The funeral of prince Friso, who died on Monday after spending 18 months in a coma, took place in the leafy Dutch village of Lage Vuursche on Friday afternoon.

Shortly before the service began, the royal family left nearby Drakensteyn castle and walked in a large group to the church.

The procession was led by Friso’s mother princess Beatrix and his wife Mabel, who held hands with his children Luana and Zaria. The two girls, plus the three daughters of king Willem-Alexander, were dressed in white.

Security

The funeral was closed to the press and public, and around 70 guests attended. Prime minister Mark Rutte was not among the mourners. Norwegian king Harald, who was Friso’s godfather, did attend.

The streets around the Stulpkerk where the service began at 15.00 were quiet, and fewer people had turned out to watch than expected, Nos television said. The main street in Lage Vuursche had been closed to traffic.

In a break with tradition, the prince was buried in the churchyard of the Stulpkerk rather than placed in the family crypt in Delft’s Oude Kerk. The Lage Vuursche church adjoins the Drakensteyn castle estate, where Friso grew up and where former queen Beatrix plans to return now she has retired.

Commentators say Beatrix wants to keep her favourite son close to her. According to Nos television, Beatrix once donated land to the church so the graveyard could be extended.