Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Gottfried
Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Born (1897-03-24)24 March 1897
Langenburg, Kingdom of Württemberg
Died 11 May 1960(1960-05-11) (aged 63)
Langenburg, West Germany
Spouse Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark
(m. 1931; his death 1960)
Issue Kraft, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Princess Beatrix
Prince George
Prince Albert
Prince Ruprecht
Full name
German: Gottfried Hermann Alfred Paul Maximilian Viktor
House House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Father Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Mother Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (German: Gottfried Hermann Alfred Paul Maximilian Viktor Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg; 24 March 1897  11 May 1960) was the only surviving son of Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. He was the titular Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg from 1950 until his death.

Early life

Gottfried was born at Langenburg, Kingdom of Württemberg, the first child of Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1863–1950), (son of Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Leopoldine of Baden) and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1878–1942), (daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia). Through his maternal grandparents, he was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and of Tsar Alexander II.

After the fall of the Imperial German monarchy in 1918, Gottfried continued to serve as a leader of the European aristocracy.[1] He served in the German army in World War II, becoming severely injured at the Russian front. He was dismissed from the army after the abortive attempt on Adolf Hitler's life on 20 July 1944.[1]

Marriage and issue

Gottfried had a brief engagement to the widow Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt in 1927–28.[2][3] During the Gloria Vanderbilt custody trial in 1934, testimony of a scandalous nature was provided about the Prince and Mrs. Vanderbilt's relationship during their engagement.[4] The Prince became a witness for Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt in the trial, in an attempt to clear both of their names.[5]

On 3 December 1930, Gottfried announced his engagement with his second cousin once removed, Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark (1905–1981), eldest daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and his wife, Princess Alice of Battenberg.[6] They were married on 20 April 1931 in Langenburg.[7] Both Princess Margarita and Prince Gottfried had common ancestors in Queen Victoria and Nicholas I of Russia. In descent from Queen Victoria, Prince Gottfried was a second cousin of Princess Margarita's mother Alice; i.e., they shared the Queen as their great-grandmother. In descent from Nicholas I, they were third cousins by being Nicholas' great-great-grandchildren, the Russian connection being through Gottfried's maternal grandmother Maria Alexandrovna, and Margarita's paternal grandmother Olga Konstantinovna, both of whom were grandchildren of Nicholas I.

Their marriage produced six children, all of whom were styled as His/Her Serene Highness:

Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

At the death of his father in 1950, Gottfried inherited the title of Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.[1][7]

Titles and styles

Ancestry

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Prince Hohenlohe-Langenburg of German Noble Family Dies", The New York Times (Bonn), 12 May 1960
  2. "Mrs. Vanderbilt Is Offered Aid". Herald-Journal. 5 October 1934. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  3. "Gloria Is Bound For Europe". Rochester Evening Journal. 23 January 1929. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  4. "Mrs. Vanderbilt's Paris Life Exposed". Lewiston Daily Sun. 2 October 1934. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  5. "Mrs. Whitney Ritzes Prince In Grand Way". The Pittsburgh Press. 16 October 1934. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  6. "Betrothal To Unite Royalty Of 2 Nations", The New York Times (Stuttgart), 4 December 1930
  7. 1 2 Marlene A. Eilers, Queen Victoria's Descendants (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987), page 181. Hereinafter cited as Queen Victoria's Descendants.

Sources

Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Cadet branch of the House of Hohenlohe
Born: 24 March 1897 Died: 11 May 1960
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Ernst II
 TITULAR 
Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
1950  1960
Reason for succession failure:
German nobility titles abolished
Succeeded by
Kraft
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