Prince Frederik of Luxembourg Passes Away at 22 After Rare Illness

Prince Frederik of Luxembourg dies aged 22 after being diagnosed with rare POLG Mitochondrial disease

At the age of 14, he was given the startling genetic condition for the first time.

Prince Frederik of Luxembourg, who was 22 years old when he passed away, was diagnosed with a rare mitochondrial disease that is associated with POLG.

In spite of the fact that the late prince, who was the son of Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Princess Julie of Nassau, had gone away on March 1st, his passing was not made public until last Friday, March 7th, when his father posted the sad news on the website of the official POLG Foundation.

“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,” Robert wrote in a letter. Frederik was the founder of the organization that attempts to assist develop therapies for his rare disease. Robert composed this letter.

“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.”

Over the course of the lengthy statement, he proceeded by saying, “He had already communicated everything that was in his heart to his extraordinary mother, who had not left his side in thirty-five years.”

After giving each of us our own farewells, some of which were nice, some of which were wise, and some of which were instructional, in true Frederik manner, he left us all with a final joke that had been passed down for generations in the family. In spite of the fact that he was nearing the end of his life, his humor and limitless compassion forced him to leave us with one more chuckle… to cheer us all up.

Frederik’s final question to him, which came before his other words, was, “Papa, are you proud of me?” The sad father, who is also the father of two other children with Julie, Prince Alexander and Princess Charlotte, also explained that Frederik had asked him this question.

Robert went on to say that Frederik “had barely been able to speak for several days,” and he continued by saying, “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.”

Robert continued his speech by referring to his son as his “superhero,” adding that one of his son’s superpowers was his capacity to motivate others and to set an example for others to follow. Being born with a unique aptitude for positivism, joy, and determination, Frederik was born with these qualities.

According to his siblings and the majority of people who have ever had the opportunity to interact with him, “Frederik is the most powerful individual that we are aware of!” In the final moments of his life, Frederik fought his illness with all his might. Because of his unquenchable thirst for life, he was able to persevere despite the most difficult mental and physical trials.

“Our cheery Frederik saw the beauty in everything.”

A bit further on in the statement, Robert provided some additional information regarding the extremely rare POLG Mitochondrial illness and the symptoms that it causes.

“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,” the father stated in his letter.

Frederik was diagnosed with POLG when he was 14 years old, at a time when his symptoms were becoming more obvious and when the course of his condition had grown more severe. It is extremely challenging to identify POLG disease since it manifests itself in such a diverse array of symptoms and impacts a large number of organ systems. Furthermore, there is no medication available for the condition, let alone a cure.

Robert, in his explanation of POLG disease, described it as “a genetic mitochondrial disorder that robs the body’s cells of energy.” He also mentioned that it causes “progressive multiple organ dysfunction and failure,” including dysfunction and failure of the brain, nerves, liver, intestines, muscles, swallowing, and ocular function, among other organs.

“One might compare it to having a faulty battery that never fully recharges, is in a constant state of depletion and eventually loses power,” he explained further.

As the statement came to a close, Robert made it a point to compliment his son on the positive attitude he displayed in the face of challenges.

“This is the battle that Frederik fought, and this is the burden that he had to carry throughout his life,” the father wrote in his journal. In every instance, he did so with elegance and a sense of humor. When we asked him whether he would be interested in establishing a foundation to aid others who are in a similar situation to him and to discover a treatment for his condition, he enthusiastically accepted the opportunity.

“Though he always made it very clear that he did not want this dreadful disease to define him, he nonetheless immediately identified with and helped define the mission of The POLG Foundation.”