A funeral was held for Dutch Prince Johan Friso yesterday in Lage Vuursche in the Netherlands.
Friso, the brother of the new Dutch king, died on Monday in a royal palace in The Hague, 18 months after a skiing accident left him in a coma.
Aged 44, the middle son of former Queen Beatrix, never regained consciousness after being buried in an avalanche while skiing off-piste in Lech, Austria. His brain was starved of oxygen during the 25 minutes he spent trapped under the snow.
His funeral was attended by members of the Dutch Royal family including the late prince’s widow Mabel, their two daughters, former Queen Beatrix and Dutch King Willem-Alexander.
Prince Friso renounced his right to the Dutch throne when he married a commoner whose past was considered too racy for her to become a member of the Dutch royal house.
When he asked for 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.
After being treated in Innsbruck following the accident, Friso was taken to a hospital in London, where he lived with his wife and two daughters.
Despite showing occasional signs of minimal consciousness, his condition did not improve any further. He was brought back to The Hague last month.