from tragedy to multimillionaire; how is it going now with Mabel Wisse Smit?

While watching the documentary about Princess Beatrix (highly recommended, what a beautiful portrait) and in the second season of the Videoland series Máxima, of course, Mabel Wisse Smit came up. The controversial marriage—because she had ties with Klaas Bruinsma—but especially the unexpected death of Prince Friso during a skiing holiday in Lech. Because how dramatically can your life unfold? Suddenly she was a widow and had to raise their daughters alone. Of course, this raised the question: how is it now with Mabel van Oranje-Wisse Smit?

The sadness of Mabel

Mabel Wisse Smit, born on August 11, 1968, in Pijnacker, is a Dutch economist and political scientist. In her youth, she already faced sadness as her father fell through the ice while skating and died. Intensely sad is that their neighbor fell through the ice and her father had just wanted to save him and then died himself. Mabel was only nine years old at the time. Her “real” name is also Los, but her mother remarried after her father's death, and since Mabel really saw him as her second father, she took his name. Mabel also has a half-sister, Eveline, who is a daughter from her second father's previous marriage. More pain came into her life when her sister Nicoline, with whom she had a particularly good relationship, passed away in December 2023. Nicoline was also the godmother of Mabel’s daughter Zaria. The sadness that most defined her life will undoubtedly be the death of her husband Friso. In 2013, Prince Friso of Oranje died as a result of a skiing accident in which he was caught in an avalanche.

And how are her daughters?

Friso and Mabel had two daughters who are now 20 and 21 years old. Luana studies at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, a prestigious university where Kate and William met.She is an avid sailor and has won prizes with it. Like her parents, she stays quite out of the spotlight, but some time ago she had a nice time with Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima and was able to go to the Formula 1 in Zandvoort with Alexia and Amalia. Zaria is very technical like her father and studies at the Delft University of Technology; possibly that is the reason Mabel also wanted to be more in the Netherlands and bought a house in Breukelerveen. By the way, Luana and Zaria are countesses and not princesses. This is because Friso distanced himself from the throne because the government did not approve of their marriage, and therefore they are not in the line of succession.

Where does she live now?

After the death of her husband, Mabel continued her work in the field of international development cooperation and human rights. She is involved with Girls Not Brides, an organization that fights against child marriages. Mabel divides her time between her homes in Breukeleveen in a beautiful villa that was finally completed in 2025 and London, where she lives in the lovely neighborhood of Hammersmith. Mabel and Friso consciously chose London at the time because they wanted to lead a life outside the spotlight.

Is there a new love?

There are no public sources confirming that Mabel currently has a new relationship. Since the death of Prince Friso, there has been no information available about a potential new partner. There have been rumors, and we would certainly wish her to find happiness in love again, but there is no one who can fill the shadow of Friso.

Comfortable in the Quote

Mabel has built up a significant fortune, partly due to her shares in the fintech company Adyen. Her stake in this company is estimated at around €560 million, placing her comfortably in the Quote 500 and allowing her to cross financial worries off her list.

Relationship with Princess Beatrix

There are no recent public details about how the relationship is now between Mabel and Princess Beatrix. Since they have always had a good bond and Princess Beatrix is the grandmother of Luana (almost 20) and Zaria (almost 19), you can assume that they have regular contact.

Mabel's daughters have good contact with their cousins. A few years ago, they visited the Formula 1 in Zandvoort with Willem-Alexander and Máxima, and Claus-Casimir (the son of Princess Laurentien) posted a photo with his niece Luana in London some time ago.

Mabel remains active in her professional and personal life, with a strong focus on her daughters and her commitment to global social issues. I don't know her, but the image that comes across in the documentary and in the series Maxima is warm, wise, engaged, and fun.