Prince Frederik of Luxembourg dies aged 22 from POLG mitochondrial disease

Prince Frederik of Luxembourg, who was the youngest son of the Prince and Princess of Nassau, died at the beginning of March, his father Prince Robert announced.

Frederik was born - and was diagnosed at the age of 14 - with POLG mitochondrial disease, a “genetic mitochondrial disorder that robs the body’s cells of energy, in turn causing progressive multiple organ (brain, nerves, liver, intestines, muscles, swallowing and ocular function, etc.) dysfunction and failure. One might compare it to having a faulty battery that never fully recharges, is in a constant state of depletion and eventually loses power,” as his father’s statement put it.

The statement said: Last Friday, February 28, on “Rare Disease Day”, our beloved son called us in to his room to speak to him for one last time. 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. He had already spoken all that was in his heart to his extraordinary mother, who had not left his side in 15 years. 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. 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.”

Frederik, who had “barely been able to speak for several days” before his death, was the founder and creative director of the POLG Foundation, which aims to research the disorder.

His father added: “His indomitable lust for life propelled him through the hardest of physical and mental challenges. Our cheery Frederik saw the beauty in everything. His brother Alexander recounts that, while Frederik was recently hospitalized battling pneumonia and another serious infection and unable to move or take photographs himself, he asked Alexander to capture the setting sun. Alexander, understandably influenced by the dire circumstances, found the view of the rooftops bathed in a warm glow, rather bleak. But to Frederik, it was magic!”

POLG mitochondrial disease affects about 300m people in the world. At present there are few treatments, let alone a cure, and the condition is often hard to diagnose as it affects so many organs. More information can be found on the POLG Foundation’s website.