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The Netherlands

Princess Alexia breaks leg during skiing holiday

From left to right: Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, King Willem-Alexander, Princess Ariane, Queen Maxima and Princess Alexia via Flickr.com

From left to right: Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, King Willem-Alexander, Princess Ariane, Queen Maxima and Princess Alexia via Flickr.com

Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, who is the second daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, has broken her leg during a family skiing holiday in Lech, Austria. The ten year old was rushed to a local hospital by helicopter where a fracture on the upper right leg was diagnosed. She is understood to have gone into surgery.

The Government Information Service has announced that more information will be released if there is reason to do so.

This isn’t the first time Dutch royalty have been involved in skiing accidents whilst holidaying in Lech. During their 2012 holiday, Princess Alexia’s uncle, Prince Friso, was buried under an avalanche. He was found after 25 minutes, followed by 50 minutes of CPR due to a cardiac arrest. He never regained full consciousness and was eventually transferred to the Wellington Hospital in London, where he and his wife, Princess Mabel and their children, lived. After a year he was transferred to Huis ten Bosch in the Netherlands, where he died on 12 August 2013 due to complications from the accident.

Despite Prince Friso’s tragic accident, the Dutch royal family has chosen to continue coming back to Lech each year. They also hold an annual photoshoot there for the media, and in return they are left alone by the press to enjoy their holidays.

Princess Alexia is the second of three daughters. Her elder sister Princess Catherina-Amalia was born in 2003, Princess Alexia was born in 2005, followed by Princess Ariane in 2007. Her father has been King of the Netherlands since her grandmother’s abdication on 30 April 2013 and since then her elder sister is known as the Princess of Orange as the heiress apparent. Princess Alexia is currently second in line to the throne behind her sister.

Further updates on her condition will be released as they become known.

Photocredit: Dutch Royal Family by Tom Jutte via Flickr.com