Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia
Encyclopedia
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Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, (legal name: Georg Friedrich Ferdinand Prinz von Preußen), (born 10 June 1976) is the current head of the Imperial House of Hohenzollern
, the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire
and of the Kingdom of Prussia
. He is the great-great-grandson and historic heir of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, who was deposed
and, initially, went into exile upon Germany's defeat in the Great War
in 1918.
princely family, she is now Duchess Donata of Oldenburg
by her second marriage to her former sister-in-law
's ex-husband, Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg
). Georg Friedrich attended grammar schools in Bremen
and Oldenburg and completed his education at Glenalmond College
near Perth, Scotland, where he passed his A-levels. Following a two-year stint in the German army, Georg Friedrich studied business economics at the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology
.
Georg Friedrich currently works for a company specialising in helping universities bring their innovations to market. He also administers the Princess Kira of Prussia-Foundation, founded by his grandmother in 1952.
as Head of the House of Hohenzollern on 26 September 1994. He learned to appreciate the history and responsibility of his heritage during time spent with his paternal grandfather, who often recounted to him anecdotes from the life in exile of his grandfather, the last Kaiser
. When asked about the burden of the Prussian dynasty's house law
s, which made Georg Friedrich the ex-Kaiser's heir despite the seniority of two of his late father's living brothers, he commented "Our family has very strict rules about marriage. Only God knows who I shall marry, but I want to be with someone who at least understands my responsibilities...So it is likely that this might be a person from the same background as mine."
His position as sole heir to the estate of his grandfather was challenged by his uncles, Friedrich Wilhelm
and Michael who filed a lawsuit claiming that, despite their renunciations as dynasts at the time of their marriages, the loss of their inheritance rights based on their selection of spouse was discriminatory and unconstitutional. His uncles were initially successful, the Regional Court of Hechingen
and the higher Regional Court of Stuttgart
ruling in their favour in 1997 on the grounds that the requirement to marry equally
was "immoral". However, the Federal Court of Justice of Germany
overturned the original rulings in favour of Georg Friedrich's uncles, the case being remand
ed to the courts at Hechingen
and Stuttgart
. This time both courts ruled in favour of Georg Friedrich. His uncles then took their case to the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
which overruled the previous court rulings in Georg Friedrich's favour. On 19 October 2005, a German regional court ruled that Georg Friedrich was indeed the principal heir of his grandfather, Louis Ferdinand (who was the primary beneficiary of the trust set up for the estate of Wilhelm II), but also concluded that each of the children of Louis Ferdinand was entitled to a portion of the Prussian inheritance.
in Potsdam on 27 August 2011, in commemoration of the 950th anniversary of the founding of the House of Hohenzollern. The religious wedding was also broadcast live by local public television.
Princess Sophie's parents are Franz-Alexander, Prince of Isenburg
and his wife, née Countess Christine von Saurma-Jeltsch. The couple share descent (being 6th cousins once-removed) from Charles II, the first reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
and a brother of Charlotte of Mecklenburg
, queen consort
of George III of the United Kingdom
. Princess Sophie's father is head of the senior branch of the mediatised princely House of Isenburg, known under the Holy Roman Empire
and subsequent German Empire as the Büdingen-Birstein
line. In 1913 Franz Alexander's grandfather, Franz Joseph, dropped the und Büdingen zu Birstein suffix from his title as Fürst
von Isenburg.
The princess has two brothers, and her elder sisters are, respectively, Archduchess Katharina (born 1971), wife since 2004 of Archduke Martin of Austria-Este, and Princess Isabelle (born 1973), wife since 1998 of Carl, Prince of Wied
.
(Traditional titles)
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Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, (legal name: Georg Friedrich Ferdinand Prinz von Preußen), (born 10 June 1976) is the current head of the Imperial House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
, the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
and of the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. He is the great-great-grandson and historic heir of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, who was deposed
Deposition
Deposition or Depose may refer to:* Deposition , taking testimony outside of court* Deposition , molecules settling out of a solution...
and, initially, went into exile upon Germany's defeat in the Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1918.
Education and career
Georg Friedrich is the only son of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (1944–1977) and Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born a member of a mediatizedGerman Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
princely family, she is now Duchess Donata of Oldenburg
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...
by her second marriage to her former sister-in-law
Princess Marie Cécile of Prussia
Princess Marie-Cécile of Prussia , , is the second daughter of Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia and his wife, Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia.-Marriage and children:...
's ex-husband, Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg
Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg
Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg is a member of the House of Holstein-Gottorp. He is a son of Nikolaus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont.-Family and early life:...
). Georg Friedrich attended grammar schools in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
and Oldenburg and completed his education at Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. The school's motto is Floreat Glenalmond...
near Perth, Scotland, where he passed his A-levels. Following a two-year stint in the German army, Georg Friedrich studied business economics at the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology
Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg
The Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg is a small German University of Technology with about 5000 students in the city of Freiberg, Saxony...
.
Georg Friedrich currently works for a company specialising in helping universities bring their innovations to market. He also administers the Princess Kira of Prussia-Foundation, founded by his grandmother in 1952.
House of Hohenzollern
Georg Friedrich succeeded his grandfather, Prince Louis Ferdinand I of PrussiaLouis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia
-Children:* Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia , married firstly Waltraud Freytag on 22 August 1967 in Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany; secondly Ehrengard von Reden on 23 April 1976; thirdly Sibylle Kretschmer. He renounced his succession rights on 18 September 1967...
as Head of the House of Hohenzollern on 26 September 1994. He learned to appreciate the history and responsibility of his heritage during time spent with his paternal grandfather, who often recounted to him anecdotes from the life in exile of his grandfather, the last Kaiser
Kaiser
Kaiser is the German title meaning "Emperor", with Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "Empress". Like the Russian Czar it is directly derived from the Latin Emperors' title of Caesar, which in turn is derived from the personal name of a branch of the gens Julia, to which Gaius Julius Caesar,...
. When asked about the burden of the Prussian dynasty's house law
House law
House law or House laws are rules that govern a royal family or dynasty in matters of eligibility for succession to a throne, membership in a dynasty, exercise of a regency, or entitlement to dynastic rank, titles and styles...
s, which made Georg Friedrich the ex-Kaiser's heir despite the seniority of two of his late father's living brothers, he commented "Our family has very strict rules about marriage. Only God knows who I shall marry, but I want to be with someone who at least understands my responsibilities...So it is likely that this might be a person from the same background as mine."
His position as sole heir to the estate of his grandfather was challenged by his uncles, Friedrich Wilhelm
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia was a member of the House of Hohenzollern, great-grandson of Frederick William III of Prussia.-Early life and education:...
and Michael who filed a lawsuit claiming that, despite their renunciations as dynasts at the time of their marriages, the loss of their inheritance rights based on their selection of spouse was discriminatory and unconstitutional. His uncles were initially successful, the Regional Court of Hechingen
Hechingen
Hechingen is a town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about south of the state capital of Stuttgart and north of Lake Constance and the Swiss border.- City districts :...
and the higher Regional Court of Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
ruling in their favour in 1997 on the grounds that the requirement to marry equally
Equal marriage
Equal marriage can refer to:*The custom or legal requirement of Ebenbürtigkeit practiced by royalty in Europe and elsewhere; see Royal intermarriage....
was "immoral". However, the Federal Court of Justice of Germany
Federal Court of Justice of Germany
The Federal Court of Justice of Germany in Karlsruhe is the highest court in the system of ordinary jurisdiction in Germany. It is the supreme court in all matters of criminal and private law...
overturned the original rulings in favour of Georg Friedrich's uncles, the case being remand
Remand
The term remand may be used to describe an action by an appellate court in which it remands, or sends back, a case to the trial court or lower appellate court for action....
ed to the courts at Hechingen
Hechingen
Hechingen is a town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about south of the state capital of Stuttgart and north of Lake Constance and the Swiss border.- City districts :...
and Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. This time both courts ruled in favour of Georg Friedrich. His uncles then took their case to the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
The Federal Constitutional Court is a special court established by the Grundgesetz, the German basic law...
which overruled the previous court rulings in Georg Friedrich's favour. On 19 October 2005, a German regional court ruled that Georg Friedrich was indeed the principal heir of his grandfather, Louis Ferdinand (who was the primary beneficiary of the trust set up for the estate of Wilhelm II), but also concluded that each of the children of Louis Ferdinand was entitled to a portion of the Prussian inheritance.
Marriage
On 21 January 2011, Georg Friedrich announced his engagement to Princess Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg (born 7 March 1978), who studied business administration in Freiburg and Berlin and works at a firm that offers consulting services for nonprofit business. The civil wedding took place in Potsdam on 25 August 2011, and the religious wedding took place at the Church of PeaceChurch of Peace (Sanssouci)
The Protestant Church of Peace is situated in the Marly Gardens on the Green Fence in the palace grounds of Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany. The church was built according to the wishes and with the close involvement of the artistically gifted King Frederick William IV and designed by the court...
in Potsdam on 27 August 2011, in commemoration of the 950th anniversary of the founding of the House of Hohenzollern. The religious wedding was also broadcast live by local public television.
Princess Sophie's parents are Franz-Alexander, Prince of Isenburg
Isenburg
Isenburg was a region of Germany located in southern present-day Hesse, located in territories north and south of Frankfurt. The states of Isenburg emerged from the Niederlahngau , which partitioned in 1137 into Isenburg-Isenburg and Isenburg-Limburg-Covern...
and his wife, née Countess Christine von Saurma-Jeltsch. The couple share descent (being 6th cousins once-removed) from Charles II, the first reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern...
and a brother of Charlotte of Mecklenburg
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...
, 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...
of George III of the United Kingdom
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. Princess Sophie's father is head of the senior branch of the mediatised princely House of Isenburg, known under the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and subsequent German Empire as the Büdingen-Birstein
Isenburg-Birstein
Isenburg-Birstein was the name of two German historical states based around Birstein in southeastern Hesse, Germany. The first "Isenburg-Birstein" was a County and was created as a partition of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein in 1628. It was merged into Isenburg-Offenbach in 1664. The second...
line. In 1913 Franz Alexander's grandfather, Franz Joseph, dropped the und Büdingen zu Birstein suffix from his title as Fürst
Fürst
Fürst is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince.The term refers to the head of a principality and is distinguished from the son of a monarch, who is referred to as Prinz...
von Isenburg.
The princess has two brothers, and her elder sisters are, respectively, Archduchess Katharina (born 1971), wife since 2004 of Archduke Martin of Austria-Este, and Princess Isabelle (born 1973), wife since 1998 of Carl, Prince of Wied
Carl, Prince of Wied
Carl, Prince of Wied is son of Frederick William, 7th Prince of Wied. Since 2000, he is the titular Prince of Wied.-Early life:Carl was born at Neuwied, West Germany, the second child of Frederick William, Prince of Wied , and his first wife, Princess Guda of Waldeck and Pyrmont Carl, Prince of...
.
Titles and styles
- 10 June 1976 – present: "Herr Prinz von Preußen" ("Mister Prince of Prussia")
(Traditional titles)
- 10 June 1976 – 26 September 1994: His Royal Highness Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia
- 26 September 1994 – present: His Imperial and Royal Highness the Prince of Prussia
Quotes
- "I do not see any reason for the political system in Germany to be changed. And I am very happy — probably happier than many of my forebears."
- "I have as head of the House of Hohenzollern no political role — and neither do I aim at such."