Prince Frederik succumbed to POLG, a rare genetic disease.
Prince Frederik of Luxembourg passed away at the age of 22 after a lifelong struggle with POLG mitochondrial disease, a rare genetic disorder.
Frederik, the youngest son of Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Princess Julie of Nassau, was born with POLG but was only diagnosed at the age of 14, according to his family. He passed away from the rare disease on 1 March.
In a statement released by the royal family through Frederik’s foundation, the POLG Foundation, his father shared that Frederik managed to say his final goodbyes to each member of his close family before he passed away.
“His final question to me was, ‘Papa, are you proud of me?’ 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,” Robert shared.
Robert said that Frederik had struggled to speak for several days before this.
“So the clarity of these words was as surprising as the weight of the moment was profound. He also found the strength and courage to say goodbye to each of us…
“In true Frederik fashion, he left us collectively with a final long-standing family joke. Even in his last moments, his humour and boundless compassion compelled him to leave us with one last laugh… to cheer us all up,” he added.
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Prince Frederik’s legacy to live on
Frederik’s father said that the POLG foundation, where he served as founder and creative director, will continue supporting those battling POLG mitochondrial disease.
Frederik founded the organisation to raise awareness and fund research into finding treatments and a cure for the disease.
He also launched a clothing line, MITO, through the foundation, using humour and creativity to raise awareness.
“As is the case for 300 million people like Frederik worldwide, 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,” Robert said.
According to the foundation’s website, POLG is a genetic disorder that affects the mitochondria, which are the parts of the body’s cells that produce energy. The disease causes the body’s organs to slowly stop functioning.
