Things aren't looking good for Dutch Prince Johan Friso, who was buried in an avalanche for 25 minutes while skiing off-trail in Lech, Austria last week.
"It is clear that the oxygen starvation has caused massive brain damage to the patient," Dr. Wolfgang Koller, head of trauma at the Innsbruck hospital, tells The Independent. "At the moment, it cannot be predicted if he will ever regain consciousness."
It took rescuers nearly 50 minutes to resuscitate Friso, the second of Queen Beatrix's three sons, after he was pulled from the snow. The 43-year-old, who is married and has two daughters, will be moved to a rehabilitation center for more treatment.
"We had hoped that the slight cooling of the patient would protect his brain from too serious damage," Koller said. "Unfortunately this hope was not fulfilled."
Friso is currently in a coma; doctors did not offer further details on the Prince's diagnosis. His mother and wife, Princess Mabel, have already visited him, as have his brothers, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Prince Constantijn.