Prince Alexander Ferdinand of Prussia
Encyclopedia
Prince Alexander Ferdinand of Prussia (Alexander Ferdinand Albrecht Achilles Wilhelm Joseph Viktor Karl Feodor; 26 December 1912 - 12 June 1985) was the only son of Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia
and his wife Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
.
and his wife Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
. August Wilhelm was a younger son of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
His parent's marriage was unhappy, and they separated in 1920; custody of the young prince was awarded to Alexander Ferdinand's father.
Alexander Ferdinand attended the 1932 wedding of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten
to Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in the duchy of Coburg
; it was the first time a member of the German royal family entered the duchy since it became a republic.
Signal Corps, stationed in Wiesbaden
.
Like his father, who became a prominent supporter of the Nazi party, Alexander Ferdinand also became an early supporter. Prince August had secret hopes that Chancellor Adolf Hitler
"would one day hoist him or his son Alexander up to the vacant throne of the Kaiser". The support father and son gave to the emerging party caused strong disagreements among the Hohenzollerns, with Wilhelm II urging them both to leave the Nazi party.
In 1933 Alexander Ferdinand quit the SA
and became a private in the German regular army. In 1934, Berlin
reports leaked out that the prince quit the SA because Hitler had chosen 21-year old Alexander Ferdinand to succeed him as "head man in Germany when he [Hitler] no longer can carry the torch". The report went on to say however that Joseph Goebbels
was expected to oppose the prince's nomination.
As many German princes, becoming the targets of Hitler's mistrust, were removed from their commands in the military, Prince Alexander Ferdinand was the only Hohenzollern allowed to remain at his post.
garrison church, Alexander Ferdinand morganatically married Armgard (or Irmgard) Weygand, daughter of Major Friedrich Weygand and Karla Franziska Oheim. She was the widow of a major
in the German Air Force, and was originally from Wiesbaden, where Alexander Ferdinand was stationed. As the marriage was unequal, Alexander Ferdinand forfeited his rights of succession. None of his relatives attended the ceremony, but fellow officers served as witnesses.
They had one son:
Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia
Prince August Wilhelm Heinrich Günther Viktor of Prussia , called "Auwi", was the fourth son of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein....
and his wife Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was the second eldest daughter of Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and his wife Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.-Prince August:Alexandra Victoria's first...
.
Family and early life
Prince Alexander Ferdinand of Prussia was born on 26 December 1912 to Prince August Wilhelm of PrussiaPrince August Wilhelm of Prussia
Prince August Wilhelm Heinrich Günther Viktor of Prussia , called "Auwi", was the fourth son of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein....
and his wife Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was the second eldest daughter of Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and his wife Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.-Prince August:Alexandra Victoria's first...
. August Wilhelm was a younger son of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
His parent's marriage was unhappy, and they separated in 1920; custody of the young prince was awarded to Alexander Ferdinand's father.
Alexander Ferdinand attended the 1932 wedding of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten
Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten
Prince Gustaf Adolf Oscar Fredrik Arthur Edmund, Duke of Västerbotten was Duke of West Bothnia and the eldest son of Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught...
to Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in the duchy of Coburg
Coburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
; it was the first time a member of the German royal family entered the duchy since it became a republic.
Nazi party and military career
As of November 1939, Prince Alexander Ferdinand was a first lieutenant in the Air ForceAir force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
Signal Corps, stationed in Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
.
Like his father, who became a prominent supporter of the Nazi party, Alexander Ferdinand also became an early supporter. Prince August had secret hopes that Chancellor Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
"would one day hoist him or his son Alexander up to the vacant throne of the Kaiser". The support father and son gave to the emerging party caused strong disagreements among the Hohenzollerns, with Wilhelm II urging them both to leave the Nazi party.
In 1933 Alexander Ferdinand quit the SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
and became a private in the German regular army. In 1934, 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...
reports leaked out that the prince quit the SA because Hitler had chosen 21-year old Alexander Ferdinand to succeed him as "head man in Germany when he [Hitler] no longer can carry the torch". The report went on to say however that Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
was expected to oppose the prince's nomination.
As many German princes, becoming the targets of Hitler's mistrust, were removed from their commands in the military, Prince Alexander Ferdinand was the only Hohenzollern allowed to remain at his post.
Marriage
On 19 December 1938 in the DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
garrison church, Alexander Ferdinand morganatically married Armgard (or Irmgard) Weygand, daughter of Major Friedrich Weygand and Karla Franziska Oheim. She was the widow of a major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the German Air Force, and was originally from Wiesbaden, where Alexander Ferdinand was stationed. As the marriage was unequal, Alexander Ferdinand forfeited his rights of succession. None of his relatives attended the ceremony, but fellow officers served as witnesses.
They had one son:
- Stephan Alexander Dieter Friedrich Prinz von Preußen (30 September 1939); married firstly Heide Schmidt and secondly Hannelore-Maria Kerscher.
Titles and styles
- 26 December 1912 – 12 June 1985: His Royal Highness Prince Alexander Ferdinand of Prussia