A leading member of the Dutch royal family has been seriously injured after being caught in an avalanche and then buried under it for 15 minutes while skiing in Austria.
Prince Johan Friso, the second son of Queen Beatrix, was rescued and flown by helicopter to Innsbruck university hospital after the avalanche struck in the western resort of Lech.
The avalanche was reportedly at least 30m wide - and the mayor of Lech confirmed to Austrian radio ORF that the 43-year-old had to be resuscitated.
The Dutch government issued an update saying "his condition is stable but not out of danger".
" Her Majesty the Queen and (Friso's wife) Princess Mabel are with Prince Friso," a statement said, adding that "doctors treating him will only be able to give a prognosis in a matter of days".
The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said he told Queen Beatrix and the prince's wife that "the whole Dutch people sympathises with them very intensely".
"The situation is that the prince is stable, but his life not yet out of danger, and (in) the coming days, the expectation is that further prognoses will follow," he said.
He added that "the best doctors" were treating the prince, saying: "Austria naturally has very good medical care, we are fully confident in them - but further we really just have to wait."
The prince was accompanied by a small group but nobody else was believed to have been injured in the avalanche, which is thought to have occurred just after noon.
According to Dutch news agency ANP, Queen Beatrix, her son Willem Alexander, his wife Maxima and their three daughters arrived in Lech on Sunday.
The Dutch royals regularly spend their ski holidays in the upmarket resort, which is in the province of Vorarlberg.
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