Luxembourg's Prince Frederik Dead at 22 After Battling Rare Genetic Disease

The people of Luxembourg are in mourning.

The small European country's Prince Frederik, the son of Grand Duke Henri's cousin Prince Robert and his wife Princess Julie, has died after a long battle with PolG mitochondrial disease, a rare genetic disorder. He was 22.

Robert announced March 7 that his son passed away in Paris March 1, one day after he called his parents, siblings Prince Alexander and Princess Charlotte, and other family members to his room to speak to him one last time.

"Frederik's last question to me, prior to his other remarks was: 'Papa, are you proud of me?'" the 56-year-old said in a statement on the website of the late prince's PolG Foundation. "He had barely been able to speak for several days, so the clarity of these words was as surprising as the weight of the moment was profound."

Robert said that while the "answer was very easy, and he had heard it oh so many times," he understood his son "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."

"Frederik knows that he is my Superhero, as he is to all of our family, and to so very many good friends and now in great part thanks to his PolG Foundation, to so very many people the world over," the late prince's father said. "Part of his superpower was his ability to inspire and to lead by example."

Robert also shared what Frederik told his other family members—including his mother "who had not left his side in 15 years—in his final moments.

"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," he said. "Even in his last moments, his humor, and his boundless compassion, compelled him to leave us with one last laugh….to cheer us all up."

Frederik, who died less than three weeks before his 23rd birthday, was 14 years when he was diagnosed with PolG mitochondrial disease, which is caused by gene mutations, is incurable and causes organ dysfunction and failure.

"When you're a kid, you have all these dreams, all these aspirations, these things you want to do. The possibilities are endless," the late prince said in a film about the disease that the PolG Foundation released last September. "I'm not sure I understood all the consequences of PolG when I first got diagnosed. It's more subtle, where slowly, the world is getting smaller and smaller."

Robert said that Frederik "always made it very clear that he did not want this dreadful disease to define him," but that it did nonetheless, and ultimately helped define the mission of The POLG Foundation. "Here," he added, "Frederik put his significant creative talents to work."

The late prince's dad said that he heard from a family friend that Frederik had once told him, "I am glad that I am the one who was born with this disease. Even though I’ll die from it….and even if my parents do not have the time to save me, I know that they will be able to save other children."

Read on for more royal news from this year...

Prince Frederik—the son of Prince Robert and his wife Princess Julie—died March 1 at 22 years old after a battle with PolG mitochondrial disease, a rare genetic disorder.

"Frederik knows that he is my Superhero, as he is to all of our family, and to so very many good friends and now in great part thanks to his PolG Foundation, to so very many people the world over," Robert said in a statement. "Part of his superpower was his ability to inspire and to lead by example."

 

The Duke of Sussex reached a settlement with News Group Newspapers—which is responsible for The Sun as well as the now defunct News of the World—on Jan. 22 after suing the organization in 2019 over alleged unlawful actions on the part of journalists and private investigators working for the newspapers to obtain information on the royal family.

The deal included the company paying "substantial damages," as well as issuing a "full and unequivocal apology" to Harry and public acknowledgement of "the extensive coverage and serious intrusion into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales,” per NBC News.

The Princess of Wales announced on Jan. 14 that she's in remission after complete cancer treatments. 

"It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focused on recovery," she wrote in a message on X, formerly Twitter, Jan. 14. "As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal."

"I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead," she continued. "There is much to look forward to."

The Duchess of Sussex mourned the death of her beloved rescue beagle, who she adopted in 2015 before meeting husband Prince Harry.

She wrote on Instagram Jan. 7, "I have cried too many tears to count - the type of tears that make you get in the shower with the absurd hope that the running water on your face will somehow make you not feel them, or pretend they’re not there. But they are. And that’s okay too."

"Thank you for so many years of unconditional love, my sweet Guy," Meghan added. "You filled my life in ways you’ll never know."

 

Edward "Ed" Pettifer—stepson of Prince William and Prince Harry's former nanny Alexandra Pettifer, also known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke—was one of the victims of the New Year's Day terrorist attack in New Orleans.

"Catherine and I have been shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer," William said in a message posted on Kate Middleton's Instagram Stories Jan. 4. "Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people who have been tragically impacted by this horrific attack."

The Suits alum—who shut down her personal social media accounts shortly before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry—debuted a solo Instagram page on Jan. 1.

A day later, she announced a new Netflix series titled With Love, Meghan, which "reimagines the genre of lifestyle programming, blending practical how-to’s and candid conversation with friends, new and old," according to a press release.

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App