Wittekind, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Wittekind
Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Head of House of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Tenure	30 November 1967 – present
Predecessor	Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Born	9 March 1936 Arolsen, Nazi Germany
Spouse	Countess Cecilie of Goëss-Saurau
Issue	Prince Carl-Anton Prince Josias Prince Johannes
Full name Wittekind Adolf Heinrich Georg-Wilhelm
House	House of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Father	Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Mother	Duchess Altburg of Oldenburg

Wittekind Adolf Heinrich Georg-Wilhelm, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (born 9 March 1936) has been since 1967 the head of the House of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

Early life

He was born in Arolsen the son of Hereditary Prince Josias of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his wife, Duchess Altburg of Oldenburg (1903–2001). Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler were his godfathers.^[1] Wittekind, who has served in the German Armed Forces and held the rank Lieutenant Colonel, succeeded as head of the House of Waldeck and Pyrmont on the death of his father on 30 November 1967.^[1] He lives with his family at Arolsen Castle.

Marriage and issue

Wittekind is married to Countess Cecilie of Goëss-Saurau (b. 1956) and they have three sons.

• Prince Carl-Anton of Waldeck and Pyrmont (b. 1991)
• Prince Josias of Waldeck and Pyrmont (b. 1993)
• Prince Johannes of Waldeck and Pyrmont (b. 1993)

Titles, styles, honours, and arms

Titles and styles

• 9 March 1936 – 30 November 1967: His Serene Highness Prince Wittekind of Waldeck and Pyrmont
• 30 November 1967 – present: His Serene Highness The Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Honours

• 9 August 2001: Federal Cross of Merit from Roland Koch, then Minister-President of Hesse.^[2]

Ancestors

Ancestors of Wittekind, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

16. George II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont               8. George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont                       17. Princess Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym               4. Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont                             18. William, Duke of Nassau               9. Princess Helena of Nassau                       19. Princess Pauline of Württemberg               2. Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont                                   20. George William, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe               10. Prince William of Schaumburg-Lippe                       21. Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont               5. Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe                             22. Prince Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau               11. Princess Bathildis of Anhalt-Dessau                       23. Princess Marie Luise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel               1. Wittekind, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont                                         24. Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg               12. Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg                       25. Princess Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym               6. Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg                             26. Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg               13. Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg                       27. Duchess Amelia of Württemberg               3. Duchess Altburg of Oldenburg                                   28. Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin               14. Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin                       29. Princess Alexandrine of Prussia               7. Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin                             30. Prince Adolf of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt               15. Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt                       31. Princess Mathilde of Schönburg-Waldenburg

Notes

1. Petropoulos, Jonathan (2006). Royals and the Reich: The Princes Von Hessen in Nazi Germany. Oxford University Press. pp. 265, 266. ISBN 0-19-516133-5.
2. "Aufgeschlossen für Wald, Kultur, Sport und Tradition". Waldeckische Landeszeitung. 9 August 2001. Retrieved 21 March 2008.