Prince Friso’s prognosis postponed

It may take Austrian doctors longer than first predicted to give a proper prognosis for Prince Friso after he was buried by an avalanche last Friday.

The Dutch Government Information Service says a medical prognosis is not expected to be given by the end of the week as first thought. Now the service says the prince’s “doctors will make an announcement about the prognosis when they are able. This is not the case at the moment.”

In a reaction, the Government Information Service said it had added the sentence to make it clear that medical protocol in Austria means it could take longer to make a prognosis than it would in the Netherlands. The service was unable to say when any announcements about the prince’s condition could be made.

This afternoon, Prince Friso was visited by his wife Princess Mabel and Queen Beatrix. Later this evening, Princess Mabel was accompanied by Friso’s older brother Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Máxima. It was Princess Máxima’s first visit to the hospital.

The prince was buried for 20 minutes before being rescued and resuscitated. Since then his condition has been described as stable but critical.