan Friso d'Orange-Nassau » | Thomas Escritt; Anthony Deutsch, Clémence Apetogbor pour le service français | lundi 12 août 2013

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Prinz Johan Friso ist tot: Der niederländische Prinz Johan Friso ist gestorben. Der Bruder von König Willem-Alexander war im Februar 2012 beim Skifahren in Österreich von einer Lawine erfasst worden. Seither lag er im Koma. » | Von Michael Stabenow, Brüssel | Montag, 08. August 2013

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Dutch Royal Family Statement »

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It's 2013. Abolish the Dutch Monarchy.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL – OP ED: In a nation of equals, I shudder to hear fellow citizens addressed as 'your royal highness.'

In my country, one family has a monopoly on the position of head of state. No, I'm not from North Korea, but from the Netherlands, where after 30 years on the throne, Queen Beatrix of Orange will abdicate at the end of this month to her son Willem-Alexander.

The ceremony will receive world-wide attention—and since this is royalty we're talking about, expect it to be fawning. Television will present the fairy tale of a happy nation united under its new king.

Well, count me out. I am one of many Dutch citizens who think it is time for us to do what America and most other countries did long ago: take leave of our monarchs.

The United States made me a republican. (With a small R, that is.) Having lived there for 30 years, I can no longer tolerate a system that has just one requirement for the top job: being from the right family. Most republics select their heads of state based on merit, but in Holland no special talents are needed to become king.

Indeed, even monarchists have questioned whether Willem-Alexander is up to the job that he will inherit and from which he cannot be fired. They console themselves with the thought that Maxima, his Argentine wife and our future queen, is smart enough to pick up the slack if needed.

How is it possible that the Dutch continue to set such a low bar for their democracy? I don't want to call my countrymen brainwashed, but I have noticed that geographic distance has given me and many other Dutch émigrés a different perspective on the monarchy. As Americans living abroad know, it becomes easier to question one's national values when you are not constantly exposed to messages reinforcing them. In Holland the queen's face is on euro coins and on postage stamps, the national anthem is an ode to her family, and the Dutch observe the Queen's birthday in the way Americans celebrate Independence Day. Media coverage is by and large reverential if not unctuous. Scandals are quickly forgotten.

In a country known for its outspokenness, the monarchy may well be the last taboo. Unlike the U.K., Holland has no politicians publicly making a case against the monarchy. Ever since the queen announced her decision to abdicate, many aspects of the succession have been debated: May fur be used in the royal robe? Should parliamentarians pledge loyalty to the king? But almost no one has raised the most fundamental and obvious question: Should we call it quits? » | Max Westerman * | Wednesday, April 03, 2013

* Mr. Westerman, a former Newsweek reporter, covered the U.S. for 15 years as a correspondent for Dutch television.