Category Archives: Prussian Royals

Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) and the Temple of Antiquities in Potsdam, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The Friedenskirche with the domed Kaiser Friedrich Mauseleum on the left; Credit – By Arild Vågen – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29982486

The Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) is a Lutheran church in Sanssouci Park, surrounding Sanssouci Palace, in Potsdam, Germany. Sanssouci Palace was built between 1745 – 1747 in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, during the reign of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia as his summer palace.

Sanssouci Park contains other structures including:

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History of the Friedenskirche

The Friedenskirche with the domed Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum of the right; Credit – By Wolfgang Staudt – originally posted to Flickr as Potsdam Friedenskirche, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3988614

In 1839, as Crown Prince of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia devised a preliminary plan for a church in the Sanssouci Park that would meet the needs of the Prussian court to worship while in summer residence at Sanssouci Palace. He envisioned a church with a lake, a park, and additional buildings. When Friedrich Wilhelm IV became King of Prussia in 1840, he began to carry out those plans. However, he was quite particular and repeatedly rejected the designs of the court architect Friedrich Ludwig Persius. After nearly two years, Friedrich Wilhelm III approved Persius’ plans. The cornerstone was laid on April 14, 1845. However, three months later Persius died and architect Friedrich August Stüler continued the project. On September 24, 1848, the Friedenskirche was consecrated in the presence of King Friedrich IV and his wife Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia. The church served not only as a chapel royal but also as a church for the parish of Brandenburger Vorstadt, a part of Potsdam.

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The Exterior of the Friedenskirche

Friedenskirche; Credit – Von Gemeingut im Foto – Eigenes Werk, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39348752

The Friedenskirche was built in the style of an early Christian church with buildings surrounding the church built in the style of northern Italian monastery buildings.

The inner courtyard with the statue of Christ: Credit – By Wolfgang Staudt – originally posted to Flickr as Church of Peace, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3988611

There is an inner courtyard with a fountain and a life-size statue of Christ, a copy of the 1821 statue by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The bell tower; Credit – Von Miguel Hermoso Cuesta – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37843644

Next to the church is a free-standing bell tower modeled after the bell tower at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, Italy.

Steinbrück fresco depicting Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane; Credit – By Elena Jamov – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21668281

On the eastern side of the church, there is a fresco by German painter and etcher Eduard Steinbrück depicting Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

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The Interior of the Friedenskirche

The interior of the Friedenskirche; Credit – By Jochen Teufel – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7216909

The Friedenskirche is a columned basilica with three aisles and no transept.

The 13th century mosaic in the aspe; Credit – Von Karl-Heinz Meurer (–Charlie1965nrw) – HDR-Bild aus drei digitalen Fotografien, selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11906128

When he was Crown Prince of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm IV had purchased at auction a 13th-century mosaic from a church that was going to be demolished, the 1109 Church of San Cipriano on Murano near Venice, Italy. The Byzantine mosaic shows Jesus Christ seated on a throne as the judge of the world. This mosaic was installed in the apse over the altar.

The main altar; Credit – By J.hagelüken – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33175253

The four dark green columns of the main altar ciborium, the structure over the altar, are made of Siberian jasper and were a gift from Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia in 1842. Nicholas I was married to Friedrich Wilhelm IV’s sister Charlotte.

Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia with her daughters at the coffin of her husband Friedrich III in the Friedenskirche; Credit – Wikipedia

The sacristy is in the left aisle. After Friedrich Wilhelm IV’s death, it was temporarily used as a resting place for his coffin. Upon the deaths of nearly two-year-old Prince Sigismund in 1866 and eleven-year-old Prince Waldemar in 1879, the sons of the future Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia and his wife Victoria, Princess Royal, their coffins were interred in the sacristy. In 1888, Friedrich III’s coffin was also interred here. After the completion of the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum, all three coffins were moved there. In 1920, Prince Joachim, the youngest son of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor, and King of Prussia was interred in the sacristy. His coffin was moved to the Temple of Antiquities in 1931.

The entrance to the royal crypt; By Ra Boe / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11867337

The entrance to the royal crypt is under two marble tablets honoring Friedrich Wilhelm IV and his wife Elisabeth Luise in front of the altar steps. Friedrich Wilhelm IV died on January 2, 1861, following several strokes. His coffin rested in the sacristy of the Friedenskirche until it was moved to the royal crypt after its dedication in October 1864.

It was common to hold confirmations of members of the House of Hohenzollern at the Friedenskirche. Among those confirmed there were Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia, son of Friedrich III, and his seven children.

 

Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia, the great-great-grandson of Wilhelm II and the current head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, and Princess Sophie of Isenburg were married at the Friedenskirche on August 27, 2011.

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The Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum

The Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum; Credit – By Barbas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17290128

Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia reigned for only 99 days, dying at the age of 56 on June 15, 1888. Already seriously ill with cancer of the larynx, he succeeded his father Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia on March 9, 1888. Friedrich III was succeeded by his son Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. The year 1888 is called “The Year of Three Emperors” in German history. Friedrich III’s coffin was initially placed in the sacristy of the Friedenskirche. From 1888 – 1890, the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum was added to the north side of the Friedenskirche. It was designed by architect Julius Carl Raschdorff who also designed the 1893 – 1905 reconstruction of the Berlin Cathedral. After the inauguration of the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum on October 18, 1890, the coffins of Friedrich III, along with those of his two sons who had died in childhood, were moved from the sacristy of the Friedenskirche to the mausoleum. When Friedrich III’s wife Victoria died in 1901, she was also interred in the mausoleum.

Julius Carl Raschdorff designed the mausoleum in the Baroque-influenced Italian High Renaissance style based upon the 17th-century Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher in San Candido, Italy which was modeled after the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The mausoleum is a domed building with a circular floor plan with an attached rectangular chancel. A gold mosaic on the vaulted ceiling alternately depicts angels and palm trees.

Tomb of Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

In the middle of the rotunda are the marble sarcophagi of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia and his wife, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Victoria, Princess Royal.

Tombs of Victoria and Friedrich next to each other; Credit – By TeeBee – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47840199

Tomb of Prince Sigismund; Credit – Wikipedia

Prussian sculptor Reinhold Begas created the effigies of Friederich III and his wife Victoria and also created the tombs of Prince Sigismund and Prince Waldemar, the two sons of Friedrich III and Victoria who died in childhood, that stand against the side walls.

Tomb of Prince Waldemar; Credit – http://www.findagrave.com

Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia was originally interred at the Garrison Church in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia. During World War II, his coffin, along with several others, were moved, for their protection, to a salt mine near Bernterode, Germany. The coffins were discovered by occupying American forces, who re-interred them in St. Elisabeth’s Church in Marburg, Germany in 1946. Friedrich Wilhelm I’s original black marble sarcophagus was destroyed in 1945 and his remains were placed in a copy made from copper. In 1953, Friedrich Wilhelm I’s coffin was moved to Hohenzollern Castle in Hechingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The coffin finally found its final resting place in 1991, on the steps of the altar in the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum in the Friedenskirche.

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Burials at the Friedenskirche

Sarcophagi of Friedrich Wilhelm IV and his wife Elisabeth Luise in the royal crypt; Credit – By Wo st 01 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7032743

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The Temple of Antiquities

The Temple of Antiquities; Credit – Wikipedia

While it is now a mausoleum, the Temple of Antiquities was originally built to house the collection of classical works of art, antique artifacts, antique coins, and antique gems of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia intended to convert the Temple of Antiquities into a court chapel but the plans were never carried out because of World War I. On April 19, 1921, Wilhelm II’s first wife Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein, German Empress, Queen of Prussia was interred in the Temple of Antiquities as per her wishes and it became the burial site of several other members of the House of Hohenzollern.

All the Hohenzollerns interred at the Temple of Antiquities are relatives of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. After World War I, Wilhelm II went into exile in the Netherlands, where he purchased Huis Doorn, a small manor house outside of Doorn, a small town near Utrecht in the Netherlands. As a condition of his exile, Wilhelm could never return to Germany and was allowed only to travel within a radius of fifteen miles from his house. A mausoleum in the garden of Huis Doorn near Wilhelm’s favorite rhododendrons was built to house his remains. Both his wives were interred at the Temple of Antiquities.

Coffins inside the Antique Temple; Credit – Wikipedia

Those interred at the Temple of Antiquities:

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Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Antikentempel – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikentempel> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Friedenskirche (Potsdam) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedenskirche_(Potsdam)> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Antique Temple – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique_Temple> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Church of Peace, Potsdam – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Peace,_Potsdam> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • Royaltombs.dk. 2022. The Valley of the Kings – Burial Places of European Monarchs. [online] Available at: <http://www.royaltombs.dk/> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • Unofficial Royalty. 2022. Kingdom of Prussia Index. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/current-monarchies-article-index/german-royals-index/prussian-index/> [Accessed 11 March 2022].

Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) in Berlin, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Berlin Cathedral; Credit – By Ansgar Koreng / CC BY 3.0 (DE), CC BY 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41469664

Located in Berlin, the capital of Germany, the Berlin Cathedral, known in German as the Berliner Dom, is a member of the Evangelical Church in Germany, a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist), and United (Prussian Union, for example) Protestant regional churches and denominations in Germany. As with many churches in Europe, the religious affiliation of the Berlin Cathedral has changed over the centuries: Roman Catholic until 1539, Lutheran from 1539–1632, Reformed from 1632–1817, and United (Prussian Union) from 1817 – present. The current church was built from 1894 to 1905 during the reign of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. Although lesser well known than other royal burial sites, the Hohenzollern Crypt in the Berlin Cathedral is the most important dynastic burial site in Germany and rivals the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria, Westminster Abbey in London, England, the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France, and the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

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House of Hohenzollern

Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

The Protestant Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern ruled as Margraves of Brandenburg, Dukes of Prussia, Electors of Brandenburg, Kings of Prussia from 1415 until 1918. The first King in Prussia succeeded his father as Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg in 1688. The Electorate of Brandenburg was part of the Holy Roman Empire, while the Duchy of Prussia, formerly a fief of the Crown of Poland, lay outside the Empire’s borders. The Duchy had been inherited by the Hohenzollern Prince-Electors of Brandenburg in 1618 and was ruled in personal union.

Friedrich I, the first King in Prussia, formerly Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

In November 1700, in exchange for supporting the Holy Roman Empire in the Spanish War of Succession, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor agreed to allow Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg to make Prussia a kingdom and become its first king. Because the Hohenzollerns’ sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia was dependant upon succession in the male line (and would return to the Polish crown if there were no male heirs to succeed), Friedrich I agreed to style himself King in Prussia and not King of Prussia. In 1772, King Friedrich II (the Great) in Prussia, through several battles and wars, united the various parts of his kingdom, taking the title King of Prussia.

In 1871, the German Empire, consisting of four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies, seven principalities, three free Hanseatic cities, and one imperial territory, was proclaimed. The King of Prussia was also the German Emperor (Kaiser). In the aftermath of World War I, Prussia had a revolution that resulted in the replacement of the monarchy with a republic. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia abdicated on November 9, 1918. On November 10, 1918, Wilhelm Hohenzollern crossed the border by train and went into exile in the Netherlands, never to return to Germany.

The Kingdom of Prussia had territory that today is part of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland. All or parts of the following states of today’s Germany were part of the Kingdom of Prussia: Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein.

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History of the Berlin Cathedral

The Berlin Cathedral; Credit – By Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64059550

The original church was consecrated in 1454, as the Roman Catholic St. Erasmus Chapel, the chapel of the Berlin Palace, the main residence of the House of Hohenzollern from 1443 – 1918.  St. Erasmus Chapel was used for the services of the family of the Elector of Brandenburg and the court. In 1465, Pope Paul II raised it to the status of a collegiate church. Eventually, the chapel could not meet the growing needs of the Electors of Brandenburg.

The first cathedral, used 1536–1747; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1535, the Dominican monastery church south of the Berlin Palace was converted into the first cathedral. The Gothic brick church was expanded and richly furnished. A burial site for the House of Hohenzollern was established. The new cathedral was consecrated in 1536. A new western façade with two towers was built in 1538. Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg converted to Lutheranism in 1539 and the Catholic cathedral became a Protestant cathedral.

Model of the Baroque cathedral by Jan Boumann and Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff; Credit – Wikipedia

Over the years, the Gothic brick cathedral became dilapidated. From 1747 – 1750, Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia had a new Baroque cathedral, designed by Dutch architect Jan Boumann and Prussian architect and painter Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, built where the current cathedral stands today. After the coffins of the Hohenzollern family members were transferred to the new cathedral, the old cathedral was demolished to clear space for the Baroque extension of the Berlin Palace. On September 6, 1750, the new Baroque cathedral was consecrated. Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel remodeled the interior in 1817 and the exterior in 1820 – 1822 in the Neoclassicist style.

Model of Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s remodeling of the exterior in the Neoclassicist style; Credit – Wikipedia

After the founding of the German Empire in 1871, there had been calls for a new church that could compete with the major churches in the world and impressively replace the previous churches. In 1885, Prussian architect Julius Carl Raschdorff, professor of architecture at the Technical University of Berlin, presented plans for a new cathedral in an adaptation of the Italian High Renaissance style and influenced by the Baroque style. After dismantling the movable interior decorations (altar, paintings, tombs), the cathedral designed by Boumann and von Knobelsdorff was demolished in 1893. The cornerstone for the new cathedral was laid on June 17, 1894, with the goal of consecrating the cathedral in 1900. However, due to construction delays, the consecration did not take place until February 27, 1905. The state paid the entire construction cost. The new cathedral was much larger than any of the previous churches and was considered a Protestant rival to the Roman Catholic St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Berlin Cathedral in 1905; Credit – Wikipedia

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World War II Destruction and Reconstruction

Berlin Cathedral in May 1945 with much damage, compare it to the photo above; Credit – Wikipedia

The Berlin Cathedral suffered much damage during World War II. Allied air raids destroyed windows and major cracks appeared on the cupolas of the corner towers. On May 24, 1944, the dome and its cupola lantern were hit by a bomb of combustible liquids. The resulting fire was unreachable and could not be extinguished. The entire cupola lantern fell into the interior of the cathedral, smashing through the floor with its enormous weight and damaging large parts of the Hohenzollern Crypt and some of its coffins below. By the end of World War II, twenty-five percent of the Berlin Cathedral had been destroyed.

The damaged sarcophagus of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia; Credit – Von Colin Pelka – Selbst fotografiert, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23256455

After World War II, when Berlin and Germany were divided, the Berlin Cathedral was located in East Berlin in the Communist German Democratic Republic also known as East Germany. The East German government promoted state atheism although some people remained loyal to Christian churches. To protect the interior of the cathedral while the status of the Berlin Cathedral was debated, a temporary roof was built between 1949 – 1953. The Berlin Palace, which had also been damaged, was demolished by the East German government in 1950. Serious consideration was given to also demolishing the Berlin Cathedral. Following lengthy and extensive negotiations, an agreement was finally reached between the government of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), the Federation of Protestant Churches in the GDR, and the churches in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), which provided for the reconstruction.

Memorial Church section of the Berlin Cathedral with the Hohenzollern Crypt access in 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

However, the Communist East German government had two demands. First, it demanded the removal of as many crosses as possible. The second demand dealt with the Memorial Church (Denkmalskirch) section on the north side of the Berlin Cathedral that contained the ceremonial sarcophagi (cenotaphs or empty tombs) of Johann Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg, Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg and his wife Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Friedrich I, King in Prussia and his wife Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, and Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia. In the middle of the Memorial Church was the access to the Hohenzollern Crypt. Although the Memorial Church section of the Berlin Cathedral had survived World War II intact, it was demolished by the Communist East German government in 1975 for ideological reasons due to it being a place of honor for the Hohenzollern dynasty. The ceremonial sarcophagi were moved into the Sermon Church (Predigtkirche), the main part of the cathedral.

Rüdiger Hoth, a German civil engineer, was hired as the master builder in 1975. During many meetings with the East German government, Hoth successfully negotiated that the cathedral would be largely reconstructed according to the 1885 designs of Julius Raschdorff.

In 1980, the Baptismal and Matrimonial Church (Tauf- und Traukirche) on the south side of the cathedral was reopened for services. The restoration of the large main part, the Sermon Church (Predigtkirche), in the center, began in 1984. Berlin Cathedral was finally able to be re-consecrated during a celebratory service on June 6, 1993, with the participation of numerous prominent guests in what was now a unified Germany, reunified since October 3, 1990.

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Interior of the Berlin Cathedral

Interior of the Berlin Cathedral; Credit- By Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia – Berliner Dom (HDR), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24306403

In the center of the large dome is a round window showing the Holy Spirit as a dove in a halo. Around the round window are eight large mosaics depicting the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount created by Prussian painter Anton von Werner.

The dome of the Berlin Cathedral; Credit – Von Svein-Magne Tunli – tunliweb.no – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56131113

The main altar comes from the previous cathedral and was the work of Prussian architect Friedrich August Stüler, and consists of a marble table supported by Corinthian columns with a crucifix, and a gilded wooden stand with the statues of the twelve apostles. On both sides of the altar are two large Baroque candelabras. The three paintings above the altar by Anton von Werner depict scenes from the life of Jesus: the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

The main altar: Credit – By Mathew Schwartz – Imported from 500px (archived version) by the Archive Team. (detail page), CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75775034

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The Hohenzollern Crypt

The Hohenzollern Crypt: Credit – By Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany – Hohenzollerngruft I, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63622648

The Hohenzollern Crypt, which occupies almost the entire basement of the Berlin Cathedral, is the most important dynastic burial site in Germany. A total of 94 members of the House of Hohenzollern have been interred there from 1595 – 1873. The sarcophagi and coffins, some simple and some quite elaborate, represent all artistic styles from late Gothic onwards and were made from stone, metal, or textile-covered wood.

Styles of coffins; Credit – By Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia – Berliner Dom Crypt, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24306375

With the expansion of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam near Berlin, the Hohenzollern Crypt fell out of favor as a burial site. Some of the Prussian royals were buried in the Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) as well as elsewhere on the grounds of Sanssouci Palace. Several chose to be buried in a mausoleum at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. The last German Emperor, Wilhelm II, was entombed in a mausoleum built on the grounds of Huis Doorn, his home in exile in the Netherlands, while his two wives were buried at the Antique Temple on the grounds of Sanssouci Palace.

Credit – By Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany – A lot of coffins – Generations.., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63652230

During the reconstruction of the Berlin Cathedral overseen by civil engineer Rüdiger Hoth, who served as the master builder on the project, the Hohenzollern Crypt was refurbished. Hoth said of the crypt, “It was always considered a private family crypt in the time of the kaisers, and commoners were not allowed to come in but today we think it is historically and culturally important to Germans to be in touch with this part of their past.” Refurbished with white marble floors, whitewashed walls, and soft lighting, the Hohenzollern Crypt was opened to the public for the first time ever on November 20, 1999.

A child’s coffin; Credit – By Pudelek (Marcin Szala) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17789259

There had been discussion concerning whether Hohenzollerns buried elsewhere should be moved to the refurbished Hohenzollern Crypt. However, historians and descendants of the Hohenzollerns rejected the idea of moving the remains of Hohenzollerns whose express wishes were to be buried elsewhere. Prince Wilhelm-Karl of Prussia (born 1955), a great-grandson of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia said, “I believe the wishes of the deceased should be respected.” He did find the public gawking at his family’s burial crypt “a little unsettling.” However, he agreed with the head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia (born 1976), the great-great-grandson and heir of Wilhelm II, that the burial site belongs to German history and, therefore, to the general public.

Credit – By Jorge Láscar from Australia – Crypt and intricate sarcophagi – Berliner Dom, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31952300

Those buried in the Hohenzollern Crypt at the Berlin Cathedral:

  • Elisabeth Magdalene of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1537 – 1595), daughter of Joachim II, Elector of Brandenburg and wife of Franz Otto, Duke of of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • Johann Georg, Elector of Brandenburg (1525 – 1598)
  • Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg (1582 – 1600), son Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim of Brandenburg (1583 – 1600), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Augustus of Brandenburg (1580 – 1601), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Catherine of Brandenburg-Küstrin, Electress of Brandenbueg (1549 – 1602), first wife of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst, Electress of Brandenburg (1563 – 1607), wife of Elector Johann Georg, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Eleonore of Prussia, Electress of Brandenburg (1583–1607), second wife Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg (1546 – 1608)
  • Albrecht Christian of Brandenburg (born and died 1609), son of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Ernst of Brandenburg (1583 – 1613), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1613 – 1614), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg (1572 – 1620)
  • Albrecht of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1614 – 1620), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Catharina Sibylla of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (born and died 1615), daughter of of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, granddaughter of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Johann Sigismund of Brandenburg (born and died 1624), son of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim Sigismund of Brandenburg (1603 -1625), son of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Ernst of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1617–1642), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Wilhelm Heinrich of Brandenburg (1648 – 1649), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Anna Sophia of Brandenburg (1598 – 1659), daughter of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, wife of Friedrich Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Electress of Brandenburg (1597 – 1660), wife of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Heinrich of Brandenburg (born and died 1664), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Amalia of Brandenburg (1664 – 1665), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Katharina Sofie of the Palatinate (1594 – 1665), daughter of Friedrich IV, Elector Palatine, sister of Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Electress of Brandenburg
  • Luise Henriette of Nassau, Electress of Brandenburg (1627–1667), first wife of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Karl Emil, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg (1655 – 1674), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Dorothea of Brandenburg (1675 – 1676), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel, Electoral Princess of Brandenburg (1661 – 1683), first wife of the future Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Friedrich August of Brandenbrg (1685 – 1686), son of the future Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Ludwig of Brandenburg (1666 – 1687), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg (1620 – 1688)
  • Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Electress of Brandenburg (1636 – 1689), second wife of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Karl Philipp of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1673 – 1695), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1700 – 1701), daughter of Philipp Wilhelm, Margarve of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Georg Wilhelm von Brandenburg-Schwedt (born and died 1704), son of Philipp Wilhelm, Margarve of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, Queen in Prussia (1668 – 1705), second wife of Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Friedrich of of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1704 – 1707), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Ludwig of Prussia (1707 – 1708), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (1710 – 1711), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Philipp Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1669 – 1711), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich I, King in Prussia (1657 – 1713)
  • Charlotte Albertine of Prussia (1713 – 1714), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig of Prussia (1717 – 1719), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Luise Wilhelmine of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1709 – 1726), daughter of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1672 – 1731), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1677 – 1734), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1710 – 1741), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1715 – 1744), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Sophie Dorothea of Hanover, Queen of Prussia (1687 – 1757), wife of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, daughter of King George I of Great Britain
  • August Wilhelm of Prussia (1722 – 1758), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Emil of Prussia (1758 – 1759), son of August Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Karl Friedrich Albrecht of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1705 – 1762), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Heinrich of Prussia (1747 – 1767), son of August Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Christine of Prussia (1772 – 1773), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Friederike Elisabeth of Prussia (1761 – 1773), daughter of August Ferdinand of Prussia, granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Heinrich of Prussia (1769 – 1773), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Paul of Prussia (born and died 1776), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Luise Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess of Prussia (1722 – 1780), wife of August Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Anna Amalia of Prussia, Abbess of Quedlinburg (1723 – 1787), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig of Prussia (1771 – 1790), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Unnamed Princess of Prussia (born and died 1794), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Ludwig Karl of Prussia (1773 – 1796), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia (1744 – 1797)
  • Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern, Queen of Prussia (1715 – 1797), wife of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia
  • Karl Georg of Prussia (1795 – 1798), son of Friedrich Ludwig Karl of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (1745 – 1800), wife of Landgrave Friedrich II of Hesse-Kassel, daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Friederike of Prussia (1799 – 1800), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen of Prussia (1751 – 1805), second wife of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia (1772 – 1806), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ferdinand of Prussia (1804 – 1806), son of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Ferdinand of Hesse-Kassel (born and died 1806), son of Wilhelm of Landgrave Hesse-Kassel, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Unnamed Prince (born and died 1806), son of Prince Willem of Orange-Nassau (later King Willem I of the Netherlands) and Wilhelmine of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel, Princess of Prussia (1726 – 1808), wife of Heinrich of Prussia
  • August Ferdinand of Prussia (1730 – 1813), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelm of Prussia (1811 – 1813), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Tassilo of Prussia (1813 – 1814), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Anna Elisabeth Luise of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1738 – 1820), wife August Ferdinand of Prussia
  • Unnamed Prince (born and died 1832), son of Prince Albrecht of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Augustus of Prussia (1779 – 1843), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Heinrich Karl of Prussia (1781 – 1846), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Maria Anna Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, Princess of Prussia (1785 – 1846), wife of Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Waldemar of Prussia (1817 – 1849), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelm of Prussia (1783 – 1851), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Anna of Prussia (born and died 1858), daughter of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, great-granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Adalbert of Prussia (1811–1873), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

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Works Cited

  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. GDR period and reconstruction | Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/en/visiting/about-the-cathedral/gdr-period-and-reconstruction/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. The ‘Hohenzollern’ crypt | Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/en/visiting/about-the-cathedral/the-hohenzollern-crypt/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berliner Dom – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Dom> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berliner Dom – Hohenzollerngruft – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Dom#Hohenzollerngruft> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berlin Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Cathedral> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. Royal Burial Sites of the Kingdom of Prussia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-kingdom-of-prussia/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Unofficial Royalty. 2015. Kingdom of Prussia Index. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/current-monarchies-article-index/german-royals-index/prussian-index/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Williams, Carol, 1999. Germany’s Royals Getting Belated Respect. [online] Los Angeles Times. Available at: <https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-24-mn-47041-story.html> [Accessed 5 March 2022].

Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia is the current pretender to the Prussian throne, and head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. He is the direct male-line descendent of Prussia’s last King (and German Emperor), Kaiser Wilhelm II.

photo: By StagiaireMGIMO – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33300040

Georg Friedrich Ferdinand was born in Bremen, Germany on June 10, 1976, the only son of Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia and Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen. He has one younger sister, Cornelie-Cécile, born in 1978. His father died in 1977 after suffering injuries in a military training exercise. As his father’s two elder brothers had lost their rights to succession, this made Georg Friedrich heir to his grandfather, also named Ludwig Ferdinand, as the future Head of the House of Hohenzollern.

He began his schooling in Fischerhude, before attending grammar schools in Bremen and Oldenburg. He then attended Glenalmond College in Scotland where he completed his A-levels. It was during that time, in 1994, when his grandfather died and Georg Friedrich – at just 18 years old – became Head of the House of Hohenzollern and pretender to the Prussian throne. This led to a dispute by two of his uncles – both of whom had been excluded from succession due to marriages that were deemed unequal – who challenged Georg Friedrich as being the sole heir of his grandfather. After over 10 years of legal battles and court cases, it was determined that while Georg Friedrich was indeed the heir to his grandfather and the rightful Head of the House, his uncles were also entitled to a portion of their father’s estate.

Georg Friedrich completed two years of military service with the Bundeswehr before earning a degree in Business Economics at the University of Freiburg. During that time, he took on internships at various software companies, both in Germany and abroad. Today, in addition to representing the House of Hohenzollern, he works as Managing Director of Kgl. Prussian Beer Manufacturer, based in Berlin. He is a member of the board of the Princess Kira of Prussian Foundation (founded by his grandmother) and served as Chairman for several years before handing the chairmanship over to his wife. As head of the house, he owns a ⅔ share of Hohenzollern Castle, with the other ⅓ owned by Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern (the Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern). He also owns Princes’ Island in Plön and several other properties.

photo: By Rainer Halama – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79088921

In January 2011, Georg Friedrich’s engagement to Princess Sophie of Isenburg was announced. Born in March 1978, Sophie is the daughter of Franz-Alexander, Prince of Isenburg and Countess Christine von Saurma zu der Jeltsch. The couple married in a civil ceremony held in the Potsdam Town Hall on August 25, 2011. Two days later, a religious ceremony was held at the Church of Peace, followed by a reception at the Orangery Palace, both in Sanssouci Park. The couple live in the Babelsberg district of Potsdam with their four children:

  • Carl Friedrich Franz Alexander (born 2013)
  • Louis Ferdinand Christian Albrecht (born 2013)
  • Emma Marie Charlotte Sofia (born 2015)
  • Heinrich Albert Johann Georg (born 2016)

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Prussian Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, a grandson of Wilhelm II, King of Prussia and German Emperor, was the pretender to the Prussian throne from 1951 until his death in 1994.

source: Wikipedia

Prince Louis Ferdinand Victor Eduard Adalbert Michael Hubertus of Prussia was born November 9, 1907 at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Germany, the second son of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. At the time, his grandfather, Wilhelm II, was the King of Prussia and German Emperor. Louis Ferdinand had five siblings:

 

Raised at the Crown Prince’s Palace in Berlin and Cecilenhof in Potsdam, he also spent some time near Danzig where his father was serving with the Prussian military. In keeping with family tradition, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 1st Guards Regiment on his 10th birthday in 1917. The following year, the monarchy was abolished following World War I. His father went to the Netherlands with the former Emperor, while he and his siblings stayed in Germany, having been ensured of their safety.

After studying economics in Berlin, Louis Ferdinand traveled to the United States where he settled for some time in Detroit. Upon his elder brother’s marriage and subsequent renunciation of his succession rights, Louis Ferdinand returned home to Germany and got involved in the aviation industry, and served in the German military.

 

In May 1938, Louis Ferdinand married Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia. She was the daughter of Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich of Russia and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. They were second cousins, once removed, through their mutual descent from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Two ceremonies were held – first an Orthodox ceremony was held at Cecilienhof in Potsdam, followed by a Lutheran ceremony held at Huis Doorn, the Dutch home of the former Emperor Wilhelm II. Louis Ferdinand and Kira had seven children:

  • Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (1939) – married (1) Waltraud Freydag, had issue; (2) Ehrengard von Reden, had issue; (3) Sibylle Kretschmer, no issue
  • Prince Michael (1940) – married (1) Jutta Jörn, had issue; (2) Birgitte Dallwitz-Wegner, no issue
  • Princess Marie Cécile (1942) – married Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg, had issue
  • Princess Kira (1943) – married Thomas Liepsner, had issue
  • Prince Louis Ferdinand (1944) – married Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen, had issue
  • Prince Christian-Sigismund (1946) – married Countess Nina Reventlow, had issue
  • Princess Xenia (1949) married Per-Edvard Lithander, had issue

He served in the German military until 1940 when his elder brother was killed in action. The outpouring of sympathy and support for the former royal family at the Prince’s funeral concerned Adolf Hitler, who saw this as a threat to his leadership. Thus, Hitler issued a decree in 1940 – the Princes Decree – which prohibited members of all of Germany’s former ruling houses from participating in any military operations. From that point, Louis Ferdinand took over the management of his grandfather’s former summer residence – Cadinen Palace – in East Prussia until the end of the war.

Quite popular in Germany, Louis Ferdinand was voted as the ‘most honorable person’ to become President of the Federal Republic of Germany, despite not having had any sort of role in politics. A later poll gained him even higher results. The Prince quickly stated that while he might accept the position, he would not give up his claim to the German Imperial Crown.

Following German reunification in 1990, Louis Ferdinand led the efforts to have his ancestor, King Friedrich II (Frederick the Great) reburied in the grounds of Sanssouci. He also began efforts to reclaim many of the private properties of his family which had been seized by the Nazis and Communists without compensation. Although unsuccessful in his attempts, his efforts led to changes in German law after his death. At this time, his grandson, Georg Friedrich, continues to pursue the return of Hohenzollern properties and assets.

Embed from Getty Images

Louis Ferdinand became the pretender to the Prussian throne upon his father’s death in 1951. His elder brother had lost his succession rights upon his marriage, making Louis Ferdinand first in line. His own two elder sons’ marriages were also deemed unequal, thus excluding them from succession. It fell upon his third son, also named Louis Ferdinand. The younger Louis Ferdinand died in 1977, leaving his own young son, Georg Friedrich, as the sole heir and first in line to succeed his grandfather. This led to a legal battle among his older sons – both of whom had been excluded – but claimed a right to some of their father’s estate. While the young Georg Friedrich remained his grandfather’s heir as Head of the House of Hohenzollern, he was no longer the sole beneficiary of the estate, and Louis Ferdinand’s elder sons both received a portion of their father’s estate upon his death.

Just weeks before his 87th birthday, Prince Louis Ferdinand died in Bremen on September 26, 1994. He was buried in the castle cemetery at Hohenzollern Castle.

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Prussian Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Wedding of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

The Marriage of the Duke of Connaught by Sydney Pryor Hall – The bride is approaching the altar, escorted by her father Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia and Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia. The bridegroom awaits her, accompanied by his two older brothers and Queen Victoria; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia married on March 13, 1879, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.

Arthur’s Early Life

The First of May 1851 by Franz Xaver Winterhalter commemorates the 1st birthday of Prince Arthur, and the 82nd birthday of Arthur’s godfather Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and the opening day of the Great Exhibition, which was organized by Prince Albert. The painting shows Prince Arthur and his parents, the Duke of Wellington offering a gift to Prince Arthur, and The Crystal Palace, site of the Great Exhibition in the background; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Arthur was born on May 1, 1850, at Buckingham Palace in London, England, the third son of the four sons and the seventh of the nine children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Arthur was educated by private tutors. In 1866, at the age of 16, Arthur entered the Royal Military College, Woolwich. He graduated two years later and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Engineers. During his forty-year military career in the British Army, Arthur participated in many missions in various parts of the British Empire. On his mother’s birthday, May 24, 1874, Arthur was created a royal peer, with the titles Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and Earl of Sussex.

To learn more about Arthur, see Unofficial Royalty: Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught

Louise Margaret’s Early Life

Princess Luise Margarete of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Luise Margarete of Prussia was born on July 25, 1860, at the Marmorpalais (Marble Palace), a royal residence in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany. She was the fourth of the four daughters and the fourth of the five children of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia and Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau. Prince Friedrich Karl’s father, Prince Karl of Prussia, was a younger son of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and a brother of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia and Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia. Luise Margarete’s mother was also descended from Prussian kings as her great-grandfather was King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.

Luise Margarete’s parents had an unhappy marriage. After the birth of Luise Margarete, the fourth daughter, Prince Friedrich Karl reportedly beat his wife for not producing a son. Apparently, only the urgings of Friedrich Karl’s uncle King Wilhelm I of Prussia prevented a formal separation. Finally, five years after the birth of Luise Margarete, a son was born.

Upon her marriage, her name was anglicized to Louise Margaret.

To learn more about Louise Margaret, see Unofficial Royalty: Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, Duchess of Connaught

The Engagement

Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught and Strathearn; Princess Louise, Duchess of Connaught (née Princess of Prussia) after Léon Abraham Marius Joliot, albumen carte-de-visite, 1870s, NPG Ax131371© National Portrait Gallery, London

In 1878, Arthur met Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia on a visit to his eldest sister Victoria, German Crown Princess and Crown Princess of Prussia. Louise Margaret was friendly with the Crown Princess and her eldest daughter Charlotte. Arthur wrote to his mother, “I must say I thought her rather pretty.” Queen Victoria considered Louise Margaret to be a less than satisfactory possible bride for her son. She was plain-looking and had bad teeth. Her parents were unpleasant, had an unhappy marriage, and lived apart from each other. Victoria wanted to avoid associating her family with a possible scandal.

Upon returning home, Arthur had a conversation with his mother and Queen Victoria wrote about that conversation in her diary: “Dear Arthur arrived and stopped with us while we were taking tea. Afterward remained talking with me a little while, and told me that he had taken a great liking to young Louise of Prussia, Fritz Carl’s youngest daughter, who was brought up by an English governess…He said he did not wish to marry yet, and no one had breathed a word about it, but he liked her better and better, and meant, if I had no objection, to ask to see her this summer again. I could not help saying that I dislike the Prussians and told him he should see others first, but he said it would make no difference. What could I then say, but that, of course, his happiness was the first thing? He assured me he liked her better than anyone he had seen, but that he would not do anything without my consent, and looked so sad and earnest, yet so dear and gentle, that, having heard nothing but good of the girl, I could not object.”

Arthur’s eldest sister wrote to her mother: “I could not choose for a sister-in-law anyone I like better than Louise. She will make Arthur a most delightful wife. Each is the complement of the other, and I foresee that each will make the other supremely happy.”

When Queen Victoria met Louise Margaret, she became more positive and the engagement was announced. The Queen admitted to her diary, “Had I seen Louischen before Arthur spoke to me about his feelings, I should not have grieved him by hesitating for a moment in giving my consent. She is a dear, sweet girl of the most amiable and charming character…I am sure dear Arthur could not have chosen more wisely.”

Wedding Site

Embed from Getty Images 

St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England was begun in 1475 by King Edward IV and completed by King Henry VIII in 1528.  It is a separate building and located in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle. The chapel seats about 800 people and has been the location of many royal ceremonies, weddings, funerals, and burials. Members of the Order of the Garter meet at Windsor Castle every June for the annual Garter Service held at St. George’s Chapel.

There had been no royal weddings at St. George’s Chapel until 1863 when Queen Victoria’s eldest son, the future King Edward VII, married Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Four more of Queen Victoria’s children were married at St. George’s Chapel and it has become a popular site for royal weddings.

Wedding Guests

Royal Guests

  • Queen Victoria, the groom’s mother
  • The Prince of Wales, the groom’s brother, the future King Edward VII
  • The Princess of Wales, the groom’s sister-in-law, born Princess Alexandra of Denmark
  • Prince Albert Victor of Wales, the groom’s nephew
  • Prince George of Wales, the groom’s nephew, the future King George V
  • Princess Louise of Wales, the groom’s niece
  • Princess Victoria of Wales, the groom’s niece
  • Princess Maud of Wales, the groom’s niece
  • Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the groom’s brother
  • The Duchess of Edinburgh, the groom’s sister-in-law, born Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia
  • Crown Princess Victoria of Germany and Prussia, the groom’s sister Victoria, Princess Royal
  • Crown Prince Friedrich of Germany and Prussia, the groom’s brother-in-law and the bride’s second cousin, the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia
  • Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, the groom’s nephew, the future Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia
  • Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the groom’s sister Princess Helena
  • Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the groom’s brother-in-law
  • Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, the groom’s niece
  • Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, the groom’s niece
  • Princess Beatrice, the groom’s sister
  • Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, the groom’s first cousin once removed
  • Duchess of Teck, born Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the groom’s first cousin once removed
  • Duke Francis of Teck, husband of the Duchess of Teck
  • Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, the groom’s second cousin, the future Queen Mary, wife of King George V
  • Prince Adolphus of Teck, the groom’s second cousin
  • Prince Francis of Teck, the groom’s second cousin
  • Prince Alexander of Teck, the groom’s second cousin
  • Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, the bride’s father
  • Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia, the bride’s mother, born Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau
  • Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia, the bride’s brother
  • Leopold II, King of the Belgians, the groom’s first cousin once removed
  • Marie Henriette, Queen of the Belgians, wife of King Leopold II, born Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria
  • Ernst, 4th Prince of Leiningen, first cousin of the groom
  • Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the groom’s second cousin
  • Princess Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wife of Prince Philip, born Princess Louise of Belgium, the groom’s second cousin
  • Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the groom’s first cousin once removed
  • Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wife of Prince August, born Princess Clémentine of Orléans
  • Maharajah Duleep Singh and his wife Maharani Bamba
  • Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar

Invited Guests

(Some spouses were in attendance and/or in the processions)

  • Frances Gordon-Lennox, Duchess of Richmond
  • Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford and Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Bedford
  • Frances Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
  • Charles FitzGerald, 4th Duke of Leinster and Caroline FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster
  • Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington
  • George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland and Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
  • Rear-Admiral Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Count Gleichen, first cousin of the groom
  • Georgina Gascoyne-Cecil, Marchioness of Salisbury
  • Emily Seymour, Marchioness of Hertford
  • Henry Moore, 3rd Marquess of Drogheda and Mary Moore, Marchioness of Drogheda
  • Thomas Taylour, 3rd Marquess of Headfort and Emily Taylour, Marchioness of Headfort
  • Jane Loftus, Dowager Marchioness of Ely
  • James Butler, 3rd Marquess of Ormonde
  • Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington
  • Constance Bruce, Countess of Elgin
  • Mary Louise Bruce, Dowager Countess of Elgin
  • William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
  • John Scott, 4th Earl of Clonmell
  • Selina Bridgeman, Countess of Bradford
  • Mary Lygon, Countess Beauchamp
  • William Hare, 3rd Earl of Listowell and Ernestine Hare, Countess of Listowel
  • Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville and Castila Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville
  • John Townshend, 3rd Viscount Sydney and Emily Townshend, Countess Sydney
  • Mary Cairns, Countess Cairns
  • General Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport
  • Jane Gathorne-Hardy, Viscountess Cranbrook
  • General Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala
  • Lieutenant-General Lord Alexander Russell and Lady Russell
  • Major C. T. Bunbury
  • Major E. Harvey
  • Captain E. J. Harvey
  • Lieutenant and Adjutant Charles Norcott
  • Lady Constance Stanley
  • The Honorable Mrs. Gerald Wellesley
  • The Honorable Mrs. Alfred Egerton
  • The Honorable Lady Ponsonby
  • Lady Northcote
  • Lady Elphinstone
  • Mademoiselle Norelle, French tutor to Queen Victoria’s children
  • Sir William Jenner, 1st Baronet, Physician in Ordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Sir Henry Keppel, Admiral of the Fleet
  • General Sir Lintorn Simmonds, Inspector General of Fortifications
  • Lieutenant-General Sir C. L. D’Aguilar
  • Lieutenant-General William Parke
  • Lieutenant-Colonel George Ashley Maude, Crown Equerry of the Royal Mews
  • Mr. Frederick Gibbs, former tutor to The Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred
  • Mr. Francis Knollys, Private Secretary to The Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Montagu Corry, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli’s private secretary
  • Mr. Theodore Martin, Scottish poet, biographer, and translator.
  • Major-General Radcliffe
  • Colonel E. Butler
  • Colonel Robert Hale
  • Staff Captain Thomson
  • Commander H. Pearson
  • Lieutenant-Colonel James Ward
  • Captain Isham Edwards
  • Reverend Canon C. F. Tarver, former tutor to The Prince of Wales
  • Reverend Canon Henry Mildred Birch, Chaplain to The Prince of Wales
  • Reverend Canon Richard Gee, Vicar of New Windsor
  • Reverend Canon Robinson Duckworth, tutor to Prince Leopold
  • Reverend John Neale Dalton, tutor to Prince Albert Victor of Wales and Prince George of Wales
  • Mr. Frederick Campbell
  • Mr. R. R. Holmes, Librarian of Windsor Castle
  • Mr. Holzmann, Private Secretary to the Princess of Wales
  • Mr. A. B. Mitford, British diplomat, collector and writer
  • Mr. Hermann Sahl, Librarian and German Secretary to Queen Victoria
  • Dr. Douglas Argyll Robertson, Surgeon Oculist to Queen Victoria
  • John Webb, Mayor of Windsor
  • Mr. Doyne C. Bell
  • Mr. Edward Corbould, instructor of historical painting to Queen Victoria and her family
  • Mr. Du Pasquier, Apothecary to the Royal Household
  • Mr. James Ellison
  • Mr. Samuel Evans
  • Dr. T. Fairbanks
  • Miss Ferari
  • Mr. Charles Hallé, pianist and conductor
  • Dr. William Carter Hoffmeister – Surgeon to Queen Victoria
  • Mr. Sydney Prior Hall, British portrait painter and illustrator, who was commanded by Queen Victoria to make sketches of the wedding for a future painting
  • Dr. Alexander Profeit, Commissioner of Works at Balmoral Castle
  • Mr. White

The Queen’s Household

  • Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington, Mistress of the Robes
  • Susanna Innes-Kerr, Duchess of Roxburghe, Lady of the Bedchamber in Waiting
  • The Honorable Mary Pitt, Maid of Honor in Waiting
  • The Honorable Amy Lambart, Maid of Honor in Waiting
  • The Honorable Mrs. Ferguson of Pitfour, Bedchamber Woman in Waiting
  • Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp, Lord Steward
  • General Francis Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford, Lord Chamberlain
  • Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford, Master of the Horse
  • Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary and Keeper of the Privy Purse
  • Lord Henry Thynne, Treasurer of the Household
  • Hugh Seymour, Earl of Yarmouth, Comptroller of the Household
  • George Barrington, 7th Viscount Barrington, Vice-Chamberlain
  • General George Upton, 3rd Viscount Templetown, Gold Stick in Waiting
  • Charles Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke, Master of the Buckhounds
  • Colonel Sir John Cowell, Master of the Household
  • Cornwallis Maude, 4th Viscount Hawarden, Lord in Waiting
  • Major C. E. Phipps, Groom in Waiting
  • General Sir Francis Seymour, Baronet, Master of the Ceremonies
  • Lieutenant-General Lord Alfred Paget, Clerk Marshal
  • Major-General Lord Charles Fitzroy, Equerry in Waiting
  • Colonel The Honorable H. W. J. Byng, Equerry in Waiting
  • Mr. Henry Erskine of Cardross, Groom of the Robes
  • Lieutenant-Colonel C. W. Duncombe, Silver Stick in Waiting
  • Colonel R. H. White, Field Officer in Brigade Waiting
  • The Honorable S. Ponsonby-Fane, Comptroller in the Lord Chamberlain’s Department
  • Count Albert Edward Gleichen, Page of Honor
  • The Honorable Victor Spencer, Page of Honor
  • Mr. Conway Seymour, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Mr. Alpin Macgregor, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Mr. James Bontein, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Captain C. G. Nelson, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Captain A. J. Loftus, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Sir Albert Woods, Garter King of Arms
  • Mr. George Cokayne, Lancaster Herald
  • Mr. John de Havilland, York Herald

Attendants on the Bridegroom

  • Colonel Sir Howard Elphinstone, Comptroller of the Household
  • Captain Maurice FitzGerald, Equerry in Waiting
  • Captain Alfred Egerton, Equerry in Waiting
  • The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII), Supporter
  • Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Supporter

Attendants on the Bride

  • Lady Adela Larking, Lady in Attendance
  • George Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington, Lord in Waiting to the Queen, in attendance to the Bride
  • Lady Georgiana Spencer-Churchill, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Blanche Conyngham, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Louisa Bruce, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Mabel Bridgeman, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Ela Russell, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Adelaide Taylour, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Cecilia Hay, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Victoria Edgcumbe, Bridesmaid

Attendants on Other Royalty

  • General Sir W. T. Knollys, Groom of the Stole to the Prince of Wales
  • Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield, Lord of the Bedchamber in Waiting to the Prince of Wales
  • The Honorable A. Temple Fitz-Maurice, Groom of the Bedchamber in Waiting to the Prince of Wales
  • Lieutenant-General Sir D. M. Probyn, Comptroller and Treasurer to the Prince of Wales
  • Colonel Stanley Clarke, Equerry in Waiting to the Prince of Wales
  • Charles Colville, Lord Colville of Culross, Chamberlain to the Princess of Wales
  • Lady Emily Kingscote, Lady of the Bedchamber in Waiting to the Princess of Wales
  • Miss Charlotte Knollys, Woman of the Bedchamber in Waiting to the Princess of Wales
  • Colonel The Honorable W. J. Colville, Comptroller and Treasurer to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
  • Captain A. B. Haig, Equerry in Waiting to the Duke of Edinburgh
  • Captain John Clerk, Equerry in Waiting to the Duke of Edinburgh
  • Lady Hariot Grimston, Lady in Waiting to the Duchess of Edinburgh
  • Lieutenant-Colonel G. G. Gordon, Treasurer to Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Lady Agneta Montagu, Lady in Waiting to Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Lady Edward Cavendish, Bedchamber Woman to Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Lady Jane Churchill, Lady of the Bedchamber to the Queen, in attendance on Princess Beatrice
  • Colonel Charles Tyrwhitt, Equerry in Waiting to the Duke of Cambridge
  • Lady Elizabeth Biddulph, Lady in Waiting to the Duchess of Teck
  • Colonel H. L. Fulke Greville, in attendance on the Duchess of Teck
  • Colonel Oliphant, in attendance on the Maharajah Duleep Singh and the Maharanee
  • Baroness de Pach, in Waiting on Prince and Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  • Baron Nostitz, in Waiting on Prince and Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  • Colonel C. T. Du Platt, Equerry in Waiting to the Queen, in attendance on In Waiting on
  • Prince and Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  • The Honorable Flora Macdonald, in attendance to Princess Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  • Comtesse de Grünne, in attendance to the King and Queen of the Belgians
  • Baronne d’Hooghvorst, in attendance to the King and Queen of the Belgians
  • Jules De Vaux, in attendance to the King and Queen of the Belgians
  • Comte d’Oultremot, in attendance to the King and Queen of the Belgians
  • Major-General H. Lynedock Gardiner, Groom in Waiting to the Queen, in attendance on the King and Queen of the Belgians
  • Countess Brühl, in attendance to the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Countess Marie Münster, in attendance to the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Count G. Seckendorff, in attendance to the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Captain von Pfuhlstein, in attendance to the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Captain Baron von Nyvhenheim, in attendance to the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Lieutenant-General The Honorable A. E. Hardinge. Equerry to the Queen in Attendance on the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Countess Schliefen, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Countess Pückler, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Frauelein von Woina, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Count Kanitz, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Count Schlippenbach, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Colonel von Borcke, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Major von Broesegke, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Colonel von Geissler, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Colonel J. C. McNeill, Equerry to the Queen, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Lieutenant von Jacobi, in waiting on Prince Wilhelm of Prussia

Representatives of Foreign Governments

  • Turkish Ambassador and Mademoiselle Musurus
  • Georg Münster, Count of Münster, German Ambassador and Countess Olga Münster
  • Luigi Menabrea, 1st Count Menabrea Italian Ambassador and Countess Menabrea
  • Count Alajos Károlyi, Austro-Hungarian Ambassador and Countess Károlyi
  • Danish Minister
  • Belgian Minister
  • French Minister
  • Portuguese Chargé d’Affaires
  • Russian Chargé d’Affaires
  • Baron von den Brincken, member of the German Embassy
  • Count L. Arco, member of the German Embassy
  • Major von Vietinghoff, member of the German Embassy

Members of the Government

  • Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns, Lord Chancellor
  • Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, Lord President of the Council
  • Algernon Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland, Lord Privy Seal
  • Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
  • Richard Assheton Cross, Secretary of State for the Home Department
  • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
  • Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, Baronet, Secretary of State for the Colonies
  • Colonel Frederick Stanley, Secretary of State for War
  • Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Viscount Cranbrook, Secretary of State for India
  • Sir Stafford Northcote, Baronet, Chancellor of the Exchequer
  • W. H. Smith, First Lord of the Admiralty
  • Lord John Manners, Postmaster-General
  • John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland
  • G. Noel, First Commissioner of the Works
  • Stephen Cave, Paymaster-General
  • T. E. Taylor, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
  • George Sclater-Booth, President of the Local Government Board
  • G. A. F. Cavendish-Bentinck, Judge Advocate-General
  • James Lowther, Chief Secretary for Ireland
  • Lord George Hamilton, Vice-President of the Board of Education
  • General Sir Charles Ellice, Adjutant-General
  • Lieutenant-General Sir Daniel Lysins, Quartermaster-General
  • General Sir Alfred Horsford, Military Secretary
  • Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal
  • Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 2nd Baron Aveland, Deputy Lord Great Chamberlain

Bridesmaids and Supporters

The eight bridesmaids were unmarried daughters of Dukes, Marquesses, and Earls.

  • Lady Georgiana Spencer-Churchill, daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, married Richard Curzon, 4th Earl Howe
  • Lady Blanche Conyngham, daughter of General George Conyngham, 3rd Marquess Conyngham, unmarried
  • Lady Louisa Bruce, daughter of James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, unmarried
  • Lady Mabel Bridgeman, daughter of Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford, married Colonel William Kenyon-Slaney
  • Lady Ela Russell, daughter of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford, unmarried
  • Lady Adelaide Taylour, daughter of Thomas Taylour, 3rd Marquess of Headfort, unmarried
  • Lady Cecilia Hay, daughter of Major William Hay, 19th Earl of Erroll, married Captain George Webbe
  • Lady Victoria Edgcumbe, daughter of William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, married Lord Algernon Percy

Princess Louise Margaret was supported by her father Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia and Friedrich, German Crown Prince and Crown Prince of Prussia (the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia), her father’s paternal first cousin and Arthur’s brother-in-law.

Prince Arthur’s supporters were his two elder brothers, the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) and Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (the future Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha). Prince Arthur’s youngest brother Prince Leopold was to have been a Supporter but was prevented from attending the wedding due to illness.

Wedding Attire

Louise Margaret in her wedding dress; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise Margaret’s dress reflected her continental European origin. Although it was made of the usual white satin, the lace was not Honiton lace from Devon, England, the traditional lace used in wedding dresses of British royal brides. The lace was a combination of point d’Alençon lace from France and lace made in Silesia, then part of the Kingdom of Prussia, now located mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. The usual orange blossom and myrtle were still woven into the lace. In Germany, myrtle is considered the flower of love, marriage, and lasting fertility.

Louise Margaret in her wedding dress; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The white satin dress had a band of lace encircling the waist and the skirt was decorated with myrtle leaves. The train was thirteen feet/four meters long with a lace flounce in which a sprig of myrtle was fixed. The bridal veil was made of lace with orange blossoms, roses, and myrtle leaves intertwined. The veil was fastened to her hair with five diamond stars, a gift from Arthur.

Louise Margaret jewelry Credit – Gogmsite- Grand Ladies

Louise Margaret wore the diamond fringe necklace which had belonged to the Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria’s mother. The diamond fringe necklace along with the diamond brooch on her right shoulder were gifts from Queen Victoria. Louise Margaret’s father gave her a diamond and pearl brooch with a diamond and pearl pendant which she wore in the center of her dress’ neckline. She also wore two bracelets. One was a gold and diamond bracelet, a gift from the groom’s brothers and sisters. The other was a diamond bracelet with a rosette center from the town of Windsor.

The bridesmaids from The Marriage of the Duke of Connaught by Sydney Pryor Hall; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The eight bridesmaids wore dresses of white satin duchesse faille, a somewhat shiny closely woven silk, and mousseline de soie, a thin stiff silk, embroidered with wild rosebuds and flowers representing England, Scotland, Ireland and Germany.­

Arthur, on the left, and his brothers from The Marriage of the Duke of Connaught by Sydney Pryor Hall; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Prince Arthur wore the uniform of a Colonel of the Rifle Brigade. The Prince of Wales wore the uniform of a Field Marshal and Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh wore the uniform of an Admiral.

The Wedding

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The officiating clergy:

  • Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • John Jackson, Bishop of London, Dean of the Chapels Royal
  • John Mackarness, Bishop of Oxford, Chancellor of the Order of the Garter
  • Henry Philpott, Bishop of Worcester, Clerk of the Closet
  • The Honorable Gerald Wellesley, Dean of Windsor

The wedding guests arrived at the Windsor train station via a special train from London. They were taken by carriage to the South Entrance of St. George’s Chapel and shown to their seats. The Lord Steward and the other members of the Queen’s Household who did not take part in the carriage procession from Windsor Castle assembled at the South Entrance to St. George’s Chapel at 11:30 AM. The clergy officiating at the wedding assembled at the Deanery and then took their places at the altar at 11:45 AM.

At 11:45 AM, the Princess of Wales, the Royal Family along with the other royal guests and their attendants proceeded to the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel via carriages. Upon arrival at St. George’s Chapel, they were received by the Lord Steward and the Vice-Chamberlain. Her Majesty’s State Trumpeters announced with a flourish as each royal procession made its way down the aisle and were conducted to their seats. Georg Friedrich Handel’s March from “Hercules” was played as the royal processions made their way into the church.

At 12 noon, Queen Victoria accompanied by her daughter Princess Beatrice and her grandson Prince Albert Victor of Wales, along with their attendants, left Windsor Castle via carriage. As the Queen’s procession proceeded up the aisle Felix Mendelssohn’s March from “Athalie” was played.

At 12:15 PM, the bridegroom, along with his supporters and all their attendants, made their way via carriages to the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel. As the bridegroom’s procession made its way to the altar, “Edward Albert,” a march by St. George’s Chapel organist Sir George Elvey, was played.

Finally, the bride with her supporters, bridesmaids, and attendants left Windsor Castle at 12:30 PM and proceeded to the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel. The bride’s procession made its way down the aisle to Georg Friedrich Handel’s “Occasional Overture.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury performed the Church of England wedding service and the bride was given away by her father. During the service, the choir sang Psalm 128 and Psalm 67, set to music by Sir George Elvey. At the conclusion of the service, the choir sang Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” from “The Messiah.” The bride and groom, the royalty and their attendants left the chapel as Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” was played.

After the Wedding

Arthur and Louise Margaret’s wedding cake; Credit – https://www.royal.uk/royal-wedding-cakes-history

A royal salute was fired upon the conclusion of the wedding service by a battery of the Royal Horse Artillery stationed in the Long Walk. Upon returning to Windsor Castle, the marriage registry was signed by the bride and groom and attested by Queen Victoria, members of the British royal family, other royalty, and representatives of the British government. Queen Victoria, the British royal family, and the royal guests were served a private luncheon in the Dining Room. The other guests were served a buffet luncheon in St. George’s Hall. Sir George Elvey played the organ and conducted the orchestra and choir.

At 4:00 PM, the bride and groom, accompanied by Lady Adela Larking and Captain Alfred Egerton left for Claremont House in Esher, Surrey, England where they would spend part of their honeymoon. After several days at Claremont House and then Windsor Castle, the newlyweds departed for a cruise in the Mediterranean. After their return to England, they took up residence in Bagshot Park, now the home of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

Children

Arthur, Louise Margaret, and their children; Credit – Wikipedia

Arthur and Louise Margaret had three children:

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Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Wedding dress of Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_dress_of_Princess_Louise_Margaret_of_Prussia [Accessed 13 Sep. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/prince-arthur-duke-of-connaught/ [Accessed 13 Sep. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, Duchess of Connaught. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-louise-margaret-of-prussia-duchess-of-connaught-and-strathearn/ [Accessed 13 Sep. 2019].
  • Google Books. (1879). Bulletins and Other State Intelligence – Ceremonial observed at the marriage of His Royal Highness The Prince Arthur and Her Royal Highness Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia.
  • Google Books. (1891). Wedding Etiquette and Usages of Polite Society. [online] Available at: https://books.google.com/books?id=4FcEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24&dq=Lady+Louisa+Bruce+wedding&source=bl&ots=QCrqFd2YMT&sig=ACfU3U3ncGPp8UXHJRM-7JQW06xJCSpKyw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3ke3qm8XkAhVqh-AKHSmvAfMQ6AEwDXoECB0QAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false [Accessed 13 Sep. 2019].
  • Hibbert, Christopher. (2000). Queen Victoria – A Personal History. Cambridge: De Capo Press.
  • History of Royal Women. (2019). The Year of Queen Victoria – Louise Margaret of Prussia (Part one) – History of Royal Women. [online] Available at: https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/louise-margaret-of-prussia/the-year-of-queen-victoria-louise-margaret-of-prussia-part-one/ [Accessed 13 Sep. 2019].
  • Royal-magazin.de. (2019). Royal Wedding Jewelry | Duchess of Connaught | Jewels Princess of Prussia. [online] Available at: https://royal-magazin.de/england/connaught/connaught-wedding-bracelet.htm [Accessed 13 Sep. 2019].
  • Timesmachine.nytimes.com. (1879). Royal Marriage Bells. [online] Available at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1879/03/14/81750261.pdf [Accessed 13 Sep. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, J. (2011). Queen Victoria’s Children. Stroud: The History Press.

Wedding of Victoria, Princess Royal and Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

The Marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal, 25 January 1858 by John Phillip; Credit – Royal Collection Trust/ © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Victoria, Princess Royal married Prince Friedrich of Prussia, the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, at the Chapel Royal of St. James’s Palace in London, England on January 25, 1858. The couple had eight children and the Greek, Prussian, Romanian, Serbian, and Spanish royal families descended from this marriage.

Victoria’s Early Life

Queen Victoria with her eldest child Victoria, Princess Royal circa 1845; Credit – Wikipedia

The eldest of the nine children and the eldest of the five daughters of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born on November 21, 1840, at Buckingham Palace, nine months after her parents’ marriage. Named Victoria after her mother and called Vicky in the family, she was created Princess Royal shortly before her first birthday.

Vicky started learning French with a French tutor when she was eighteen months old and then began learning German at age three. Later, Vicky studied science, literature, Latin, and history. All Vicky’s governesses and tutors were impressed with her intelligence.

Once Vicky was engaged to be married to her Prussian prince, her father Prince Albert personally taught her politics and modern European history and had her write essays about events in Prussia. Both Prince Albert and Queen Victoria ardently hoped that Vicky’s marriage would make the ties between London and Berlin closer and lead to a unified and liberal Germany. However, once married and in Prussia, Vicky and her husband were politically isolated and their liberal and Anglophile views clashed with the authoritarian ideas of the Minister-President of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck.

For more about Vicky, see Unofficial Royalty: Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia

Friedrich’s Early Life

Friedrich, circa 1841; Credit – Wikipedia

The future Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia was born at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany on October 18, 1831. The elder of the two children of the future Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia and his wife Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, he was given the names Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl but was known in the family as Fritz. His younger sister Louise married Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden.

Fritz received both a military and a classical education. He studied history, geography, physics, music, and religion. He had a talent for foreign languages, becoming fluent in English and French, and also studying Latin. Naturally, Fritz studied the traditional Hohenzollern areas of fencing, riding, gymnastics, and practical craft skills such as carpentry, book printing, and bookbinding. In addition, he also received a military education. Fritz interrupted his military training at the age of 18 to study history, politics, law, and public policy at the University of Bonn. His time at the University of Bonn helped solidify his liberal, reforming beliefs.

For more about Fritz, see Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia

The Engagement

Photograph taken at Balmoral to mark the Princess Royal’s engagement to Prince Friedrich of Prussia on September 29, 1855; From left to right: Prince Friedrich of Prussia, The Princess Royal, Prince Alfred (seated on the grass), Princess Alice, Princess Helena, Queen Victoria, Princess Louise, Prince Albert and The Prince of Wales; Credit – Photograph by George Washington Wilson, The Royal Collection Trust

In 1851, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (the future Wilhelm I, King of Prussia and German Emperor) and his wife Augusta were invited to London by Queen Victoria to visit the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, which her husband Prince Albert was instrumental in organizing. Wilhelm and Augusta brought their two children, 20-year-old Friedrich and 13-year-old Louise. On a visit to the Great Exhibition, nine-year-old Vicky was allowed to accompany the group as a companion to Louise. Despite being so young, Vicky made an impression on Friedrich (Fritz), who was eleven years older.

Four years later, in 1855, Fritz was invited back to England by Victoria and Albert for a visit to their Scottish home Balmoral. Both the British and Prussian royal families expected that Fritz and Vicky should come to a decision about their future together. Fritz was second in line to the Prussian throne after his father, who was expected to succeed his childless brother. Despite the fact that a marriage would not be universally popular in either country, Vicky and Fritz agreed to marry each other. They became engaged on September 29, 1855, but the engagement was not publicly announced until May 17, 1856. Because Vicky was so young, her parents decreed that the wedding would have to wait until Vicky was 17-years-old.

The Wedding Site

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The Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace

It was and still is, customary for the wedding to be in the bride’s home territory, but Vicky was marrying a future monarch and the wedding was therefore expected to be in Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia. However, Queen Victoria had other ideas: “The assumption of it being too much for a Prince Royal of Prussia to come over to marry the Princess Royal of Great Britain in England is too absurd, to say the least…Whatever may be the usual practice of Prussian Princes, it is not every day that one marries the eldest daughter of the Queen of England. The question must therefore be considered as settled and closed…” Queen Victoria got her way and the wedding was scheduled for Monday, January 25, 1858, in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace in London, England, where the bride’s parents had been married.

Located in St. James’ Palace, a Tudor palace in London next to Clarence House and nearby Buckingham Palace, the Chapel Royal was built around 1540 and has had alterations over the years. Although St. James’ Palace is no longer used as one of the monarch’s residences, it is used for offices and receptions, and several minor members of the British Royal Family have apartments there. The Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace was the venue for several earlier Hanover weddings and it was also the venue for the wedding of Vicky’s parents. The Chapel Royal seats about 100 people so Vicky and Fritz’s wedding was nowhere near the size of today’s royal weddings. Accordingly, the guest list had to be limited.

Partial List of Wedding Guests

Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and Victoria, Princess Royal; Credit – Wikipedia

The above photograph is a daguerreotype taken just before the wedding. The figure of Queen Victoria is blurred due to her movement. Of the event, Queen Victoria wrote in her journal, “Vicky was daguerreotyped in my room, & she & her dear father & I, together, but I trembled so that it has come out indistinct. Then, it was time to go.”

The guest list below was gleaned from the New York Times re-publication on February 12, 1858 of the London Times’ article “The Royal Wedding – The Marriage of The Princess Royal – Graphic and Detailed Description of the Ceremonies”, published on January 26, 1858. It is most likely an incomplete guest list.

Royal Guests – The Bride’s Family

  • Queen Victoria, mother of the bride
  • The Prince Consort, father of the bride
  • Duchess of Kent, grandmother of the bride
  • Prince of Wales, brother of the bride
  • Prince Alfred, brother of the bride
  • Prince Arthur, brother of the bride
  • Prince Leopold, brother of the bride
  • Princess Alice, sister of the bride
  • Princess Helena, sister of the bride
  • Princess Louise, sister of the bride
  • Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Duchess of Cambridge, great-aunt of the bride
  • Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Leopold I, King of the Belgians, great-uncle of the bride
  • Prince Leopold of Belgium, Duke of Brabant, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, uncle of the bride
  • Ernst, 4th Prince of Leiningen, half first cousin of the bride
  • Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, half first cousin of the bride

Royal Guests – The Groom’s Family

  • Prince and Princess Wilhelm of Prussia, parents of the groom
  • Prince Adalbert of Prussia, first cousin once removed of the groom
  • Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, first cousin of the groom
  • Prince Albrecht of Prussia, uncle of the groom
  • Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden, brother-in-law of the groom
  • Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, first cousin once removed of the groom

Other Royal Guests

  • Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale and Maria, Carolina, Duchess d’Aumale
  • Robert, Duke of Chartres
  • Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
  • Helen, Duchess of Orléans
  • Philippe, Count of Paris
  • Clementina, Princess of Salerno
  • Prince Julius of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Other Guests

  • George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll
  • George Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl
  • Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch
  • William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester
  • Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle
  • Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond and Caroline Gordon-Lennox, Duchess of Richmond
  • Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
  • Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
  • Louisa Hamilton, Marchioness of Abercorn
  • Elizabeth Campbell, Marchioness of Breadlebane
  • Harriet de Burgh, Marchioness of Clanricarde
  • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby and Emma Smith-Stanley, Countess of Derby
  • Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke and Susan Yorke, Countess of Hardwicke
  • Caroline Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough
  • Marie Louise Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville
  • Sophie Child Villiers, Countess of Jersey
  • Caroline Edgcumbe, Countess of Mount Edgcumbe
  • Laura Phipps, Countess of Mulgrave
  • Susan Stapleton-Cotton, Viscountess Cumbermere
  • Emily Townshend, Viscountess Sydney
  • Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley and Henrietta Stanley, Baroness Stanley of Alderley
  • John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell and his wife Mary Elizabeth Campbell, 1st Baroness Stratheden
  • Robert Grosvenor, 1st Baron Ebury and Charlotte Grosvenor, Baroness Ebury
  • Fox Maule-Ramsay,2nd Baron Panmure and Montague Maule-Ramsay, Baroness Panmure
  • Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton
  • Sir George Cornewell Lewis, 2nd Baronet and Lady Cornewell Lewis
  • Lord Alfred Paget, Queen Victoria’s Chief Equerry and Clerk Marshal, and Lady Paget
  • Sir George Grey and Lady Grey
  • Sir Charles and Lady Mary Wood
  • Lord and Lady Ernest Bruce
  • Mr. Vernon Smith
  • Matthew Talbot Baines, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Mrs. Baines

Procession Participants

Among the procession participants in The Queen’s Procession, The Bridegroom’s Procession and The Bride’s Procession at the Chapel Royal were:

  • The Earl Marshal: Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 14th Duke of Norfolk
  • Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury: Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
  • Treasurer of the Household: George Phipps, Earl of Mulgrave
  • Comptroller of the Household: Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare
  • Lord Chamberlain of the Household: John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane
  • Keeper of the Privy Purse: Colonel The Honourable Sir Charles Beaumont Phipps
  • The Lord Steward: Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans
  • Lord Privy Seal: Dudley Ryder, 2nd Earl of Harrowby
  • Lord President of the Council: Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville
  • Lord High Chancellor: Robert Rolfe, 1st Baron Cranworth
  • Mistress of the Robes: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
  • Lady of the Bedchamber: Frances Jocelyn, Viscountess Jocelyn
  • Groom of the Stole to The Prince Consort: James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn
  • Chief Equerry and Comptroller of the Household of The Duchess of Kent: Sir George Couper, 2nd Baronet
  • Train Bearer for The Duchess of Kent: Lady Anna Maria Dawson, daughter of John Dawson, 1st Earl of Portarlington
  • Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge: Lady Geraldine Somerset, daughter of Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort
  • Train Bearer for The Duchess of Cambridge: Lady Arabella Sackville-West, daughter of
  • George Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr
  • Baron Otto Theodor von Manteuffel, Minister-President of the Kingdom of Prussia

Supporters and Bridesmaids

Victoria, Princess Royal’s, bridesmaids 1887 copy after an original of 25 Jan 1858 Hughes & Mullins: Ryde, Isle of Wight (photographer); Credit – Royal Collection Trust From left to right, Lady Cecilia Gordon-Lennox, Lady Susan Pelham-Clinton, Lady Katherine Hamilton, Lady Emma Stanley, Lady Constance Villiers, Lady Susan Murray, Lady Cecilia Molyneux, and Lady Victoria Noel

Fritz was supported by his father Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (the future Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia) and his uncle Prince Albrecht of Prussia.

Vicky had had eight bridesmaids, all of whom were unmarried daughters of British Dukes and Earls:

  • Lady Cecilia Gordon-Lennox (1838-1910), daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, married Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan
  • Lady Susan Pelham-Clinton (1839-1875), daughter of Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle, married Lord Adolphus Vane-Tempest
  • Lady Katherine Hamilton (1840-1874), daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, married William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
  • Lady Emma Stanley (1835-1928), daughter of Edward Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, married Sir Wellington Patrick Chetwynd-Talbot
  • Lady Constance Villiers (1840-1922), daughter of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon, married Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby
  • Lady Susan Murray (1837-1915), daughter of Alexander Murray, 6th Earl of Dunmore, married James Carnegie, 9th Earl of Southesk
  • Lady Cecilia Molyneux (1838-1910), daughter of Charles Molyneux, 3rd Earl of Sefton, married Hugh Dawnay, 8th Viscount Downe
  • Lady Victoria Noel (1839-1916), daughter of Charles Noel, 1st Earl of Gainsborough, married Sir Thomas Buxton, 3rd Baronet

The Wedding Attire

Victoria, Princess Royal in her wedding dress; Credit – https://www.royal.uk/wedding-dresses

Vicky’s wedding dress was made of white moire antique (a textile with a wavy appearance), trimmed with Honiton lace and orange flowers and myrtle. The train, which was carried by the eight bridesmaids, was also made of white moire antique lined with satin bordered with white satin ribands, Honiton lace, orange flowers, and myrtle. On her head, Vicky wore a wreath of orange flowers and myrtle and a veil of Honiton lace. The Honiton lace in the dress, train, and veil consisted of bouquets in openwork of the rose, shamrock, and thistle in three medallions. The rose, the shamrock, and the thistle are the national flowers of England, Ireland, and Scotland. Vicky wore a diamond necklace, diamond earrings, and a diamond brooch. On her left sleeve, Vicky wore the Order of Louise, a Prussian order of chivalry created by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia in honor of his late wife, born Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert.

Close-up detail of The Marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal, 25 January 1858 by John Phillip; Credit – Royal Collection Trust/ © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Fritz wore the General’s uniform of the Prussian First Infantry Regiment of the Guard – a dark blue tunic with gold embroidery on the collar and cuffs, a gold aiguillette (ornamental tagged cord or braid) on the right shoulder, a silver sash, and white kerseymere (a fine woolen cloth with a fancy twill weave) trousers.

The Wedding Ceremony

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Queen Victoria and her family at the wedding, engraved from the painting by John Philip

Eighteen carriages and 300 soldiers were in the procession for the short ride from Buckingham Palace to St. James’ Palace. Queen Victoria and Vicky were in the very last carriage. They were met at St. James’ Palace by Prince Albert and King Leopold I of the Belgians, the uncle of both Victoria and Albert. Vicky’s four brothers were in Highland dress and the elder two (Bertie and Alfred) preceded the Queen down the aisle. Vicky’s two younger brothers (Arthur and Leopold) accompanied their mother down the aisle followed by three of Vicky’s four sisters (Alice, Helena, and Louise) who were dressed in white lace over pink satin. Beatrice, Vicky’s youngest sibling, was left back at Buckingham Palace as she was not even a year old. Next came Fritz, accompanied by his father and his uncle Prince Albrecht of Prussia. Finally, Vicky came down the aisle escorted by her father Prince Albert and her great-uncle Leopold I, King of the Belgians.

John Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury, conducted the service and he was so nervous that he left out several parts of the service. However, Queen Victoria was pleased that both “Vicky and Fritz spoke plainly,” as she wrote in her journal. The service was concluded with George Friedrich Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus and then Vicky and Fritz led the recessional to The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn (click to listen). Thereafter, it became a popular wedding recessional. The music is from a suite of incidental music to Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Queen Victoria loved Mendelssohn’s music and Mendelssohn often played for her while on his visits to the United Kingdom.  The bride and groom along with Queen Victoria and the princes and princesses then proceeded to the Throne Room of St. James’ Palace where the marriage certificate was signed in the presence to the clergy who participated in the ceremony.

The Wedding Luncheon

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‘A National Toast’, 1858. ‘Health and Happiness to the Bride and Bridegroom! (Hoorah!)’. Mr. Punch, as the People’s representative, raises a foaming glass of champagne to celebrate the marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal, to Prince Friedrich of Prussia. From Punch, or the London Charivari, January 30, 1858. (Photo by The Cartoon Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Vicky and Fritz led the carriage procession back to Buckingham Palace. Back at the palace, Queen Victoria, The Prince Consort, the newlyweds, the British royal family, and the foreign princes and princesses walked from the Picture Gallery to the State Dining Room where a luncheon was served.

Vicky and Fritz’s wedding cake; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The wedding cake, which was quite elaborate, was placed in the middle of the table. It was seven or eight feet high and was divided from top to bottom into three parts. The upper part had two cupids holding a medallion with a portrait of Vicky on one and Fritz on the other side. The middle part consisted of niches that contained statutes including ones of Innocence and Wisdom. The bottom part had medallions of vases and baskets of flowers.

Other guests including the Officers of State, the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Households of The Queen and The Prince Consort, and other important guests had luncheon in the Lower Dining Room at Buckingham Palace.

After luncheon, Vicky and Fritz appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony with and without their parents.

The Honeymoon and Leaving England

Vicky and Fritz on January 29, 1858; Credit – Wikipedia

After the wedding luncheon, the newly married couple left by train for a two-day honeymoon at Windsor Castle. Upon arrival at Windsor, Vicky and Fritz were met by fireworks, cannons, an honor guard, and cheering crowds. Schoolboys from nearby Eton pulled their carriage from the train station up the hill to Windsor Castle.

The next day, Vicky and Fritz took a walk and went ice skating. Two days after the wedding, family members and members of the wedding party arrived at Windsor Castle. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary that it was quite strange to see Vicky walking off with Fritz at bedtime.

On January 29, 1858, everyone returned to London for more festivities before Vicky and Fritz left for Prussia. On her last day at home, February 1, 1858, Vicky spent a quiet day with her mother and then spent the early evening playing with her nine-month-old sister Beatrice. Vicky confided to her mother, “I think it will kill me to take leave of dear Papa.”

On the day of Vicky’s departure, Queen Victoria described the scene in her diary: “We went into the Audience Room where Mama & all the Children were assembled & here poor Vicky and Alice’s, as well as the other’s tears began to flow fast…The Hall was filled with all our people and theirs [the Prussians]…amongst the many servants there. Poor dear child…I clasped her in my arms…kissed good Fritz…Against the door of the carriage, I embraced them both…What a dreadful moment, what a real heartache to think of our dearest child being gone & not knowing how long it may be before we see her again!”

Vicky and Fritz, accompanied by her father, her two oldest brothers Bertie and Affie and her mother’s uncle, The Duke of Cambridge, drove to Gravesend where they were to board the royal yacht for the voyage to the European continent. As they reached the yacht, Bertie and Affie cried and Vicky sobbed as she said goodbye to her father, who somehow maintained his composure. The next day, Prince Albert wrote his daughter a letter: “My heart was very full when yesterday you leaned your forehead on my breast to give free vent to your tears. I am not of a demonstrative nature and therefore you can hardly know how dear you have always been to me, and what a great void you have left behind in my heart.”

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The departure of The Princess Royal to Germany, circa January 1858. (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Children

Vicky, Fritz and their children; Credit – Wikipedia

Vicky and Fritz had eight children:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/friedrich-iii-german-emperor-king-of-prussia/ [Accessed 15 Aug. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/victoria-princess-royal-german-empress-queen-of-prussia/ [Accessed 15 Aug. 2019].
  • Pakula, Hannah. (1995). An Uncommon Woman. New York: Simon & Shuster.
  • Timesmachine.nytimes.com. (1858). The Royal Wedding – The Marriage of The Princess Royal – Graphic and Detailed Description of the Ceremonies,. [online] Available at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1858/02/12/78528860.pdf [Accessed 15 Aug. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, John. (2013). Dearest Vicky, Darling Fritz. Stroud: The History Press.
  • Victoria and Ramm, Agnes. (1998). Beloved & Darling Child. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Pub.

Prince Joachim of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince Joachim of Prussia

Prince Joachim Franz Humbert of Prussia was the sixth son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He was born in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia,  German Empire, now in Brandenburg, Germany  on December 17, 1890, and had six siblings:

Like his elder brothers, Prince Joachim was educated at Plön Castle and began his formal military training in 1911 as a member of the 1st Foot Guards in the Prussian Army. He served during the beginning of World War I and was injured in the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes in September 1914.

Marie-Auguste of Anhalt. source: Wikipedia

Two years later, on March 11, 1916, Joachim married Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt, the daughter of Eduard, Duke of Anhalt and Princess Luise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg. The couple had one son:

After the war and the fall of the German Empire, Joachim and Marie-Auguste divorced.  Years later, due to her financial struggles, Marie-Auguste adopted numerous people, in exchange for the claim to her royal titles.  One of these was Hans Robert Lichtenberg, who took the name Frederic Prinz von Anhalt.  He is probably best known as the husband of the famed Hungarian actress, Zsa Zsa Gabor.

The Antique Temple in Sanssouci Park. photo: By Paul Odörfer – Originally uploaded to the German Wikipedia by Stonx., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=642219

Prince Joachim struggled to accept his status as a commoner and became greatly depressed. On the evening of July 18, 1920, he shot himself with a revolver at Villa Leignitz in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany. He was found by his elder brother August Wilhelm and taken to the Saint Joseph Hospital in Potsdam, where he died the following day. Another brother, Eitel Friedrich, described it as “a fit of excessive dementia”. Prince Joachim was first interred in the Friedenskirche in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany before being moved to the nearby Antique Temple in 1931.

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Prince Oskar of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince Oskar of Prussia

Prince Oskar Karl Gustav Adolf was the fifth son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He was born at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on July 27, 1888, and had six siblings:

Like his elder brothers, Oskar was educated at Plön, where he received strict military training. He served in the Prussian forces during World War I, leading his troops into numerous successful battles. Toward the end of the war, he served on the Eastern Front and received numerous medals and honors for his bravery. He continued to serve for several years after the fall of the Prussian monarchy.

Prince Oskar with his wife and children, 1925. photo: By Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-00069 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5478638

On July 31, 1914, at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Oskar married Countess Ina-Marie von Bassewitz. As the marriage was considered morganatic, the bride could not take her husband’s style and title. Instead, four days prior to the wedding, Ina-Marie was created Countess von Ruppin. Several years later, in November 1919, the marriage was decreed dynastic, and Ina-Marie and her children were elevated to HRH Prince/Princess of Prussia as of June 1920. The couple had four children:

  • Prince Oskar (1915-1939) – unmarried
  • Prince Burchard (1917-1988) – married Countess Eleonore Fugger von Babenhausen, no issue
  • Princess Herzeleide (1918=1989) – married Karl, Prince Biron von Kurland, had issue
  • Prince Wilhelm-Karl (1922-2007) – married Irmgard von Veltheim, had issue

From 1926 until his death in 1958, Oskar served as Master of Knights of the Johanniterorden (Order of Saint John) – an ancient order which has been a favorite of the Hohenzollerns. He is credited with saving the order from extinction at the hands of the Nazi regime.

Prince Oskar suffered from declining health for the last few years of his life. He died of stomach cancer in a clinic in Munich, Germany on January 27, 1958. He is buried at Hohenzollern Castle in Bisingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

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Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia

Prince August Wilhelm Heinrich Günther Viktor of Prussia was the fourth son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He was born on January 29, 1887, at the Potsdam City Palace, in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany.

He had six siblings:

Along with his brothers, August Wilhelm was given a strict military education at the Princes’ House at Plön Castle. He later studied at the universities in Bonn, Berlin, and Strasbourg, and received his doctorate in political science in 1907.

Alexandra Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. source: Wikipedia

On October 22, 1908, at the Berlin City Palace, August Wilhelm married his first cousin, Princess Alexandra Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. She was the daughter of Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (his mother’s sister). The marriage ended 12 years later, and August Wilhelm was given full custody of their only child:

Following their marriage, the couple initially planned to live at Schönhausen Palace in Berlin but instead moved to Villa Leignitz in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, which was given to them by August Wilhelm’s father. During World War I, he served as District Administrator of Ruppin and used Rheinsberg Palace as his residence. During this time, his marriage fell apart, reportedly due to his close relationship with his personal adjutant. Following the war and the end of the monarchy, August Wilhelm remained at his home in Sanssouci, where he lived a very quiet life. Having taken up drawing, he often sold some of his work to gain additional income. August Wilhelm and his wife also divorced, in March 1920, and he retained full custody of their only child.

Prince August Wilhelm speaking at a Nazi party rally in 1932. photo: Von Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-P046293 / Weinrother, Carl / CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9842838

In later years, August Wilhelm became involved with the Nazi Party – much to the dislike of his family. His involvement was, however, welcomed by Adolf Hitler, who saw the possibility of using him to help gain support and votes to bring the party into power. He was later made a member of the German Reichstag, which he held until the establishment of the Third Reich when Hitler no longer needed him anymore. He remained involved in the Nazi Party until 1942  when he made some private but negative comments about Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Propaganda.

On May 8, 1945, August Wilhelm was arrested by US forces for being a Nazi. In 1948 he was finally sentenced to 2-½ years of hard labor but was considered to have already served his sentence and he was released. However, just after his release, new charges were filed and another arrest warrant was issued from a court in Potsdam, which was now in the Soviet zone. He was never physically arrested and soon became seriously ill. Prince August Wilhelm died in a hospital in Stuttgart, Germany on March 25, 1949. He is buried in Langenburg, Germany in the cemetery of the Princes of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

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Prince Adalbert of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince Adalbert of Prussia

Prince Adalbert Ferdinand Bergengar Viktor of Prussia was the third son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He was born at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on July 14, 1884. Adalbert had six siblings:

Along with his brothers, Adalbert received a strict military education, living at Princes’ House at Plön Castle, and also studied agriculture on nearby Princes’ Island. In 1894, he entered the Imperial Navy and attended the Naval Academy in Kiel. Following his training, he made several trips abroad, representing his father, and continued with his military career.

Adalbert and Adelheid, c1914. source: Wikipedia

On August 3, 1914 in Wilhelmshaven, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, Adalbert married Princess Adelheid of Saxe-Meiningen. She was the daughter of Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen and Countess Adelheid of Lippe-Biesterfeld. The couple had three children:

  • Princess Victoria Marina (1915) – died at birth
  • Princess Victoria Marina (1917-1981) – married Kirby Patterson, had issue
  • Prince Wilhelm Viktor (1919-1989) – married Marie Antoinette, Countess of Hoyos, had issue

During World War I, Adalbert served in the Prussian Navy, eventually taking command of the SMS Dresden in 1917 until the end of the war. He also served as a Major in the Prussian Army, with the 1st Regiment Foot Guards. During this time, his family remained living in Kiel. Following the end of the monarchy in November 1918, Adalbert left his family in Kiel and initially took refuge on his yacht. He soon moved to Bad Homburg, Germany where he purchased a villa – Villa Adelheidswert – and was joined by his wife and children. However, they often traveled to Switzerland due to his wife’s health and eventually settled there permanently in 1928. They adopted the names Count and Countess von Lingen, lived a very quiet and private life and took no part in German politics.

At the age of 64, Prince Adalbert died on September 22, 1948, in La-Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland. He is buried in the Vassin Cemetery in the same town, alongside his wife who survived him by nearly 23 years.

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