by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Helena of Nassau, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

Helena of Nassau was the first wife of Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Helena Wilhelmine Henriette Pauline Marianne was born on August 18, 1831, in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in the German state of Hesse. She was the eldest of the three surviving children and the elder of the two surviving daughters of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau and his second wife Princess Pauline of Württemberg. Both Helena’s parents were descendants of King George II of Great Britain. Helena’s paternal grandparents were Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau, and Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg. Her maternal grandparents were Prince Paul of Württemberg and his wife Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

Helena had two surviving siblings:

• Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau (1832 – 1905), married Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina, Countess of Merenberg, daughter of the Russian author Alexander Pushkin, had three children
• Princess Sophia of Nassau (1836 – 1913), married King Oscar II of Sweden, had four sons, the Belgian, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish royal families descend from this marriage

Helena had eight half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen including Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg:

• Princess Auguste of Nassau-Weilburg (born and died 1814)
• Princess Therese of Nassau-Weilburg (1815 – 1871), married Duke Peter of Oldenburg, had eight children
• Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1817 – 1905), married (1) married Grand Duchess Elisabeth Mikhailovna of Russia who died in childbirth (2) Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, had five children including Wilhelm (Guillaume) IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
• Prince Wilhelm of Nassau-Weilburg (1819 – 1823), died in childhood
• Prince Moritz of Nassau-Weilburg (1820 – 1850), unmarried
• Princess Marie of Nassau-Weilburg (1822 – 1824), died in childhood
• Prince Wilhelm Karl of Nassau-Weilburg (1823 – 1828), died in childhood
• Princess Marie of Nassau-Weilburg (1825 – 1902), married Hermann, Prince of Wied, had three children including Elisabeth who married King Carol I of Romania

Georg Viktor and Helena; Credit – Pinterest 

On September 26, 1853, in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in the German state of Hesse, Helena married Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, the son of  Georg II, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym. Helena proved to be very successful in finding suitable marriages for their children by making contacts with various European royal houses. Because of her efforts, the relatively poor House of Waldeck-Pyrmont was linked to the richer ruling dynasties of Würtemberg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Georg Viktor and Helena are the ancestors of the Dutch royal family through their daughter Emma and the Swedish royal family through their daughter Helena.

Georg Viktor and Helena with their five elder daughters circa 1864; Credit – Wikipedia

Georg Viktor and Helena had six daughters and one son:

• Sophie of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1854 – 1869), died of tuberculosis at age fifteen
• Pauline of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1855 – 1925), married Alexis, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt, had eight children
• Marie of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1857 – 1882), married the future King Wilhelm II of Württemberg, had two children, died in childbirth as did her third child
• Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1858 – 1934), married King Willem III of the Netherlands, had one child Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
• Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1861 – 1922), married the youngest son of Queen Victoria, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, had two children including Charles Edward, last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha whose daughter Sibylla married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, their son is King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
• Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1865 – 1946), married Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe, had four children
• Elisabeth of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1873 – 1961) married Alexander, Prince of Erbach-Schönberg, had four children

Helena focused on charitable work, chairing many charitable organizations, and involving her children in charitable work from a very young age. Her daughter Emma said of Helena, “Mother had a great talent for dealing with people, to do them justice. We daughters have tried to follow mother’s example, also in her social interest.”

Princely Mausoleum and Cemetery; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Helena was in ill health for the last decade of her life. She died on October 28, 1888, aged 57, in Pyrmont, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in the German state of Lower Saxony. She was buried at the Princely Cemetery at Schloss Rhoden (link in German) in Rhoden, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse.

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 (2021) Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/georg-viktor-prince-of-waldeck-and-pyrmont/ (Accessed: October 26, 2022).
• Helena av Nassau-Weilburg (2022) Wikipedia (Swedish). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_av_Nassau-Weilburg (Accessed: October 26, 2022).
• Helene von Nassau (2021) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helene_von_Nassau (Accessed: October 26, 2022).
• Princess Helena of Nassau (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Helena_of_Nassau (Accessed: October 26, 2022).
• William, Duke of Nassau (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William,_Duke_of_Nassau (Accessed: October 26, 2022).

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit- Wikipedia

Prince Wolrad of Waldeck and Pyrmont, who was killed in action two months after the start of World War I, was the only child of Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and his second wife Princess Louise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, daughter of Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe. He was born on June 26, 1892, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse.

Wolrad had seven half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Helena of Nassau. Through his half-sister Emma, he was the uncle of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, the reigning monarch during World War I. He was also the uncle of Charles Edward, the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha during World War I, and Princess Alice of Albany through his half-sister Helena who had married Prince, Leopold, Duke of Albany, the youngest son of Queen Victoria.

• Sophie of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1854 – 1869), died of tuberculosis at age fifteen
• Pauline of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1855 – 1925), married Alexis, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt, had eight children
• Marie of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1857 – 1882), married the future King Wilhelm II of Württemberg, had two children, died in childbirth as did her third child
• Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1858 – 1934), married King Willem III of the Netherlands, had one child Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
• Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1861 – 1922), married the youngest son of Queen Victoria, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, had two children including Charles Edward, last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha whose daughter Sibylla married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, their son is King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
• Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1865 – 1946), married Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe, had four children
• Elisabeth of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1873 – 1961) married Alexander, Prince of Erbach-Schönberg, had four children

Wolrad grew up without his father, who died one year after his birth. He was raised by his mother and his half-brother Friedrich, the last reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. In 1910, Wolrad accompanied his half-brother Friedrich to the funeral of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Wolrad studied at New College, Oxford, University of Grenoble, and Heidelberg University. Because he showed little interest in his studies, Wolrad was directed toward a military career. He became a Lieutenant in the Dragoon Regiment of the Grand Ducal Hessian Division of the Imperial German Army. During World War I, he fought during the early battles, the Battle of the Frontiers (August 7 – September 6, 1914) and the First Battle of the Marne (September 6 – September 12, 1914).

On the evening of October 17, 1914, Prince Wolrad led a cavalry patrol near Moorslede, Belgium. The patrol came under fire from the advancing British troops. Several of the dragoons were hit and fell off their horses and Prince Wolrad’s horse was also hit. The prince and his aide reached a nearby trench, but then Prince Wolrad saw one of his men lying injured a short distance from the trench. The prince crawled to the wounded man and tried to pull him to safety, but was fatally hit by gunfire and died from his wounds at the age of 22.

Prince Wolrad’s orderly wrote of him: “He took care of his people as if they were his own. He was very popular among us. You cannot imagine how sad the Dragoons were when His Highness fell. He was the best officer in the Regiment. He carried out more patrols than anyone else because he could orient himself so well. Everyone wanted to go on patrol with him.”

Princely Mausoleum and Cemetery; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Prince Wolrad was buried in the Princely Cemetery at Schloss Rhoden (link in German) in Rhoden, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse, where his father had been buried in 1893 and where his mother would be buried in 1936.

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

• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Prince Wolrad of Waldeck And Pyrmont. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Wolrad_of_Waldeck_and_Pyrmont> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/georg-viktor-prince-of-waldeck-and-pyrmont/> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2014. October 1914: Royalty And World War I. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/october-1914-royalty-and-world-war-i/> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• New York Times, 1915. German Princes Who Have Fallen In The War. [online] Available at: <https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1915/10/31/101570495.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0> [Accessed 5 December 2020].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The County of Waldeck was a county within the Holy Roman Empire since 1180.  In 1625, the much smaller County of Pyrmont became part of the much larger County of Waldeck through inheritance and the combined territory was known as the County of Waldeck-Pyrmont. In 1712,  Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont was elevated to Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont by Holy Emperor Karl VI.

Friedrich, the last Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont,  abdicated on November 13, 1918, and negotiated an agreement with the government that gave him and his descendants the ownership of the family home Arolsen Castle and Arolsen Forest. Today the territory that encompassed the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont is located in the German states of Hesse and Lower Saxony

Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich, the last reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont, was born on January 20, 1865, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse. He was the only son and the sixth of the seven children of Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Helena of Nassau, daughter of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau and his second wife Pauline of Württemberg. Friedrich studied law at the University of Göttingen and the University of Leipzig. After his time at university, he served in the Prussian Army in Guards Uhlan Regiment.

Friedrich’s parents with his five elder sisters, circa 1864; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich had six sisters. Through his sister Emma, he was the uncle of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and through his sister Helena, he was the uncle of Charles Edward, the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

• Sophie of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1854 – 1869), died of tuberculosis at age fifteen
• Pauline of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1855 – 1925), married Alexis, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt, had eight children
• Marie of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1857 – 1882), married the future King Wilhelm II of Württemberg, had two children, died in childbirth as did her third child
• Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1858 – 1934), married King Willem III of the Netherlands, had one child Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
• Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1861 – 1922), married the youngest son of Queen Victoria, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, had two children including Charles Edward, last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha whose daughter Sibylla married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, their son is King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
• Elisabeth of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1873 – 1961) married Alexander, Prince of Erbach-Schönberg, had four children

Friedrich’s mother Helena had been in ill health for the last decade of her life and she died on October 28, 1888, aged 57. In 1891, Friedrich’s father Georg Viktor married again to Princess Louise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, who was twenty-seven years younger.

Friedrich had one, much younger half-brother from his father’s second marriage:

• Prince Wolrad of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1892–1914), killed in action in World War I

Upon the death of his father on May 12, 1893, Friedrich became the reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Friedrich’s half-brother Wolrad grew up without his father, who died one year after his birth. Friedrich took on much responsibility for his half-brother’s upbringing.

Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 9, 1895, in Náchod, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, Friedrich married Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe, daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Schaumburg-Lippe and Bathildis of Anhalt-Dessau.

Friedrich and Bathildis had four children:

• Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1896 – 1967), married Altburg of Oldenburg, had five children; Josias was a convicted Nazi war criminal
• Maximilian of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1898 – 1981), married Countess Gustava von Platen Hallermund, had three children
• Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1899 – 1948), married Nikolaus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg, had nine children
• Georg Wilhelm of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1902 – 1971), married Countess Ingeborg von Platen Hallermund, had five children.

During World War I, Friedrich served as a Cavalry General in the Imperial German Army. After the defeat of the German Empire in World War I and the end of all the German monarchies, Friedrich abdicated on November 13, 1918. However, he was the only German prince who refused to sign an abdication agreement. Philipp Scheidemann, the Social Democratic Mayor of Kassel, jokingly called him “Friedrich the Defiant” because of his resistance. Friedrich negotiated an agreement with the government that gave him and his descendants the ownership of the family home Arolsen Castle and the Arolsen Forest.

Friedrich’s eldest son Josias; Credit – Wikipedia

Both Friedrich and his wife Bathildis lived through World War II. While neither Friedrich nor Bathildis joined the Nazi Party, their eldest son Josias, his wife Altburg, and their eldest child Margarethe were members of the Nazi Party. Josias joined the Nazi Party in 1929 and by 1930, he was a member of the Schutzstaffel, better known as the SS. The SS was the primary agency of security, surveillance, and terror in Nazi Germany and German-occupied Europe. In September 1930, Josias became the Adjutant and Staff Chief of Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany, and the main architect of the Holocaust. Josias rose through the ranks of the SS, eventually attaining the rank of General of the Waffen-SS, the military branch of the SS. Members of the Waffen-SS were involved in numerous atrocities. At the Nuremberg Trials (1945 – 1946), the Waffen-SS was judged to be a criminal organization because of its direct involvement in numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Josias (in black) as a defendant at the Buchenwald Trial in 1947; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 13, 1945, Josias was taken prisoner by American forces. For a period of time, Josias had supervisory authority over the Buchenwald concentration camp. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes in connection to the Buchenwald concentration camp by an American court in Dachau, Germany during the Buchenwald Trial on August 14, 1947. In 1948, Josias’ sentence was reduced to twenty years. He was released early from the Landsberg War Crimes Prison for health reasons in 1950.

Princely Mausoleum and Cemetery; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Friedrich, the last Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont, died on May 26, 1946, at the age of 81 in Arolsen, Germany. His son Josias became Head of the House of Waldeck-Pyrmont while in custody. Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe, the last Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont, survived her husband by sixteen years, dying on April 6, 1962, aged 88, in Arolsen, West Germany, now in Germany. She was buried with her husband in the Princely Cemetery at Schloss Rhoden (link in German) in Rhoden, now in the German state of Hesse.

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.

Waldeck-Pyrmont Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont Index
• Profiles: Princes and Consorts of Waldeck and Pyrmont
• Waldeck and Pyrmont Royal Burial Sites

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Bathildis Zu Schaumburg-Lippe. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathildis_zu_Schaumburg-Lippe> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Friedrich (Waldeck-Pyrmont). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_(Waldeck-Pyrmont)> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Friedrich, Prince Of Waldeck And Pyrmont. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich,_Prince_of_Waldeck_and_Pyrmont> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Josias, Hereditary Prince Of Waldeck And Pyrmont. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josias,_Hereditary_Prince_of_Waldeck_and_Pyrmont> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Princess Bathildis Of Schaumburg-Lippe. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Bathildis_of_Schaumburg-Lippe> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/georg-viktor-prince-of-waldeck-and-pyrmont/> [Accessed 4 December 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Waldeck-Pyrmont. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/former-monarchies/german-royals/principality-of-waldeck-and-pyrmont/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-waldeck-pyrmont/> [Accessed 4 December 2020].
• Petropoulos, Jonathan, 2009. Royals And The Reich. Oxford: Oxford University Press

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2021

The County of Waldeck was a county within the Holy Roman Empire since 1180.  In 1625, the much smaller County of Pyrmont became part of the much larger County of Waldeck through inheritance and the combined territory was known as the County of Waldeck-Pyrmont. In 1712,  Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont was elevated to Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont by Holy Emperor Karl VI.

Friedrich, the last Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont,  abdicated on November 13, 1918, and negotiated an agreement with the government that gave him and his descendants the ownership of the family home Arolsen Castle and Arolsen Forest. Today the territory that encompassed the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont is located in the German states of Hesse and Lower Saxony

Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont was born in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse, on January 14, 1831. He was the fourth of the five children and the second but the eldest surviving of the three sons of Georg II, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, daughter of Viktor II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym and Amelia of Nassau-Weilburg.

Georg Viktor had four siblings:

• Augusta of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1824 – 1893), married Alfred, Prince of Stolberg-Stolberg, had seven children
• Josef of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1825 – 1829), died in childhood
• Hermine of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1827 – 1910), married Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, had eight children
• Wolrad of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1833 – 1867)

On May 15, 1845, Georg Viktor’s father died and his mother Emma served as Regent of the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont until he reached his majority in 1852. One of Emma’s first acts was to reform the Waldeck-Pyrmont forces of the German Federal Army, which collectively defended the German Confederation, of which Waldeck-Pyrmont was a member, from external enemies. This was implemented in 1845 by Prussian army officers. The Revolutions of 1848 took place during Emma’s regency leading to a new constitution and a new parliament being convened. When Georg Viktor was to assume his powers as reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont on his 21st birthday, he refused to recognize the constitution that had been instituted as a result of the Revolutions of 1848. Georg Viktor took over the reigning only after a constitutional amendment that was acceptable to him passed on August 17, 1852.

Georg Viktor and Helena of Nassau; Credit – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/430445676888607858/

On September 26, 1853, in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in the German state of Hesse, Georg Victor married Helena of Nassau, daughter of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau and his second wife Pauline of Württemberg. Helena proved to be very successful in finding suitable marriages for their children by making contacts with various European royal houses. Because of her efforts, the relatively poor House of Waldeck-Pyrmont was linked to the richer ruling dynasties of Würtemberg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Georg Viktor and Helena are the ancestors of the Dutch royal family through their daughter Emma and the Swedish royal family through their daughter Helena.

Georg Viktor and Helena with their five elder daughters circa 1864; Credit – Wikipedia

Georg Viktor and Helena had six daughters and one son:

• Sophie of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1854 – 1869), died of tuberculosis at age fifteen
• Pauline of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1855 – 1925), married Alexis, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt, had eight children
• Marie of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1857 – 1882), married the future King Wilhelm II of Württemberg, had two children, died in childbirth as did her third child
• Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1858 – 1934), married King Willem III of the Netherlands, had one child Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
• Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1861 – 1922), married the youngest son of Queen Victoria, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, had two children including Charles Edward, last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha whose daughter Sibylla married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, their son is King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
• Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1865 – 1946), married Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe, had four children
• Elisabeth of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1873 – 1961) married Alexander, Prince of Erbach-Schönberg, had four children

In the Prussian-Austrian War (1866) Georg Viktor sided with the Kingdom of Prussia and then joined the North German Confederation, a group of German monarchies controlled and led by the largest and most powerful member, the Kingdom of Prussia. Due to a treaty, from 1868 onward, the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont was administered by Prussia but retained its legislative sovereignty. This reduced administrative costs for the small principality and was based on a ten-year contract that was repeatedly renewed for the duration of the principality’s existence. In 1871, the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont became a constituent state of the new German Empire.

Louise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Georg Viktor’s wife Helena had been in ill health during the last decade of her life. She died on October 28, 1888, aged 57, in Pyrmont, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in the German state of Lower Saxony. On April 29, 1891, at Schloss Luisenlund in Güby, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, Georg Viktor married Louise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, who was twenty-seven years younger. Louise was the daughter of Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe.

Georg Viktor and Louise had one son:

• Wolrad of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1892 – 1914), unmarried, killed in action two months after the start of World War I

Princely Mausoleum and Cemetery; Credit – www.findagrave.com

A year after the birth of his son Wolrad, Georg Viktor, aged 62, died from pneumonia on May 12, 1893, in the spa town Marienbad, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. He was buried with his first wife Helena in the Princely Cemetery at Schloss Rhoden (link in German) in Rhoden, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse. Georg Viktor’s second wife Louise survived him by 43 years, dying on July 2, 1936, aged 78, in Marburg an der Lahn, Germany, and was buried in the Princely Cemetery at Schloss Rhoden with her husband and his first wife.

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.

Waldeck-Pyrmont Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont Index
• Profiles: Princes and Consorts of Waldeck and Pyrmont
• Waldeck and Pyrmont Royal Burial Sites

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Georg Viktor (Waldeck-Pyrmont). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Viktor_(Waldeck-Pyrmont)> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Helene Von Nassau. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helene_von_Nassau> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Victor, Prince Of Waldeck And Pyrmont. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Victor,_Prince_of_Waldeck_and_Pyrmont> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Princess Helena Of Nassau. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Helena_of_Nassau> [Accessed 5 December 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Georg II, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/georg-ii-prince-of-waldeck-and-pyrmont/> [Accessed 3 December 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Waldeck-Pyrmont. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/former-monarchies/german-royals/principality-of-waldeck-and-pyrmont/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-waldeck-pyrmont/> [Accessed 30 November 2020].