A young European royal is dead after succumbing to a rare genetic disorder. TMZ reports that 22-year-old Prince Frederik of Luxembourg, the youngest son of the Prince and Princess of Nassau, died earlier this month of PolG disease, a mitochondrial condition that "robs the body's cells of energy, in turn causing progressive multiple organ dysfunction and failure," per the PolG Foundation. The prince had been diagnosed with the disease when he was 14.
Dad Robert says in a statement cited by E! News that on Feb. 28, which also happened to be Rare Disease Day, his son "called us in to his room to speak to him for one last time." "After gifting each of us with our farewells—some kind, some wise, some instructive—in true Frederik fashion, he left us collectively with a final long-standing family joke," Robert wrote. "Even in his last moments, his humor and his boundless compassion compelled him to leave us with one last laugh."
Time dives more into PolG disease, which is hard to diagnose, incurable, and can present with a wide range of debilitating symptoms, including ones that affect vision, mobility, and speech. "One might compare it to having a faulty battery that never fully recharges, is in a constant state of depletion, and eventually loses power," Robert writes in his statement.
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Robert noted that Frederik had one final question for him before he died: "Papa, are you proud of me?" Robert revealed his "very easy" answer. "Frederik knows that he is my superhero, as he is to all of our family, and to so very many good friends," Robert wrote. "Part of his superpower was his ability to inspire and to lead by example. ... We are all so very proud of you, Frederik." Frederik is survived by parents Robert and Julie, brother Alexander, and sister Charlotte. (More prince stories.)
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