Prince Frederik of Luxembourg dies at 22

Luxembourg's Prince Frederik has died. He was 22 years old.

Prince Robert announced the death of his son on the website of the POLG Foundation, saying he passed away on March 1 in Paris. "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," he wrote.

Robert said Frederik was able to say goodbye to his family before he breathed his last.

"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 wrote. "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," he continued.

Robert described Frederik as their "superhero," sharing that one of his superpowers was "his ability to inspire and to lead by example."

"Frederik was born with a special capacity for positivity, joy, and determination," added Robert.

"When he was little, I would always say that if there is one child of ours that I would never need to worry about, it was him. He has social skills like no other, an amazing sense of humour, an emotional intelligence and compassion that were off the charts, a sense of justice, fairness and decency that knows no bounds. He was disciplined and organized beyond belief," he said.

Frederik was battling POLG disease, a rare genetic disorder that "robs the body’s cells of energy, in turn causing progressive multiple organ dysfunction and failure." He was diagnosed with POLG at the age of 14.

He founded POLG Foundation in 2022. He designed its logos, launched a clothing line, and even took part in medical trials "with the goal of finding treatments and, perhaps, ways of repurposing molecules to help patients with his condition."

Frederik, 22, was the youngest child of Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Princess Julie of Nassau.