AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Prince Claus, the German-born husband of Queen Beatrix who employed wit, charm and patience to overcome Dutch hostility and win the affection of his adopted nation, died Sunday. He was 76.
Claus had been in and out of intensive care for several months with respiratory and heart problems. Doctors at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam said he died of Parkinson's disease and pneumonia, according to a government statement.
Claus was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit two weeks ago with a lung infection.
In a live televised broadcast, Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende said Claus' death "comes as a shock to us all, even though we knew for years of his poor health."
"He was a remarkable man who won a warm place in the hearts of the Dutch people," Balkenende said. "With his passing, a great man is gone."
The royal couple's three sons were at Claus' bedside when he died, Dutch television reported. It was unclear where Beatrix was when he died.
The prince battled ill health and depression for years. He underwent prostate gland surgery in 1998, suffered urological disorders and had a kidney removed in May 2001. He later required treatment for his remaining kidney.
Claus' own entry into Dutch society was hard fought, since the nation still bore scars inflicted by the Nazi army in which he had served.
It helped when he and the queen produced the first male heir to the Dutch throne in nearly a century. The royal couple had two more sons, Prince Johan Friso and Prince Constantijn.
He appeared frail and lacking energy during one of his last television appearances in March 2001 when he and the queen announced the engagement of Crown Prince Willem Alexander to Argentinian investment banker Maxima Zorreguieta.