Maurice was a likeable child, easier to handle than his older brother William, but his mother constantly worried over his poor health.

The story has often been retold of how Queen Sophie wanted to consult another physician for a second opinion, which King William III refused, causing the child to die.

The physician Sophie chose, a doctor named Ter Winkel, diagnosed Prince Maurice with a "dirty stomach" and a cold.

The boy's governor De Casembroot was deeply concerned about his deteriorating condition and urged William III to take action, telling him that if his son died, the blame would be his as much as his wife's.

However by the time the couple's third son, Prince Alexander, was born in August 1851, the marriage had completely fallen apart.