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 (noble family), Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille (Alexandra Rosemarie Ingrid Benedikte; born 20 November 1970), is the first daughter and second of three children of Prince Richard of ...

on 6 June 1998, becoming the husband of a member of the Danish royal family. 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 Anh ...

. Princess Alexandra is the daughter of Princess Benedikte of Denmark, whose elder sister is Queen Margrethe II. The couple were married in Graasten Palace Chapel, a part of the Danish royal family'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 and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, 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 Danish royal family 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,

, 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 Weimar ...

(maternal uncle), Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark (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 successi ...

, 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, Berleburg,

. Her godparents are Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (maternal aunt), Countess Bettina von Pfeil and Klein-Ellguth (paternal aunt), Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (mother's maternal first cousin), Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark (mother's maternal first cousin) and Prince Georg of

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein was a county and later principality between Hesse-Darmstadt and Westphalia. History The county with imperial immediacy was formed by the 1657 partition of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Wittgenstein and raised from a county to ...

, Martin Bleyer. She is named after her great-grandmother Ingrid of Sweden. 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 t ...

(b. 26 February 1965), a member of the ancient

House of Ahlefeldt A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

.(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