|
|
Post by Nemesis on Oct 7, 2002 3:38:16 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Nemesis on Oct 7, 2002 3:42:46 GMT -5
BBC News:
Dutch prince consort dies Prince Claus had been unwell for some timePrince Claus von Amsberg, the husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, has died in hospital aged 76, the government has announced. The prince consort, who was born in Germany, had been in and out of intensive care for several months with respiratory and heart problems. No cause of death was given in the government statement. It said the prince had died at 1900 local time (1700GMT) in an Amsterdam hospital. Prince Claus - a former German diplomat - underwent an operation in May last year to remove a failing left kidney. In 1991 he was diagnosed with a mild form of the degenerative brain disorder, Parkinson's disease. Popularity grew He overcame strong protest when he married the then Princess Beatrix in 1966 in a country still sensitive to its occupation by Germany in World War II. But the couple gained popularity, especially when they produced the first male heir to the Dutch throne in nearly a century. As well as Prince Willem-Alexander, the couple had two more sons, Prince Johan Friso and Prince Constantijn. All three were at their father's bedside when he died, Dutch television reported. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced but it will be the first royal funeral in the Netherlands since the death of Queen Beatrix's grandmother, Queen Wilhelmina, who died in 1962. Her mother, Queen Juliana, abdicated in 1980
|
|
|
|
Post by Nemesis on Oct 7, 2002 3:45:18 GMT -5
CNN News:
The Netherlands' Prince Claus dies
Sunday, October 6, 2002 Posted: 3:46 PM EDT (1946 GMT)
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands (Reuters) -- Prince Claus of the Netherlands, the husband of Queen Beatrix, died on Sunday, the government information service said.
The 76-year-old prince, who had suffered from sporadic ill-health over the past decade, died at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) in an Amsterdam hospital, it said in a statement.
Claus had been in intensive care with respiratory and heart problems. His failing left kidney was removed in May last year. In 1991, doctors diagnosed him with a mild form of Parkinson's disease.
The exact cause of his death was not immediately clear. The royal couple's three sons were at Claus's bedside when he died, Dutch television reported.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende was to address the nation in a live television broadcast later on Sunday.
The former German diplomat became one of the most popular members of the Dutch royal family, overcoming a storm of protest when he married the then heiress to the Dutch throne in March 1966 in a country still smarting from German occupation in World War II.
Burdened by the legacy of his World War II service in a German tank division in Italy, Claus von Amsberg took Dutch citizenship and became a popular partner to Queen Beatrix in the House of Orange.
Claus employed wit, charm and patience to overcome Dutch hostility, The Associated Press reported.
Though born a German aristocrat, Claus showed a humility that appealed to the unassuming Dutch, the agency added. In 1997, he asked the public to refrain from marking his birthday because it coincided with the funeral of Britain's Princess Diana.
In early 1945 he served in the German 90th Panzer Division in Italy, but was captured by U.S. troops without having seen battle. After several months as a prisoner-of-war interpreter in Italy and Britain, he was released in late 1945 and returned to Germany.
|
|
|
|
Post by Freya on Oct 7, 2002 15:50:14 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Teej on Oct 9, 2002 20:55:42 GMT -5
I'm sorry to hear that, man.  Teej |
|
