Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Michael
Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Reign 14 October 1988 - present
Predecessor Hereditary Grand Duke Charles Augustus
Heir-Presumptive Prince Wilhelm Ernst
Born (1946-11-15) 15 November 1946
Bamberg, Germany
Spouse Renate Henkel
Dagmar Hennings
Issue Princess Leonie
Full name
Michael Benedikt Georg Jobst Carl Alexander Bernhard Claus Friedrich
House House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Father Charles Augustus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Mother Baroness Elisabeth of Wangenheim-Winterstein
Religion Lutheranism
Grand Ducal Family of
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
  • HRH The Prince
    HRH The Princess
    • HH Princess Leonie
  • HH Princess Elisabeth
  • HH Princess Beatrice-Maria

Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach[1] (German: Michael Prinz von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) (born 15 November 1946) is the current head of the Grand Ducal House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, as well as the most senior agnate of the entire House of Wettin.[2]

Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Prince Michael was born in Bamberg, Bavaria, the only son of Hereditary Grand Duke Charles Augustus of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Baroness Elisabeth of Wangenheim-Winterstein (1912–2010).[3] Among his godparents were Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia imposter, Anna Anderson, who was living with his aunt Princess Luise of Saxe-Meiningen.[4]

When his father died in 1988, Michael succeeded as Head of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. In 1991 he inherited the leadership in the House of Saxe-Altenburg, as that line went extinct and since 2012 he regards the Albertine royal Saxon line to also be extinct.[5]

In 2004 he withdrew his claim for restitution of numerous properties, archives (partly including those of Schiller and Goethe) as well as priceless artwork in a settlement with the Free State of Thuringia and acquired some forest estates in exchange.

Michael is in the line of succession to the British throne, being a great5-grandson of Princess Augusta, eldest sister of King George III.[3] As he has no sons, the current heir to the headship of the grand ducal house is his cousin Prince Wilhelm Ernst (b. 1946), followed by Wilhelm Ernst's son Prince Constantin (b. 1977)

Marriages

Prince Michael married Renate Henkel (b. Heidelberg, 17 September 1947), daughter of Konrad Henkel and wife Jutta von Hülsen and sister of Christoph Henkel, in a civil ceremony 9 June 1970 at Hamburg-Eimsbüttel. They were married religiously on 4 July 1970 at Linnep bei Breitscheid.[3] The marriage was childless and dissolved by divorce at Düsseldorf on 9 March 1974.

He was married secondly to Dagmar Hennings (b. Niederpöcking, 24 June 1948), daughter of Henrich Hennings and wife Margarethe Schacht, in London on 15 November 1980. They have one daughter:

Ancestry

References

  1. In 1919 royalty and nobility were mandated to lose their privileges in Germany, hereditary titles were to be legally borne thereafter only as part of the surname, according to Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution. Styles such as majesty and highness were not retained.
  2. Willis, Daniel A., The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain, Clearfield Company, 2002, pp. 457-458.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Montgomery-Massinberd, Hugh (1972). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family. London: Burke's Peerage, Ltd. p. 266. ISBN 0-220-66222-3.
  4. Mundy, Carlos & Stravlo, Marie. The Lost Romanov Icon and the Enigma of Anastasia. Page XXII
  5. Erbfolgestreit bei den Wettinern
Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Cadet branch of the House of Wettin
Born: 15 November 1946
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Charles Augustus
 TITULAR 
Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
14 October 1988 – present
Reason for succession failure:
Grand Duchy abolished in 1918
Incumbent
Heir:
Prince Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Head of the House of Wettin
14 October 1988 – present
British royalty
Preceded by
Prince Edzard of Wied
Line of succession to the British Throne Succeeded by
Princess Leonie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, March 11, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.