The son of Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Princess Julie of Nassau died on 1 March after being diagnosed with a rare POLG Mitochondrial disease when he was 14.
His father announced the passing of his son on POLG Foundation’s website last week (7 March).
Robert, who founded the organisation, said: “It is with a very heavy heart that my wife and I would like to inform you of the passing of our son, The POLG Foundation Founder and Creative Director, Frederik.
The father said Frederik fought ‘with grace and with humour’ (POLG Foundation)
“Frederik found the strength and the courage to say goodbye to each of us in turn – his brother, Alexander; his sister, Charlotte; me; his three cousins, Charly, Louis, and Donall; his brother-in-law, Mansour; and finally, his Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Mark.”
What is POLG disease?
The genetic disorder ‘robs the body’s cells of energy’, which causes ‘progressive multiple organ dysfunction and failure’, according to the foundation.
“One might compare it to having a faulty battery that never fully recharges and is in a constant state of depletion,” it explained.
“POLG research could affect everything from Parkinson’s to cancer.”
Prince Frederik ‘had barely been able to speak for several days’
Frederik was first diagnosed with the rare genetic condition aged 14 (POLG Foundation)
“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,” the father added.
“Even in his last moments, his humour, and his boundless compassion, compelled him to leave us with one last laugh….to cheer us all up.
“So the clarity of these words was as surprising as the weight of the moment was profound.
“The answer was very easy, and he had heard it oh so many times…. but at this time, he needed reassurance that he had contributed all that he possibly could in his short and beautiful existence and that he could now finally move on.”
300 million people suffer from POLG
Frederik’s family have paid tribute to him (POLG Foundation)
Robert said that ‘300 million people like Frederik worldwide’ suffer from POLG.
“These diseases are usually hard to recognise even by physicians, and patients’ families may never know what they are suffering from as they may only be identified very late in their progression,” he explained.
“Frederik was diagnosed with POLG at the age of 14, when his symptoms were showing more clearly and when the progression of his disease had become more acute.
“Because POLG disease causes such a wide range of symptoms and affects so many different organ systems, it is very difficult to diagnose and has no treatments much less a cure.”
