Friday 16 August 2013

Friso's funeral

Funerals are normally full of black, dark, somber clothes but today the little girls left behind by Prince Johan Friso of Orange-Nassau, second son of Beatrix of the Netherlands, wore white to say goodbye to their dad.

Luana and Zaria walked at the head of the sad procession along with their mother, Mabel, and grandmother, Beatrix.  Their cousins - Amalia, Alexia and Ariane - also wore white to the ceremony. 


Luana and Zaria hold hands with their mother and grandmother at their father's funeral
 
Two kings followed them - Friso's brother, Willem-Alexander, and Norway's monarch, Harald V, who was godfather to the prince.  The religious ceremony and burial, at Lage Vuursche, were private and the new king of the Netherlands and his remaining brother, Prince Constantijn, are reported to have taken on the sad, final duty of carrying their brother's coffin to his grave in the quiet churchyard where he will rest.  It's close to the castle where Princess Beatrix is planning to spend her retirement years.

 
King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and their daughters after the funeral for Prince Friso
 
And it was Beatrix who led mourners in and followed them all out.  In the lifetime of her second son she went from princess to queen to princess again but today she was quite simply Friso's mother.
 
 
Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands with Mabel, Luana and Zaria on the day of Friso's funeral


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