Count Luitpold of Castell-Castell
Encyclopedia
Count Luitpold Alfred Friedrich Karl of Castell-Castell (born 14 November 1904 in Langenzell, Wiesenbach
, Grand Duchy of Baden
; died 6 or 8 November 1941 in Bankya
near Sofia
, Kingdom of Bulgaria
) was a staff officer in the German Army
during World War II
and a member of the extended Danish Royal Family
through his marriage to Princess Alexandrine-Louise of Denmark
. Luitpold was a Count of Castell-Castell and a member of the Countly House of Castell-Castell
.
, Grand Duchy of Baden
and was the eldest child and son of Count Otto Friedrich of Castell-Castell and his wife, Princess Amélie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg.
to Princess Alexandrine-Louise of Denmark
, third child and daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark
and his wife Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
, was announced on 24 August 1936 by special permission of Alexandrine-Louise's uncle Christian X of Denmark
. Until the announcement, Alexandrine-Louise had been frequently mentioned as a possible queen consort
to Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
. The couple met for the first time in Berlin
during the 1936 Summer Olympics
. Following their first meeting, Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise spent nearly every day together. Before her departure from Berlin, Luitpold proposed marriage and Alexandrine-Louise accepted. At the time of their engagement announcement, Luitpold was a law student residing in Munich
.
Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise were married on 22 January 1937 at Christiansborg Palace
in Copenhagen
, Kingdom of Denmark
. Footage
of the wedding on nitrate film is preserved by the Danish Film Institute
in their bunker
archive
for nitrate film at Store Dyrehave in Hillerød
. According to the film
archivist
Karin Bonde Johansen regarding the scenes captured by the film, "the atmosphere looks cheerful and wild looking, but unfortunately there is no audio to the footage."
Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise had three children:
in the German Army during World War II
. He died of his injuries from an airplane crash in action at a military hospital
at Bankya
near Sofia
, Kingdom of Bulgaria
on 6 or 8 November 1941 at the age of 36. Luitpold was interred at Bankya, and reinterred in the Castell-Castell family plot at the cemetery
in Hochburg
.
Wiesenbach (Rhein-Neckar)
Wiesenbach is a municipality in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis in Baden-Württemberg.-Geography:The town sits on the L 532/ B 45, between the heights of the Odenwald and the hills of the Kraichgau about 127 to 327 meters above sea-level. It is 15 km east of Heidelberg.It is called the gateway from the...
, Grand Duchy of Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
; died 6 or 8 November 1941 in Bankya
Bankya
Bankya is an upscale town and district in western Bulgaria. It is administratively part of greater Sofia.The district is famous for the mineral springs and baths that have been used for their medicinal properties for hundreds of years. Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov is a native...
near Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
) was a staff officer in the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and a member of the extended Danish Royal Family
Danish Royal Family
The Danish Royal Family includes the Queen of Denmark and her family. All members except the Queen hold the title of Prince/Princess of Denmark with the style of His/Her Royal Highness or His/Her Highness. The Queen is styled Her Majesty. The Queen and her siblings belong to the House of...
through his marriage to Princess Alexandrine-Louise of Denmark
Princess Alexandrine-Louise of Denmark
Princess Alexandrine-Louise Caroline-Mathilde Dagmar of Denmark and Iceland was the third child and daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark and his wife Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Alexandrine-Louise was a granddaughter of Frederick VIII of Denmark...
. Luitpold was a Count of Castell-Castell and a member of the Countly House of Castell-Castell
Castell-Castell
Castell-Castell was a County in the Holy Roman Empire. It was established as a partition of Castell-Remlingen in 1668, and it was partitioned between itself and Castell in 1709...
.
Family
Luitpold was born on 14 November 1904 in Langenzell, WiesenbachWiesenbach (Rhein-Neckar)
Wiesenbach is a municipality in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis in Baden-Württemberg.-Geography:The town sits on the L 532/ B 45, between the heights of the Odenwald and the hills of the Kraichgau about 127 to 327 meters above sea-level. It is 15 km east of Heidelberg.It is called the gateway from the...
, Grand Duchy of Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
and was the eldest child and son of Count Otto Friedrich of Castell-Castell and his wife, Princess Amélie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg.
Marriage and issue
Luitpold's engagementEngagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
to Princess Alexandrine-Louise of Denmark
Princess Alexandrine-Louise of Denmark
Princess Alexandrine-Louise Caroline-Mathilde Dagmar of Denmark and Iceland was the third child and daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark and his wife Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Alexandrine-Louise was a granddaughter of Frederick VIII of Denmark...
, third child and daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark
Prince Harald of Denmark
Prince Harald of Denmark was a member of the Danish Royal Family. He was the fourth child and third son of Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife, Princess Louise of Sweden and Norway, and thus brother to Christian X of Denmark.The prince served in the Royal Danish Army for most of his life, and...
and his wife Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was the third eldest daughter of Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and his wife Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg...
, was announced on 24 August 1936 by special permission of Alexandrine-Louise's uncle Christian X of Denmark
Christian X of Denmark
Christian X was King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and the only King of Iceland between 1918 and 1944....
. Until the announcement, Alexandrine-Louise had been frequently mentioned as a possible queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
to Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
. The couple met for the first time in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
during the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
. Following their first meeting, Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise spent nearly every day together. Before her departure from Berlin, Luitpold proposed marriage and Alexandrine-Louise accepted. At the time of their engagement announcement, Luitpold was a law student residing in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise were married on 22 January 1937 at Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace, , on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, is the seat of the Folketing , the Danish Prime Minister's Office and the Danish Supreme Court...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Kingdom of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Footage
Footage
In filmmaking and video production, footage is the raw, unedited material as it had been originally filmed by movie camera or recorded by a video camera which usually must be edited to create a motion picture, video clip, television show or similar completed work...
of the wedding on nitrate film is preserved by the Danish Film Institute
Danish Film Institute
The Danish Film Institute is the national Danish agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture, and for conserving these in the national interest....
in their bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
for nitrate film at Store Dyrehave in Hillerød
Hillerød
Hillerød Kommune is a municipality in Region Hovedstaden . The municipality covers an area of 191 km² , and has a total population of 46,568...
. According to the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
Karin Bonde Johansen regarding the scenes captured by the film, "the atmosphere looks cheerful and wild looking, but unfortunately there is no audio to the footage."
Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise had three children:
- Countess Amélie Alexandrine Helene Caroline Mathilde Pauline of Castell-Castell (b. Berlin 25 May 1938); m. Hochburg (civil) 3 September 1965 (religious) 5 September 1965 Oscar Ritter von Miller zu Aichholz (b. Vienna 7 July 1934)
- Countess Thyra Antonie Marie-Therese Feodora Agnes of Castell-Castell (b. Berlin 14 September 1939); m. Copenhagen 3 November 1961 Karl Moritz Moes (b. Copenhagen 17 October 1937)
- Count Otto-Luitpold Gustav Friedrich Christian Harald Carl Castell-Castell (b. Berlin 13 March 1942 – d. Berlin 19 March 1943)
Military service and death
Luitpold was a First LieutenantFirst Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in the German Army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He died of his injuries from an airplane crash in action at a military hospital
Military hospital
Military hospital is a hospital, which is generally located on a military base and is reserved for the use of military personnel, their dependents or other authorized users....
at Bankya
Bankya
Bankya is an upscale town and district in western Bulgaria. It is administratively part of greater Sofia.The district is famous for the mineral springs and baths that have been used for their medicinal properties for hundreds of years. Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov is a native...
near Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was established as an independent state when the Principality of Bulgaria, an Ottoman vassal, officially proclaimed itself independent on October 5, 1908 . This move also formalised the annexation of the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, which had been under the control...
on 6 or 8 November 1941 at the age of 36. Luitpold was interred at Bankya, and reinterred in the Castell-Castell family plot at the cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in Hochburg
Hochburg
The Hochburg is a castle near Emmendingen in southwest Germany.-Brief history:* 11th century — founded probably by Dietrich von Hachberg* 1127 — first mentioned in an official document...
.
Titles and styles
- 14 November 1904 – 6 or 8 November 1941: His Illustrious Highness Count Luitpold of Castell-Castell