Prince Johan Friso, the second son of Crown Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus, has died at the age of 44. The Prince had been in a coma since a skiing accident in Austria in February 2012. As a child, Friso had already made up his mind he didn’t want to be king. Later in life, he chose to relinquish his right to the throne when parliament refused to approve his marriage.

Born in 1968, Friso was second in line to the throne, destined to follow after his elder brother Willem-Alexander. But even at a young age, he would say to his friends: “You’re allowed to beat up Alex, but don’t kill him because then I have to be king.”

Prince Clever-clogs
The prince studied aeronautical engineering at Delft University of Technology and economics at Rotterdam’s Erasmus University. Dubbed “the brilliant prince” or “Prince Clever-clogs”, he quickly gained a reputation for his fast brain. But mostly, he preferred to stay out of the limelight. That all changed in 2002, when the Government Information Service announced Mabel Wisse Smit belonged to “his circle of close friends”. In 2003, the couple became engaged.

In her role as CEO of The Elders – an independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela who work together for peace and human rights – Mabel has proved to be a successful leader.

In the Netherlands, she has a more controversial past. In 2003, she was in the headlines because of her one-time relationship with a notorious drug lord, Klaas Bruinsma. She maintained then that her relationship with Bruinsma, who was murdered in 1991, was on a friendship basis only.

Read more:
RNW