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Lady Diana, the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry, died at the age of 36.
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Frederik of Luxembourg only lived to be 22, suffering from a rare disease. The Prince is not the only royal to have been torn from life far too early. These seven also died at a young age.
The son of Robert of Luxembourg (56), cousin of Grand Duke Henri (69), died of a rare disease at the age of just 22. Only recently, in an interview with the newspaper "Luxemburger Wort", the father spoke in detail and publicly about the prince's illness for the first time: It was a so-called POLG mutation.
Frederik of Luxembourg fought bravely since his diagnosis in 2016, but ultimately lost the battle against the disease. In 2021, the family set up a foundation, the POLG Foundation, to help those affected. Frederik of Luxembourg was also involved as far as possible.
According to the foundation's website, the POLG mutation is "a genetic mitochondrial disorder that deprives the body's cells of energy, which in turn leads to progressive dysfunction and failure of several organs".
The parents announced their son's death on the foundation's website. "It is with a heavy heart that my wife and I would like to inform you of the death of our son, the founder and creative director of the POLG Foundation, Frederik," wrote Robert von Luxemburg there. Frederik von Luxemburg died on March 1.
But Frederik of Luxembourg is not the only royal to pass from this world at a young age. Princes and princesses or members of royal families have died far too young before him.
In 1997, Princess Diana (1961-1997) was involved in a car accident in Paris. Her new partner Dodi Al-Fayed (1955-1997) was also in the car with her. He and the driver of the car died at the scene, Lady Di was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Her two sons, Prince William (42) and Prince Harry (40), lost their mother far too early. They were just teenagers at the time.
Prince William and Prince Harry with their mother, Princess Diana, in 2008.
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To this day, there are still some unanswered questions about Princess Diana's accidental death and many conspiracy theories surround the tragic event. It is known that the car was being followed by paparazzi and crashed in the tunnel.
However, the British monarchy was shaken by serious accidents even before Princess Diana. Before the current heir to the British throne, there was already another Prince William, after the elder son of King Charles (76) was even named.
However, he was only 30 years old when he lost his life in a plane crash in 1972.
Prince William's namesake died in a plane crash at the age of 30.
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Prince William of Gloucester (1941-1972) was passionate about flying from an early age. He had a love of air shows and regularly demonstrated his skills in front of an audience. The audience eventually witnessed his fatal crash; his mother was also among the spectators at the time.
The cousin of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) was the great role model of the current King Charles, who later named his first-born in his honor after the late Prince William.
Queen Elizabeth II actually had an uncle John (1905-1919), but he died at the age of 13 after a severe epileptic seizure.
Prince John, son of King George V (1865-1936) and Queen Mary (1867-1953) and brother of the Queen's father, had long been forgotten and many people were unaware of the existence of a sixth child of the former royal couple.
He was only 13 years old: Prince John would later have been Queen Elizabeth II's uncle.
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Why? The boy was born with a mental disability and had epileptic seizures. The family was ashamed of him and left him to live in solitude. A nanny lovingly cared for Prince John, she was his only caregiver.
When Prince John finally died, his mother is said to have written in her diary: "It was a great shock. But his death was also a great relief."
The two had only been married since 2019: In February 2024, the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor (43) committed suicide. Thomas Kingston (1978-2024) is said to have had insomnia and anxiety, which, according to his wife, must have led to a short circuit. The British man was found in his parents' house with a pistol lying next to him.
The 43-year-old widow is the daughter of Prince Michael of Kent (82), who in turn is a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.
Lady Gabriella Windsor and her husband Thomas Kingston.
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It's not just the British royals who have had to cope with strokes of fate in the past, the Monegasque royal family has also had to endure difficult times.
Princess Caroline (68) lost her husband, Stefano Casiraghi (1960-1990), when he was 30. Born in Italy, he left behind not only his wife, but also three children.
Princess Caroline's husband died at the age of 30. The couple had three children together.
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Casiraghi died in a boating accident while taking part in a race. He was rescued alive and taken to hospital, but subsequently succumbed to his injuries.
As an actress, she was known as Grace Kelly (1929-1982) and later married the then Prince of Monaco, Rainier III (1923-2005). She thus became Princess Gracia Patricia of Monaco. And she also joins the list of royals who died too young, as Grace Kelly only lived to be 52.
Grace Kelly, former actress and later Princess of Monaco, with her daughter, Princess Stéphanie.
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She was out and about with her daughter, Princess Stéphanie (60). The two were driving along the Route de La Turbie, left the road and plunged into the depths. While the princess was able to free herself and survive, her mother had a different fate.
Doctors tried to save Grace Kelly with an emergency operation, but she fell into a coma and eventually died when her relatives decided to switch off the life-support machines.
As with Princess Diana's accident, conspiracy theories also surround Grace Kelly's death. According to the doctors, however, she suffered a stroke while driving and drove off the road.
After lying in a coma for a year and a half, Prince Friso of the Netherlands (1968-2013) died at the age of 44. The brother of the current King Willem-Alexander (57) was caught in an avalanche while skiing in Austria in February 2012.
Although Friso of Orange-Nassau was initially resuscitated, he then had to be put into a coma. When he died, he left behind not only his wife Mabel (56), but also his two daughters Luana (19) and Zaria (18).
Princess Mabel and Prince Friso of the Netherlands in 2011.
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