Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt
| Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt | |
|---|---|
 Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt at the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, 2008 | |
| Born |
Hans Georg Robert Lichtenberg 18 June 1943 Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland, Germany[1] |
| Residence | Bel Air, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | German |
| Other names | Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt[1] |
| Citizenship |
Germany; United States (naturalized)[1] |
| Known for |
Adoptive son of Marie-Auguste of Anhalt Marriage to Zsa Zsa Gabor |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Spouse(s) | Zsa Zsa Gabor (m. 1986) |
| Website |
www |
Frédéric Prince of Anhalt (born Hans Georg Robert Lichtenberg, 18 June 1943) is the adopted son of Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt.
Frédéric was born in Germany on 18 June 1943, to a police councillor and his wife. Frédéric became a medical entrepreneur, specializing in remedial treatments - particularly with women - later opening a brothel, and furthermore a nightclub; an industry later taken on by his eldest son. In 1980 he was adopted as an adult by Princess Marie-Auguste after the death of her son, Prince Karl Franz, allegedly a childhood friend of Frédéric, though this is contested,[2] who himself became close to the royal family.
When Marie-Auguste died in 1984, Prinz von Anhalt became a socialite in America, amassing a vast fortune and practicing a flamboyant lifestyle. On 14 August 1986, Prinz von Anhalt married Hungarian-born American actress Zsa Zsa Gabor. It is Gabor's ninth and longest marriage, and at least Prinz von Anhalt's seventh, who was married and divorced six times prior, including once in exchange for $4 million.[3] In addition to selling his name in marriage, von Anhalt sold a many as 68 "knighthoods" for $50,000 apiece.[3]
Together, von Anhalt and Gabor have followed the same course, making male adult adoptions, including Marcus, Michael, Maxmillian and Oliver. He had a stepdaughter, Constance Francesca Hilton, from Gabor's marriage to Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton family hotel empire, and great-grandfather of Paris Hilton.
Frédéric's business interests encompass a range of investments in film, food and gambling, while his political ideology is limited to various social and environmental issues; expressed primarily when he campaigned to become Mayor of Los Angeles and later for Governor of California. He withdrew from both of those races after poor showings in the polls.[4] He has been an executive producer of many films, notably a film starring Ben Affleck,[5] and has invested in restaurants, including Hofbrau; a buffet-style food service found in the San Francisco Bay Area, whose name is derived from the German term meaning 'brewery', which has ties to Prinz von Anhalt's adopted royal house. He has also (legally) promoted gambling and has invested in many casinos in Las Vegas.
Early life and family
Hans Lichtenberg was born in Bad Kreuznach in the Rhineland, Germany,[1] one of five children of a criminal police councillor, Ferdinand, and his wife, Barbara.[1] In 1980, Lichtenberg was adopted as a 36-year-old adult by Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt (1898–1983), daughter-in-law of German Emperor Wilhelm II.[1]
Adoption and title
His name became "Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt" when he was adopted. "Prinz von Anhalt" is his surname, not a title - following contemporary German laws about the country's nobility - however, Prinz von Anhalt calls himself "Prince Frédéric of Anhalt, Duke of Saxony and Westphalia, Count of Ascania". Marie Auguste's first husband was Prince Joachim of Prussia, the youngest son of German Emperor Wilhelm II. Prince Joachim committed suicide in 1920, after four years of marriage. In 1926, she wed Johannes-Michael Freiherr von Loën, whom she divorced in 1935.[6]
Some reports say that Prinz von Anhalt claimed to be a childhood friend of Princess Marie Auguste's only child, Prince Karl Franz of Prussia (1916–1975), and that the grieving mother adopted him out of kindness, and calling him "Prince" and "Duke of Saxony". However, British press reports indicate that Princess Marie Auguste was bankrupt and the adoption was a business transaction, allegedly masterminded by Hans Hermann Weyer, a former window dresser who became the honorary consul of Bolivia in Luxembourg.[2] Weyer was known for selling certificates of nobility, doctoral degrees from fictitious universities and other spurious decorations in Germany in the 1960s.[7][8]
Although Princess Marie-Auguste adopted Frédéric, the ducal family of Anhalt (the House of Ascania) has never recognized him as being part of their lineage. The website of the House of Ascania states that the adoption laws of Germany allow adult adoptions with almost no conditions, and the website lists those who are actually descended from the House of Ascania. Frédéric is not included.[9]
When asked about his name in 2010, Prinz von Anhalt explained that he was a family friend and had often played soccer with Princess Marie-Auguste's son and said she had agreed to adopt him. He also said: "It doesn't mean anything, it's just a name. After 1918 in Germany, royalty didn't exist any longer."[1]
Zsa Zsa Gabor has claimed that, shortly after their marriage, she came close to arranging Prinz von Anhalt's adoption by a (anonymous) member of the British Royal Family.[10]
Career and Marriage
Zsa Zsa Gabor
On 14 August 1986, Prinz von Anhalt married Zsa Zsa Gabor, who is 26 years his senior. The couple is still married, making it Gabor's longest marriage. "We didn't marry for love", he later said. "It was a friendship, but when you're with someone over a certain time you fall in love." The marriage is factually Gabor's ninth, and at least von Anhalt's seventh,[3] but legally her eighth; her marriage to Felipe de Alba having been annulled because she was still married to Michael O'Hara when she married de Alba.. When Gabor and Prinz von Anhalt married, she took on the de facto title "Princess Zsa Zsa, Duchess of Saxony", in concert with Prinz von Anhalt's pretender claimant title, which had been given to him by his adoptive mother.
Anna Nicole Smith affair
On 9 February 2007, von Anhalt stated that he had a decade-long affair with Anna Nicole Smith and could potentially be the father of her infant girl Dannielynn Birkhead. However, later in March, it was determined that Frederic von Anhalt was not the father of the baby; Smith's ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead was the biological father.[11]
Adult adoptees
Together with his wife Zsa Zsa Gabor, Prinz von Anhalt has adopted several adult males. Among them are: Marcus Prinz von Anhalt (formerly known as Marcus Eberhardt), who refers to himself as "Prinz Germany";[12] Oliver Prinz von Anhalt (formerly known as Oliver Bendig); Michael Prinz von Anhalt (formerly known as Michael Killer).[13] Following their adoption, these men are entitled to use the last name of "Prinz von Anhalt". German newspapers have speculated that Frédéric is effectively selling the name, which would be a criminal offence in Germany and render the adoptions, which were made under German law, invalid. His eldest adopted sons, Marcus and Michael, have an erratic image, seen at several nightclubs and parties, and being arrested and charged several times; while his younger adopted sons, Maxmillian and Oliver tend to keep a lower profile.
Politics
Candidacy for Governor of California
On 16 February 2010, Prinz von Anhalt announced his candidacy for Governor of California, as an independent candidate, against Arnold Schwarzenegger.[14] He withdrew his candidacy on 2 August 2010, citing his wife's health issues.[15]
Personal life
Clash with Gabor's daughter
Zsa Zsa Gabor's daughter, the late Francesca Hilton, alleged Prinz von Anhalt compromised her mother's dignity, security and health for attention and profit. Hilton claimed Prinz von Anhalt prohibited Gabor from having visitors, including her own daughter.[16]
Hilton claimed he fostered a circus atmosphere surrounding her mother's health,[17] had plans to have her body preserved with plastic for public display, and claims Gabor wanted to mother a child at the age of 94, which she described as "just weird."[18] Hilton remained worried about her mother's health, home, and fortune.
At the time of her death, relations between Hilton and Prinz von Anhalt had been sour for nearly a decade. In 2005, he sued Hilton, alleging she had attempted to defraud her mother. However, Gabor refused to sign the papers in her husband's suit against her daughter so the court dismissed it.[19]
Health
On 20 October 2010 von Anhalt was taken to the hospital after swallowing a bee, which then stung him in the throat.[20]
On 22 December 2010 von Anhalt was rushed to the hospital after gluing his eye shut with nail glue.[21]
On 2 September 2011 von Anhalt was hospitalized after being hit by a car in Beverly Hills.[22]
Robbery and stripping
On 25 July 2007, Prinz von Anhalt was allegedly approached by three women he described as attractive while sitting in his Rolls-Royce in Southern California. They asked him to pose for pictures with them, at which point one of the women robbed him at gunpoint, taking his car keys, jewelry, wallet, driver's license and all his clothes. According to Prinz von Anhalt, his assailants bound him and placed him in handcuffs, yet he managed to call the authorities on a cellular phone. Los Angeles police found him completely naked approximately one hour later. No handcuffs were found at the scene. The culprits apparently drove away in a Chrysler convertible.[23]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Allen, Kristen (2010-02-04). "Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt: 'I'll give up Hollywood and mingle with the people'". The Local (Germany) (Berlin: The Local Europe). Retrieved 2010-09-01. Contains a short interview with Prinz von Anhalt.
- 1 2 Der Mantel des schönen Konsuls Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- 1 2 3 http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2007/10/zsazsa200710
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/Prinz-Frederic-Offizielle-Fanseite-255763054450756/
- ↑ http://prinzforgovernor.com/joomla-us/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=93
- ↑ An Online Gotha - Anhalt
- ↑ New York Times article mentioning Weyer's career, 1982
- ↑ John Vinocur, "For German Who 'Awarded' Titles, First Gold, Then Bars", The New York Times, 16 March 1978, page A2
- ↑ "Familie heute". Anhalt-Askanien (in German). München: Julia Katharina von Anhalt. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
- ↑ Gabor, Zsa Zsa (2011). I, Zsa Zsa. ML Publishing. ISBN 1-61701-046-4.
- ↑ "Gabor Husband may be Smith's baby's dad". Associated Press. February 9, 2007. Archived from the original on February 13, 2007. Retrieved February 14, 2007.
- ↑ PrinzGermany Homepage
- ↑ Prinz Michael Homepage
- ↑ Zsa Zsa's Husband To Run For Governor Archived October 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Zsa Zsa’s socialite husband drops out of California governor’s race to tend to ailing wife
- ↑
- ↑ "Zsa Zsa Gabor to become new mother at 94?". The San Francisco Chronicle. 1 April 2014.
- ↑ "Zsa Zsa Gabor's Bel Air mansion for sale". CNN. 7 June 2011. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011.
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ "Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband rushed to hospital after gluing his own eyes shut". Daily Mail (London). 22 December 2010.
- ↑
- ↑ CNN: Zsa Zsa Gabor's Husband Found Naked In Car, Says He Was Mugged Archived November 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
External links
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