Eduard Julius Ernst August Erdmann, Prince von Anhalt (german: Eduard Julius Ernst August von Anhalt; born 3 December 1941), usually referred to as Prince Eduard, is the head of the
House of Ascania
The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt.
The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schloss ...
,
the family which ruled the
Duchy of Anhalt
The Duchy of Anhalt (german: Herzogtum Anhalt) was a historical German duchy. The duchy was located between the Harz Mountains in the west and the river Elbe and beyond to the Fläming Heath in the east. The territory was once ruled by the House ...
until 1918.
Life and family
Eduard was born at Schloss Ballenstedt in
Ballenstedt
Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Geography
It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipal area comprises the vi ...
, in what is now the German state of
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...
, the youngest of the five children of the last reigning Duke of Anhalt,
Joachim Ernst, and of his second wife Editha "Edda" Charlotte Wilhelmine Marwitz, who allegedly paid 10,000 marks to Bertha von Stephani to improve her social standing by adult adoption.
On 9 October 1963, Eduard's older brother
Friedrich Friedrich may refer to:
Names
* Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich''
* Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich''
Other
* Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Year ...
died childless in a car crash. He uses the title ''Prince of Anhalt'',
[Anhalt-Askanien: Family](_blank)
/ref> but is referred to by others as Duke of Anhalt.[Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint Georg]
[Almanach de Gotha, ] The succession of Eduard and his brother was disputed by their uncle Prince Eugen who also claimed the headship of house after the death of Duke Joachim Ernst. The death without male issue in 1980 of Prince Eugen left Prince Eduard as the sole claimant to the headship of the house.
Eduard lived in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
for several years, working in a number of retail sales positions, before returning to Germany in 1967. He has been a journalist and columnist for numerous German magazines. He has also hosted a television programme ''Adel verpflichet'' (Noblesse oblige
''Noblesse oblige'' (; ; literally “nobility obliges”) is a French expression from a time when French (more specifically, Anglo-Norman) was the language of the English nobility, and retains in English the meaning that nobility extends beyo ...
) for RTL Television
RTL (from '), formerly RTL plus and RTL Television, is a German-language free-to-air television channel owned by the RTL Group, headquartered in Cologne. Founded as an offshoot of the German-language radio programme '' ,'' RTL is consider ...
. Subsequently, Anhalt became a frequent German television commentator for royal events.
In 1978, Eduard wrote a book about his family's traditions, ''Askanische Sagen Über die Entstehung der Deutschen'' (English: ''Ascanian Legends and the Origins of the Germans''). A revised and expanded edition of the book with the title ''Sagenhaftes Askanien: Geschichten und Legenden'' (English: ''Incredible Ascania, Stories and Legends'') was published in 2004.
Eduard has served as deputy chairman of the Société des Amis of the Almanach de Gotha
The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published ...
reboot.
Due to his father's incarceration in a concentration camp from 1938 to 1944, Eduard's paternity has been questioned.[Burke's Royal Families of the World, Europe and Latin America] In 1990 his eldest sister Princess Marie Antoinette (called Alexandra) termed him her 'half brother' to the press, and alleged that his father was Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
. Eduard responded by suggesting the matter was simply a dispute between siblings, and that she wished to besmirch his name.
In April 1990, Eduard asserted ownership of the family seat Schloss Ballenstedt, which had been confiscated by the Communist authorities in East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
after World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.[ He was unsuccessful, and there were lengthy administrative disputes, although relations with the town administration of Ballenstedt subsequently improved.
After a further long legal fight with the town administration, which had insisted on first right of refusal, in May 2000 Eduard managed to purchase for 400,000 D-Marks another property of the family which had been requisitioned. This was the small but historic domed neoclassical hunting lodge, Röhrkopf, built in 1770, which lies within the former park of Schloss Ballenstedt.] It has now become the family seat, and three holiday apartments for general rental have been constructed within its garden. Fear of lingering animosity towards the family, including over issues of restitution, inhibited his children from resettling in Anhalt, although after her divorce his wife bought a home in Dessau, and worked to promote the region.
A difficulty for Eduard has been the adult adoptees
An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...
of his aunt Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt
Princess Marie Auguste of Anhalt (10 June 1898 – 22 May 1983) was the daughter of Eduard, Duke of Anhalt, and his wife, Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg. She married and divorced a son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, then married and divo ...
. Adopted for what has been presumed to be mercenary reasons, and laying claim to be princes of Anhalt, they are estimated to number 35 persons.[ Outside of Germany the most notable of the adoptees is the last husband of ]Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor (, ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were actresses Eva Gabor, Eva and Magda Gabor.
Gabor competed in the 1933 Mis ...
, Frederic von Anhalt formerly, Hans Georg Robert Lichtenberg. In 2010, Eduard released a statement restating that such individuals would never be officially recognised by the family as members of House of Anhalt-Ascania.
Eduard gained international attention in August 2010 when he claimed to have advanced knowledge of the engagement of his distant cousin Prince William of Wales
William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales.
Born in London, William was educat ...
to Kate Middleton
Catherine, Princess of Wales, (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, making Catherine the likely next ...
. Although a spokesperson for the British Royal family denied Eduard's claim, the engagement was indeed announced a few months later.
Marriage and children
On 21 July 1980, in Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, Eduard married Corinne Gisa Elisabeth Krönlein (born Würzburg, 19 August 1961), daughter of Günther Krönlein and wife Anneliese Benz, in a civil ceremony. The couple renewed their vows in a religious ceremony on 7 June 1986 in S-charl
S-charl is a village in the municipality of Scuol, located in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The village lies in the Engadin
The Engadin or Engadine ( rm, ;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadi ...
, near Scuol
Scuol () is a municipality in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region in the Swiss canton of Grisons. The official language in Scuol is Romansh. On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Ardez, Guarda, Tarasp, Ftan and Sent merged into S ...
, Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, but later divorced in 2014. Eduard and Corinne have three daughters:
* Julia ''Katharina'' Elisabeth (born 14 December 1980, Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz (; Bavarian language, Bavarian: ''Däiz'') is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany and the administrative center of the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district.
History
Archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tö ...
) married 12 July 2008 Marc Bernath,
** Julius ''Maxime'' Laszlo (born 21 December 2010, Munich)
* Julia ''Eilika'' Nicole (born 1 January 1985, Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
), has one son and one daughter with her partner, Fabian Harte:
** Leopold (b. 2011)
** Julia Philine (b. 2013)
* Julia ''Felicitas'' Leopoldine Friederike Franziska (born 14 May 1993, Munich)
Succession
Eduard is the last male of what is considered the "House of Ascania", itself from the Billung
The House of Billung was a dynasty of Saxon noblemen in the 9th through 12th centuries.
The first known member of the house was Count Wichmann, mentioned as a Billung in 811. Oda, the wife of Count Liudolf, oldest known member of the Liudolf ...
dynasty, traced back ultimately to the Count Wichmann (''Wychmannus comes'') in 811 AD. If Eduard died without male issue, the House would be considered extinct. The male line of Ascanians survives, however, in the Counts von Westarp, descendants of Prince Franz of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym
Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym (originally Anhalt-Zeitz-Hoym) was a German principality and member of the Holy Roman Empire. The death of Prince Victor Amadeus of Anhalt-Bernburg in 1718 resulted in the partition of his land, with his second so ...
and his morganatic
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
wife Karoline Westarp and the Counts von Waldersee who descend from Count Franz Johann von Waldersee (1763–1823), illegitimate son of 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 ...
(1740–1817) and his mistress Eleonore Hofmeyer (1739–1816).
In 2010 Eduard modified the House of Anhalt-Ascania Laws, abolishing the Salic or Semi-Salic laws; recognising his first born daughter as his heir; and ruling that gender would in future be irrelevant in determining the line of descent.
Dynastic honours
* House of Ascania
The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt.
The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schloss ...
: Sovereign Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Ducal Order of Albert the Bear
* Two Sicilian Royal Family: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Justice and Honour with Collar of the Two Sicilian Royal Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Ancestry
References
External links
Official website of the Ducal Family of Anhalt
Order of Albert the Bear
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eduard, Prince of Anhalt
German royalty
Princes of Anhalt
Dukes of Anhalt
1941 births
Living people