The Dutch royal house announced the death of Prince Friso, the youngest brother of King Willem-Alexander, in a statement on Monday. The official announcement regarding the death of the king’s brother, Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau said:
“His Majesty the King announces with deep regret that His Royal Highness Prince Johan Friso Bernhard Christiaan David, Prins van Oranje-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg passed away this morning at Palace Huis ten Bosch in the Hague at age 44”
Prince Friso sadly lost his life due to complications related to the hypoxic brain injury, which he suffered as the result of his skiing accident in Lech, Austria on 17 February 2012. Prince Friso is survived by his wife, Princess Mabel, and their two daughters, Countess Luana, 8, and Countess Zaria, 7, as well as his mother, Princess Beatrix, and his two brothers, King Willem-Alexander and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands. He ceased to be a Prince of Netherlands when he married Mabel Wisse Smit in 2004.
What else do we know about the woman Friso gave up his claim to the throne to marry?
Native from Pijnacker, The Netherlands; she was born Mabel Martine Wisse Smit, on August 11, 1968. Coming from a non-royal background she maid the avarge Dutch girl dream come true, marrying Friso; once the deal was seal she and her literally prince charming started living the fairy tale life but in our reality there is always or most of the time something that can taint the “happy ever afters”
The daughter of Hendrik Cornelis Los and Florence Malde Gijsberdina Kooman. Mabel would later take the name of her stepfather Peter Wisse Smit, whit whom her widowed mother re married. She has a younger sister from her birth parents; Nicoline Los, later Nicoline Wisse Smit and on her mother side she has another sister, Eveline Wisse Smit. She and her sisters were raised in the Central Netherlands.
From a young age princess Mabel showed special interest in human rights and following her summa cum laude graduation from the University of Amsterdam with a degree in Economics and Political science in 1993, she held different positions including CEO of The Elders, a group of eminent individuals convened by Nelson Mandela to use their wisdom to tackle some of the world’s toughest problems.
She is also the co-founder of “European Action Council for Peace in the Balkans” in 1994, co-founders of War Child Netherlands, one of the founding members of the European thinktank European Council on Foreign Relations and she is also a member of the Interpeace Governing Council.
Her deep interest about situations around the world lead her to specialize in Balkan diplomacy and international relations, she also completed internships at the United Nations, Shell, ABN AMRO; she speaks English, Spanish, French and her native Dutch.
An intelligent and beautiful woman, that Friso took to the altar; however controversy stroke the couple when the media allegedly accused Mabel of having an affair with an infamous Dutch underworld figure and thus the marriage created controversy in the Netherlands.
The couple moved on from the talk, I mean he didn’t even ask permission to the Dutch parliament to marry her in the first place, so why would he care about some past affair right! They became parents to Emma Luana Ninette Sophie who was born in London on 26 March 2005 and Joanna Zaria Nicoline Milou born also in London on June 18, 2006.
Althoug she was not legally created a princess she may use the courtesy titles of Princess of Orange-Nassau, Countess of Orange-Nassau.
The 45-year-old and mother of two lost her husband a day after her birthday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Dutch Royal family.
