Prince Frederick (as he is usually referred to), the youngest son of William V, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic and Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, sister of King Frederick William II, chose a military career with the Holy Roman Empire.

Prince Frederick, or "Fritz", as members of his family called him, was born in The Hague in the Dutch Republic.

Even as a young boy, he was bright and showed much promise in the military field; General Prince Frederick Stamford, mathematician Leonhard Euler and historian Herman Tollius were among his tutors.

[1][2] In 1795 the prince wanted to withdraw troops from Friesland, where they were fighting the French and Dutch patriots; his father did not give permission.

[1] Back in England, Frederick fell in love with Princess Mary (1776–1857), the fourth daughter of King George III, and she with him.

Prince Frederick participated in several battles in Germany and played a role in the conquest of Kehl in January 1797.

On the night of 5–6 January 1799, Prince Frederick died in the arms of his aide, Hendrik George de Perponcher Sedlnitsky.

In 1896, Queen Emma ordered Frederick to be moved to Nieuwe Kerk, the family burial site in Delft.

As both the church and the cloister of the Hermits of Padua were severely damaged in WW II, the Queen-Regent's action has proven to be a wise one.