Memorial service for Prince Johan Friso

A memorial service was held for Prince Johan Friso. Image: BBC

The Dutch Royal Family has held a memorial service in honor of Prince Johan Friso. A private ceremony was attended by members of the royal house, as well as 900 other prominent guests, from members of foreign royal families, government leaders, including Prime Minister Mark Rutte, to dignitaries, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and celebrities, like U2 singer Bono and designers Viktor & Rolf reports Dutch News.

The ceremony lasted for about two hours,  at the Oude Kerk (Old Church) in Amsterdam.
Prince Johan Friso died August 12, more than a year after he was buried under snow in Austria and suffered comatose. He was laid to rest August 16, in Lage Vuursche, in the municipality of Baarn.

The Oude Kerk is special to the prince. As a student, he lived opposite it, reports Gulf Times. The Dutch Royal Family expressed their gratitude for the warm support that they received.

A "Word of Thanks" on the family's official website writes:

We thank you wholeheartedly
for your warm words and
expressions of support and sympathy.
Friso's dedication, loyalty and love
meant so much to us.
His keen insights, sense of perspective, humour
and self-assured yet unassuming presence
will remain with us forever.