Sophie, Princess of Prussia
Encyclopedia
Sophie Johanna Maria, Princess of Prussia (née
Princess of Isenburg, born 7 March 1978) is the wife of Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, head of the House of Hohenzollern
, which reigned as German emperors and kings of Prussia until deposed in 1918.
He is head of a mediatized
Catholic line of Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, which lost their independence in 1815. She has two sisters (Archduchess Katharina of Austria-Este and Isabelle, Princess of Wied
) and two brothers (Hereditary Prince Alexander and Prince Viktor). Growing up at Castle Birstein, the family seat in Hesse
, Sophie studied at a primary school in Birstein
and at St. Mary's school in Fulda
. Next, she attended the boarding school Kloster Wald and passed her A-Levels as well as a trade test as a dressmaker
. The princess undertook internships in her country's Bundestag
, and in London, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Sophie studied business administration at the University of Freiburg
and Humboldt University of Berlin
and works at a firm that offers consulting services for nonprofit business.
's city hall by Mayor Jann Jakobs on 25 August 2011,and the religious wedding took place at the Church of Peace
on 27 August 2011, in commemoration of the 950th anniversary of the founding of the House of Hohenzollern. Following the ceremony, a reception was held on the grounds of the Sanssouci
summer palace of Frederick the Great.
Numerous sources called it the most lavish Hohenzollern wedding since the marriage of the bridegroom's aunt, Princess Marie Cécile of Prussia
, to Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg
in 1965. The bride arrived with her father in a silver Rolls Royce and departed with her husband in a horse-drawn landau
for the reception at the Hohenzollerns' nearby former palace. Although the Prussian branch of the Hohenzollerns reigned as Evangelical Protestants
, Princess Sophie will retain her own faith, and a congratulatory message was read aloud at the ecumenical service by Count Gregor Henckel von Donnersmarck
, Abbot
of Heiligenkreuz
, from Pope Benedict XVI
and addressed to Seine Königliche Hoheit Prinz Georg Friedrich von Preussen und Ihre Durchlaucht Prinzessin Sophie von Isenburg ("His Royal Highness Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia and Her Serene Highness Princess Sophie of Isenburg"). Sophie wore the Isenburgs' traditional diamond diadem to the altar, replacing it with the 1905 Prussian Meander tiara of diamonds-and-platinum at the supper. The religious wedding ceremony was broadcast live by RBB, a public television station, over the objections of some leftist politicians, and drew 160,000 viewers – an 18.6% share of television viewership compared with its average 2.6% rating for that time of the day
Some 720 guests witnessed the noontime nuptials inside the church, 1300 well-wishers attended a reception at the nearby Neue Kammern
afterwards, 370 invitees joined the couple in the evening for the white-tie wedding dinner and ball at the Palace Orangerie
(and some had attended a charity concert with the couple at the Gendarmenmarkt
in Berlin the previous night, following their civil wedding).
Germany's political establishment was represented at the wedding by former finance minister Michael Glos
and Brandenburg
's incumbent and former premiers
, (Matthias Platzeck
) and (Manfred Stolpe
), respectively. Russia's ambassador to Germany (2004–2010), Vladimir Kotenev, also attended. From abroad came relatives of the bridal pair representing the reigning families of: Belgium (Prince Laurent), the Netherlands (Prince Jaime of Bourbon-Parma
and his sister, Princess Carolina
), Sweden (Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern
), the United Kingdom (Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor
), Luxembourg (Princess Sibilla
) and Liechtenstein (the Hereditary Prince Alois
and Hereditary Princess Sophie
, Princess Maria Annunciata), as well as Prince Hassan and Sarvarth of Jordan.
The pretender
s, dowager
s or heirs of many of the imperial or royal deposed dynasties
of Europe also attended the wedding of the dynastic heir of the German Emperor
s, including: Bavaria (Duke Franz
); Hanover (Dowager Princess Monika, Hereditary Prince Ernst August of Brunswick); Portugal (Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
and his Duchess, Isabel); Romania (Princess Royal Margarita); Russia (Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and her son, Grand Duke George
, who is paternally a Prince of Prussia); Saxony (Prince Alexander of Saxe-Gessaphe
and his Princess, Gisela) and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
(Carlo, Duke of Castro
and his Duchess, Camilla
).
Members of other formerly reign
ing families were also present, including: the imperial House of Habsburg (Archduke Georg and his Archduchess, Eilika); the royal House of Wittelsbach (Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria
and his Duchess, Elisabeth
); the royal House of Wurttemberg
(Duke Philipp
and his Duchess, Marie Caroline); the grandducal House of Zahringen (Maximilian, Margrave of Baden
and his Margravine, Valerie
); the grandducal House of Hesse (Landgrave Moritz); the grandducal House of Oldenburg
(Duke Friedrich August
, step-father and former uncle-in-law of the bridesgroom, and his Duchess, Donata
, the bride's new mother-in-law); the ducal House of Este (Dowager Archduchess Margherita and her son, Archduke Martin with his wife, Archduchess Katharina, sister of the bride); the ducal Houses of Ernestine Saxony
(Prince Andreas of Coburg); the princely House of Lippe
(Prince Armin
and his Princess, Traute, their son Hereditary Prince Stephan
and his Hereditary Princess, Maria
, Prince Alexander of Schaumburg
and his wife, Nadja Anna); the princely House of Hohenzollern
(Hereditary Prince Alexander and his wife, Katharina); the princely House of Leiningen
(Andreas, Prince of Leiningen and his Princess, Alexandra
, Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen
and his Princess, Isabelle, née Countess von Egloffstein); the princely House of Wied
(consisting of Prince Carl
and his Princess, Isabelle, another sister of the bride); and members of the royal House of Prussia itself (Ehrengard von Preussen née von Reden, Prince Christian Ludwig
and his sister Princess Irina, Prince Adalbert
, Prince Franz Friedrich and his wife Susann, Anastasia of Prussia, Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
and her husband, Prince Alois-Konstantin
, Marie Louise of Prussia, Countess of Schönburg-Glauchau and her husband, Count Rudi
, former owner of the Marbella Club Hotel
).
Absent were Georg Friedrich's paternal
uncles, Princes Friedrich Wilhelm, Michael and Christian-Sigismund von Preussen
, who were not invited, the first two having renounced their historical rights as Prussian dynasts upon marriage to commoners, and all three of whom had sued for larger portions of the estate and trust of their ancestor, ex-Kaiser Wilhelm II, the lion's share of which had been initially inherited by Georg Friedrich following the death of his grandfather, Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia
, in 1994.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Princess of Isenburg, born 7 March 1978) is the wife of Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, head of the 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...
, which reigned as German emperors and kings of Prussia until deposed in 1918.
Family and career
Princess Sophie was born on 7 March 1978 in Frankfurt-am-Main. Her parents are Franz-Alexander, Prince of Isenburg and his wife, née Countess Christine von Saurma-Jeltsch.He is head of a mediatized
German 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....
Catholic line of Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, which lost their independence in 1815. She has two sisters (Archduchess Katharina of Austria-Este and Isabelle, Princess 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...
) and two brothers (Hereditary Prince Alexander and Prince Viktor). Growing up at Castle Birstein, the family seat in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Sophie studied at a primary school in Birstein
Birstein
Birstein is a municipality on the northeastern edge of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis in Hesse, Germany with approximately 6,600 inhabitants. It was the home of the former principality of Isenburg-Birstein.-Geography:...
and at St. Mary's school in Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
. Next, she attended the boarding school Kloster Wald and passed her A-Levels as well as a trade test as a dressmaker
Dressmaker
A dressmaker is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Also called a mantua-maker or a modiste.-Notable dressmakers:*Cristobal Balenciaga*Charles Frederick Worth...
. The princess undertook internships in her country's Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
, and in London, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Sophie studied business administration at the University of Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
and Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
and works at a firm that offers consulting services for nonprofit business.
Marriage
On 21 January 2011, Georg Friedrich announced the couple's engagement. The civil wedding was conducted in PotsdamPotsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
's city hall by Mayor Jann Jakobs on 25 August 2011,and the religious wedding took place at the Church of Peace
Church 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...
on 27 August 2011, in commemoration of the 950th anniversary of the founding of the House of Hohenzollern. Following the ceremony, a reception was held on the grounds of the Sanssouci
Sanssouci
Sanssouci is the name of the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is...
summer palace of Frederick the Great.
Numerous sources called it the most lavish Hohenzollern wedding since the marriage of the bridegroom's aunt, Princess Marie Cécile of Prussia
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:...
, to 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:...
in 1965. The bride arrived with her father in a silver Rolls Royce and departed with her husband in a horse-drawn landau
Landau
Landau or Landau in der Pfalz is an autonomous city surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town , a long-standing cultural centre, and a market and shopping town, surrounded by vineyards and wine-growing villages of the...
for the reception at the Hohenzollerns' nearby former palace. Although the Prussian branch of the Hohenzollerns reigned as Evangelical Protestants
Evangelical Church
The term Evangelical Church may refer specifically to:* Slovak Evangelical Church* Armenian Evangelical Church* Assyrian Evangelical Church* Christian Evangelical Church of Romania* Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus...
, Princess Sophie will retain her own faith, and a congratulatory message was read aloud at the ecumenical service by Count Gregor Henckel von Donnersmarck
Henckel von Donnersmarck
The Henckel von Donnersmarcks are a Silesian noble family from the former region of Spiš in Upper Hungary, now in Slovakia. The founder of the family was Henckel de Quintoforo in the 14/15th Century...
, Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Heiligenkreuz
Heiligenkreuz Abbey
Heiligenkreuz Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Vienna woods, c. 13 km north-west of Baden in Lower Austria...
, from Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
and addressed to Seine Königliche Hoheit Prinz Georg Friedrich von Preussen und Ihre Durchlaucht Prinzessin Sophie von Isenburg ("His Royal Highness Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia and Her Serene Highness Princess Sophie of Isenburg"). Sophie wore the Isenburgs' traditional diamond diadem to the altar, replacing it with the 1905 Prussian Meander tiara of diamonds-and-platinum at the supper. The religious wedding ceremony was broadcast live by RBB, a public television station, over the objections of some leftist politicians, and drew 160,000 viewers – an 18.6% share of television viewership compared with its average 2.6% rating for that time of the day
Some 720 guests witnessed the noontime nuptials inside the church, 1300 well-wishers attended a reception at the nearby Neue Kammern
New Chambers (Sanssouci)
The New Chambers in Sanssouci Park, Potsdam, were constructed for King Frederick the Great of Prussia from 1771 to 1775.-History:The building, which stands to the west of Sanssouci Palace, serves as a complement to the Picture Gallery, which lies to the east...
afterwards, 370 invitees joined the couple in the evening for the white-tie wedding dinner and ball at the Palace Orangerie
Orangery Palace
The Orangery Palace is also known as the New Orangery on the Klausberg, or just the Orangery. It was built by the Romantic on the Throne, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, in his seat of Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany, from 1851 to 1864.-Background:...
(and some had attended a charity concert with the couple at the Gendarmenmarkt
Gendarmenmarkt
The Gendarmenmarkt is a square in Berlin, and the site of the Konzerthaus and the French and German Cathedrals. The centre of the Gendarmenmarkt is crowned by a statue of Germany's poet Friedrich Schiller. The square was created by Johann Arnold Nering at the end of the seventeenth century as the...
in Berlin the previous night, following their civil wedding).
Germany's political establishment was represented at the wedding by former finance minister Michael Glos
Michael Glos
Michael Glos is a German politician who served as Minister for Economics and Technology from November 22, 2005, until February 10, 2009....
and Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
's incumbent and former premiers
Minister-President
A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...
, (Matthias Platzeck
Matthias Platzeck
Matthias Platzeck is a German politician. He has been Minister-President of Brandenburg since 2002 and party chairman of the SPD from November 2005 to April 2006.-Private life:...
) and (Manfred Stolpe
Manfred Stolpe
Manfred Stolpe was Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Housing of the Federal Republic of Germany from 2002 until 2005. From 1990 until 2002 he was Premier of the State of Brandenburg.-Biography:...
), respectively. Russia's ambassador to Germany (2004–2010), Vladimir Kotenev, also attended. From abroad came relatives of the bridal pair representing the reigning families of: Belgium (Prince Laurent), the Netherlands (Prince Jaime of Bourbon-Parma
Prince Jaime, Count of Bardi
Prince Jaime Bernardo of Bourbon-Parma, Count of Bardi, Duke of San Jaime is the second son and third child of Princess Irene of the Netherlands and late Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, and is member of the Royal and Ducal House of Bourbon-Parma, as well of the Dutch Royal Family. The prince is heir...
and his sister, Princess Carolina
Princess Carolina, Marchioness of Sala
Princess Maria Carolina Christina of Bourbon-Parma, Marchioness of Sala , Duchess of Guernica, is the fourth and youngest child of Princess Irene of the Netherlands and Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, and is member of the Royal and Ducal House of Bourbon-Parma, as well of the Dutch Royal Family.-Early...
), Sweden (Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern
Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern
Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern is the sixth child of Frederick, Prince of Hohenzollern and his wife Princess Margarete Karola of Saxony Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (Johann Georg Carl Leopold Eitel-Friedrich Meinrad Maria Hubertus Michael; born 31 July 1932 in Schloss Sigmaringen,...
), the United Kingdom (Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor
Lord Nicholas Windsor
The Lord Nicholas Windsor is the youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, a great-grandson of King George V of the United Kingdom, and a first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II....
), Luxembourg (Princess Sibilla
Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg
Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg , was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France on 12 June 1968.-Family:...
) and Liechtenstein (the Hereditary Prince Alois
Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein
Alois Philipp Maria, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg is the eldest son of Hans Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Marie Aglaë Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau. Alois has been Regent of Liechtenstein since 15 August 2004...
and Hereditary Princess Sophie
Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein
Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein , is the wife of Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, Regent of Liechtenstein and heir apparent to the Liechtensteiner throne.-Early life and education:...
, Princess Maria Annunciata), as well as Prince Hassan and Sarvarth of Jordan.
The pretender
Pretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
s, dowager
Dowager
A dowager is a widow who holds a title or property, or dower, derived from her deceased husband. As an adjective, "Dowager" usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles....
s or heirs of many of the imperial or royal deposed dynasties
Abolished monarchy
Throughout history, monarchies have been abolished, either through revolutions, legislative reforms, coups d'état, or wars. The twentieth century saw a major acceleration of this process, with many monarchies violently overthrown by revolution or war, or else abolished as part of the process of...
of Europe also attended the wedding of the dynastic heir of the German Emperor
German Emperor
This article is about the emperors of the German Empire. For full list of German monarchs before 1871, see List of German monarchs.The German Emperor was the official title of the Head of State and ruler of the German Empire, beginning with the proclamation of Wilhelm I as emperor during the...
s, including: Bavaria (Duke Franz
Franz, Duke of Bavaria
Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Herzog von Bayern , styled as His Royal Highness The Duke of Bavaria, is head of the Wittelsbach family, the former ruling family of the Kingdom of Bavaria...
); Hanover (Dowager Princess Monika, Hereditary Prince Ernst August of Brunswick); Portugal (Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza
Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza , is the 24th Duke of Braganza and a pretender to the throne of Portugal.-Birth and education:...
and his Duchess, Isabel); Romania (Princess Royal Margarita); Russia (Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and her son, Grand Duke George
Grand Duke George of Russia
There have been several dynasts of Russian Imperial House whose name is George:* Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia , grandson of Nicholas I and son of Grand duke Michael Nicolaievich of Russia....
, who is paternally a Prince of Prussia); Saxony (Prince Alexander of Saxe-Gessaphe
Prince Alexander of Saxe-Gessaphe
Prince Alexander of Saxe-Gessaphe , is the adopted heir of Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen, and a businessman with Lebanese, Mexican and German roots....
and his Princess, Gisela) and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
(Carlo, Duke of Castro
Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro
Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro is one of two claimants to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.-Early life and education:...
and his Duchess, Camilla
Princess Camilla, Duchess of Castro
Princess Camilla of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Castro is the wife of Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, a claimant to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies....
).
Members of other formerly reign
Reign
A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation or of a people . In most hereditary monarchies and some elective monarchies A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office...
ing families were also present, including: the imperial House of Habsburg (Archduke Georg and his Archduchess, Eilika); the royal House of Wittelsbach (Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria
Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria
Max-Emanuel Ludwig Maria Herzog in Bayern, sometimes styled Prince Max of Bavaria, Duke in Bavaria, born 21 January 1937 as son of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, is the heir presumptive to both the headship of the former Bavarian Royal House and the Jacobite Succession...
and his Duchess, Elisabeth
Princess Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria
align="right"|Princess Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria is the wife of Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria, heir presumptive to both the former Bavarian Royal House and the Jacobite Succession.-Family background:...
); the royal House of Wurttemberg
House of Württemberg
The Württemberg family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Württemberg. The House has its origins, according to recent research, probably in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty.-History:...
(Duke Philipp
Duke Philipp of Württemberg
Philipp of Württemberg was a duke of Württemberg. He was the son of Alexander of Württemberg and of Marie d'Orléans....
and his Duchess, Marie Caroline); the grandducal House of Zahringen (Maximilian, Margrave of Baden
Maximilian, Margrave of Baden
Maximilian, Margrave of Baden , is the son of Berthold, Margrave of Baden and Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark...
and his Margravine, Valerie
Archduchess Valerie of Austria
Archduchess Valerie of Austria is a member of the Tuscan line of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and an Archduchess and Princess of Austria and a Princess of Hungary, Bohemia, and Tuscany by birth...
); the grandducal House of Hesse (Landgrave Moritz); the grandducal House 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...
(Duke Friedrich August
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:...
, step-father and former uncle-in-law of the bridesgroom, and his Duchess, Donata
Counts of Castell
The family appears already in 1057 with Robbrath de Castello. The County of Castell was created in AD1200, in the modern region of Franconia in northern Bavaria, Germany. Rulership of Castell was shared between the brothers Louis and Rupert II in 1223, and later with the brothers Albert II,...
, the bride's new mother-in-law); the ducal House of Este (Dowager Archduchess Margherita and her son, Archduke Martin with his wife, Archduchess Katharina, sister of the bride); the ducal Houses of Ernestine Saxony
Ernestine duchies
The Ernestine duchies, also called the Saxon duchies , were a changing number of small states largely located in the present German state of Thuringia, governed by dukes of the Ernestine line of the House of Wettin.-Overview:The...
(Prince Andreas of Coburg); the princely House of Lippe
House of Lippe
The House of Lippe is a German Royal House. The House of Lippe descends from Count Jobst Hermann of Lippe whose son Bernhard I was the founder of the state of Lippe in 1123....
(Prince Armin
Armin, Prince of Lippe
Armin, Prince of Lippe is the son of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe and his second wife Princess Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen.-Head of the House of Lippe:...
and his Princess, Traute, their son Hereditary Prince Stephan
Stephan, Hereditary Prince of Lippe
Stephan, Hereditary Prince of Lippe was born on 24 May 1959 in Detmold, Germany. He is the son of Armin Leopold Ernst Bruno Heinrich Willa August Prince of Lippe and Traute Becker and the heir to the headship of the house of Lippe.-Marriage and children: He married Countess Maria of...
and his Hereditary Princess, Maria
Solms-Laubach
Solms-Laubach was a County of southern Hesse and eastern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was originally created as a partition of Solms-Lich. Solms-Laubach partitioned between itself and Solms-Sonnenwalde 1561; between itself, Solms-Baruth and Solms-Rödelheim 1607; and between itself and...
, Prince Alexander of Schaumburg
Alexander, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
Alexander, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe is the head of the Princely House of Schaumburg-Lippe. As such, he carries the title Fürst zu Schaumburg-Lippe.-Biography:...
and his wife, Nadja Anna); the princely House of Hohenzollern
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
-Noble jurisdictions:Prince Karl Eitel of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, and descendants of his nephew Ferdinand ruled over the Kingdom of Romania, as Karl Eitel did not have children...
(Hereditary Prince Alexander and his wife, Katharina); the princely House of Leiningen
Prince of Leiningen
The title of Prince of Leiningen was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, who elevated Carl Friedrich Wilhelm, Count of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hartenburg to the rank of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire on 3 July 1779...
(Andreas, Prince of Leiningen and his Princess, Alexandra
Princess Alexandra of Hanover
Princess Alexandra of Hanover Princess Alexandra of Hanover Princess Alexandra of Hanover (German: Alexandra Charlotte Ulrike Maryam Virginia Prinzessin von Hannover (born 20 July 1999 in Vöcklabruck, Upper Austria,) is the only child of Ernst August, Prince of Hanover, and Caroline, Hereditary...
, Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen
Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen
Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen , was born on June 12, 1952. He is the eldest son of Emich, 7th Prince of Leiningen and his wife Duchess Eilika of Oldenburg, and is an elder brother of Andreas, 8th Prince of Leiningen.-Marriages and children:He married Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Oehringen on...
and his Princess, Isabelle, née Countess von Egloffstein); the princely House of Wied
Wied
Wied was a County of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located on the river Wied where it meets the Rhine. Wied emerged as a County earlier than many other German states. From 1243–1462, Wied was united with an Isenburgian County as Isenburg-Wied. Wied was partitioned twice: between itself and...
(consisting of Prince Carl
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...
and his Princess, Isabelle, another sister of the bride); and members of the royal House of Prussia itself (Ehrengard von Preussen née von Reden, Prince Christian Ludwig
Prince Christian Ludwig of Prussia
Prince Christian Ludwig Michael Friedrich Ferdinand of Prussia is the second in line for the headship of the House of Hohenzollern. He is the son of Prince Christian-Sigismund of Prussia...
and his sister Princess Irina, Prince Adalbert
Prince Adalbert of Prussia
Prince Adalbert of Prussia was a son of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein.-Marriage:He married Princess Adelheid "Adi" of Saxe-Meiningen on 3 August 1914 in...
, Prince Franz Friedrich and his wife Susann, Anastasia of Prussia, Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
Anastasia, Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
Anastasia, Princess of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, née Princess Anastasia of Prussia is the consort of Alois-Konstantin, 9th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg...
and her husband, Prince Alois-Konstantin
Alois-Konstantin, 9th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg
Alois-Konstantin, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, full German name: Alois Konstantin Karl Eduard Joseph Johann Konrad Antonius Gerhard Georg Benediktus Pius Eusebius Maria, Fürst zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg is a German businessman and since 1990 the head of the high-noble House of...
, Marie Louise of Prussia, Countess of Schönburg-Glauchau and her husband, Count Rudi
House of Schönburg
Schönburg is the name of an old noble house, formerly with properties in present day Saxony, Thuringia and Bohemia.- History :...
, former owner of the Marbella Club Hotel
Marbella Club Hotel
The Marbella Club Hotel is a hotel in Marbella, Spain. Guests have included Ava Gardner, Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and Laurence Olivier.The hotel is located on the Southern Spanish Costa del Sol, on the "Golden Mile" near Old Town Marbella and Puerto Banús....
).
Absent were Georg Friedrich's paternal
Patrilineality
Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to one's father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well....
uncles, Princes Friedrich Wilhelm, Michael and Christian-Sigismund von Preussen
Prince Christian-Sigismund of Prussia
Prince Christian-Sigismund of Prussia is the heir presumptive and uncle to Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, head of the House of Hohenzollern. He is a son of Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia and Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia...
, who were not invited, the first two having renounced their historical rights as Prussian dynasts upon marriage to commoners, and all three of whom had sued for larger portions of the estate and trust of their ancestor, ex-Kaiser Wilhelm II, the lion's share of which had been initially inherited by Georg Friedrich following the death of his grandfather, Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia
Louis 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...
, in 1994.