Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (''Jefferson-Friedrich Volker Benjamin Graf von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth''; born 12 July 1967) is a

German nobleman The German nobility (german: deutscher Adel) and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the begi ...

and a banker.

Early life and ancestry

Jefferson is born as the younger son and the youngest child of German

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Friedrich-August Rüdiger Albrecht von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (b. 1930) and his wife, Astrid Maria Andres (b. 1930). By birth he is a member of an ancient House of Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, which can trace their noble ancestry back to the beginning of the 12th century.

Marriage and family

He married

Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Countess Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (Alexandra Rosemarie Ingrid Benedikte; born 20 November 1970), is the first daughter and second of three children of Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleb ...

on 6 June 1998, becoming the husband of a member of the

Danish royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch. All members of the Danish royal family except Queen Margrethe II hold the title of ''Prince/Princess of Denmark''. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accor ...

. Jefferson and Alexandra are distantly related, as both have descended from

Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau Leopold III Frederick Franz, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau (10 August 1740 – 9 August 1817), known as "Prince Franz" or "Father Franz", was a German prince of the House of Ascania. From 1751 until 1807 he was reigning prince of the Principality of Anha ...

. Princess Alexandra is the daughter of

Princess Benedikte of Denmark Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid, born 29 April 1944) is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second daughter and child of King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid of ...

, whose elder sister is

Queen Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...

. The couple were married in Graasten Palace Chapel, a part of the

's summer residence in southern

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

. According to an article in the

Copenhagen Post ''The Copenhagen Post'', also stylized ''CPH Post'', is a weekly newspaper providing Danish news in English both nationally and internationally; it is the only English-language newspaper printed regularly in Denmark. History and profile Founded ...

, Princess Alexandra was granted Danish citizenship just prior to her marriage. The couple were sweethearts during their childhood years at Louisenlund school, in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The couple resided in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, where Count Jefferson was a managing director of the Swiss bank Sal. Oppenheim. Since 2013 they lived in Heidesheim Castle, Germany, near Mainz. They were always among the

for the summer holidays at

Gråsten Palace Gråsten Palace ( da, Gråsten Slot) is located at Gråsten in the Jutland region of southern Denmark. It is best known for being the summer residence of the Danish Royal Family. The main house has a modern, all-white facade, with Venetian doo ...

. They have two children: *Count Friedrich ''Richard'' Oscar Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (born 14 September 1999 at the

Rigshospitalet Rigshospitalet (meaning ''The National'', ''State'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital's main buildi ...

). Count Richard was christened in the chapel of Schloss Berleburg,

Berleburg Bad Berleburg (, earlier also Berleburg) is a town, in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of Germany's largest towns by land area. It is located approximately northeast of Siegen and northwest of ...

, on 18 December 1999. His godparents are

Gustav, Hereditary Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-BerleburgIn 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 tArticle 109of the Weim ...

(maternal uncle),

Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark (Greek: Νικόλαος; born 1 October 1969) is the third child of Constantine II and Anne-Marie of Denmark, who were the last King and Queen of Greece, reigning from 1964 to 1973. Early life Nikolaos w ...

(mother's maternal first cousin),

Prince Philipp of Hesse Philipp, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse (6 November 1896 – 25 October 1980) was head of the Electoral House of Hesse from 1940 to 1980. He joined the Nazi Party in 1930, and, when they gained power with the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancel ...

, (mother's paternal cousin)

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 22 September 1971) is a member of the Norwegian royal family, a businesswoman and a self-described clairvoyant. The only daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja, she is fourth in the line of success ...

, Countess Andrea of Pfeil-Haag, and Nadine Kettaneh-Farah (father's cousin). He is named after his grandfather Prince Richard von Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. *Countess ''Ingrid'' Alexandra Irma Astrid Benedikte von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (born 16 August 2003, at

the Copenhagen University Hospital). Countess Ingrid was christened at the chapel, Schloss Berleburg,

. Her godparents are

Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Nathalie Xenia Margrethe Benedikte; born 2 May 1975) is a Danish equestrian, an Olympian and a daughter of Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. She is ...

(maternal aunt), Countess Bettina von Pfeil and Klein-Ellguth (paternal aunt),

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, (Frederik André Henrik Christian; born 26 May 1968) is the heir apparent to the Danish throne. He is the elder son of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. Early life Crown Prince Frede ...

(mother's maternal first cousin),

Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark ( el, Αλεξία; born 10 July 1965) is a Greek princess and educator. She is the eldest child of Constantine II and Anne-Marie of Denmark, who were King and Queen of Greece from 1964 until the abolition ...

(mother's maternal first cousin) and Prince Georg of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein, Martin Bleyer. She is named after her great-grandmother

Ingrid of Sweden Ingrid of Sweden (born: Princess Ingrid Victoria Sofia Louise Margareta of Sweden; 28 March 1910 – 7 November 2000) was Queen of Denmark from 1947 until 1972 as the wife of King Frederick IX. Born into the House of Bernadotte, she was the dau ...

. The couple announced their intention to divorce in May 2017. On 18 May 2019 Princess Alexandra married Count

Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille Michael Preben, Count Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille ( da, Michael Preben Greve Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille) (born 26 February 1965) is a Danish Count and a landowner. By birth he is a member of an ancient House of Ahlefeldt. Early life He was born as ...

(b. 26 February 1965), a member of the ancient House of Ahlefeldt.(In French
"Mariage royal : La princesse Alexandra a dit oui au comte Michael", PurePeople
( PureMédias), 24 May 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, Jefferson von 1967 births Living people Counts