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By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN Published: 09:14 BST, 15 April 2025 | Updated: 09:41 BST, 15 April 2025
A top Lego boss and friend of the Danish Royal family has died in a horrific skiing accident.Michael Halbye was on holiday in Verbier’s exclusive Swiss Alps resort when the tragedy unfolded on Saturday, April 12.The 64-year-old Danish financier was airlifted to hospital by helicopter following the freak accident but died from internal bleeding shortly after arriving.Tributes have poured in for ‘loyal friend’ Mr Halbye who was the Deputy Chairman of Kirkbi, the investment firm that manages the Lego family’s multi-billion-euro fortune and controls the global toy empire.Lego boss Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, who chairs both the toy giant and the family’s investment firm, said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the loss of his trusted deputy.He said: ‘Our thoughts and care go out to Michael’s family and loved ones.’We will miss Michael as Deputy Chairman, but first and foremost as a person. Honour to his memory.’Mr Halbye was also a long-time friend and confidant of Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark, attending numerous royal events and family celebrations over the years.In a heartfelt tribute, Queen Mary described him as a ‘valued colleague and loyal friend,’ calling his sudden death on holiday ‘a great personal loss.’ A top Lego boss and friend of the Danish Royal family has died in a horrific skiing accident. Michael Halbye (pictured) was on holiday in the exclusive Swiss Alps resort of Verbier when the tragedy unfolded on Saturday, 12th April The accident happened in the 4 Vallées ski area and the slope on which Mr Halbye was injured is known for being both steep and difficult, according to Le Nouvelliste. Pictured: Peak of Verbier Ski Resort in Switzerland Tributes have poured in for ‘loyal friend’ Mr Halbye who was the Deputy Chairman of Kirkbi, the investment firm that manages the Lego family’s multi-billion-euro fortune and controls the global toy empire (stock image)Their friendship began when King Frederik, as Crown Prince, was to be introduced to the large Danish business community, where the royal house called for Michael Halbye, Danish media has previously reported.The accident happened in the 4 Vallées ski area and the slope on which Mr Halbye was injured is known for being both steep and difficult, according to Le Nouvelliste.It comes after just one day earlier a British skier died after hurtling out of control on a Swiss Alpine piste and crashing into a nearby river.The 54-year-old skier, who has not been publicly named, had been on an authorised run from the 6,800-foot-high Kleine Scheidegg pass toward Brandegg when he suddenly veered off the piste.It is understood he lost control and crashed off the marked slope before falling into the Rychenbach Stream on April 11.The skier was airlifted to hospital in the capital Bern after fellow skiers pulled him from the water near the village of Grindelwald and called the emergency services.Police said that he died in hospital from multiple injuries the following day.The river was made famous as the final showdown between Sherlock Holmes and his arch enemy Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Fall.Police are investigating the death.
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Top Lego boss, 64, dies in tragic Swiss ski accident as tributes pour in for the Danish royal family’s close friend
