Georg Alexander, Duke of Mecklenburg (german: Georg Alexander

Herzog ''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. ...

zu Mecklenburg; 27 August 1921 – 26 January 1996) was the head of the

House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz The House of Mecklenburg, also known as Nikloting, is a North German dynasty of Slavic origin that ruled until 1918 in the Mecklenburg region, being among the longest-ruling families of Europe. Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (1909–2004), fo ...

from 1963 until his death.

Early life

Georg Alexander was born in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, France, the eldest son of the then Count George of Carlow and his first wife Irina Mikhailovna Raievskya (1892–1955). His father assumed the title Duke of Mecklenburg with the style

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness ( abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...

following his adoption by the head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his uncle Duke Charles Michael. The adoption of the title was confirmed by the head of the

Imperial House of Russia The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to th ...

, Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich on 18 July 1929 and recognised on 23 December by Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. With the death of Duke Charles Michael on 6 December 1934 his father succeeded as head of the Grand Ducal house of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and thus Georg Alexander became

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

. The grand ducal family lived at Remplin Castle in Mecklenburg until it was destroyed in a fire in April 1940. During the

Second World War 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 ...

both Georg Alexander and his father were interned by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

for a time.

Post World War II

Duke Georg Alexander studied law in

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

before completing his studies in

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

. On 18 December 1950 his fathers title was confirmed by the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and he then assumed the style of

Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adjecti ...

, while his status as head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was also confirmed. At the same time the Count of Carlow title was abolished. Georg Alexander lived for a time in Ireland where he managed a number of properties. On returning to Germany he spent twenty years working for an advertising company. On 6 July 1963 he succeeded his father as head of the Grand Ducal house of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1990 he moved to Mecklenburg and was given an apartment in the former grand ducal residence of

Mirow Mirow () is a town in the district of Mecklenburgische Seenplatte in southern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Name (Etymology) "Mir" in Slavonic languages means "peace" or "glory". The name "Mirow" was derived from "villa mirowe", translating ...

Castle by the local government and he was involved in its reconstruction. Georg Alexander died in Mirow and was succeeded as head of the Grand Ducal house by his son Duke Borwin.

Marriage and children

Duke Georg Alexander was married in

Sigmaringen Sigmaringen (Swabian German, Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen (district), Sigmaringen district. Sigmaringen is renowne ...

Archduchess Ilona of Austria Archduchess Ilona of Austria (german: Ilona Erzherzogin von Österreich; 20 April 1927 – 12 January 2011) was a member of the Palatine (Kingdom of Hungary), Hungarian Palatine branch of the House of Habsburg. She was married and later divorced fr ...

(20 April 1927 – 12 January 2011) civilly on 20 February 1946 followed by a religious ceremony on 30 April. Archduchess Ilona belonged to the Hungarian Palatine branch of the

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine (german: Haus Habsburg-Lothringen) originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa, Maria Theresa of Austria, later successively List ...

and was a granddaughter of

Archduke Joseph August of Austria Archduke Joseph August Viktor Klemens Maria of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia (9 August 1872 – 6 July 1962) was a ''Feldmarschall'' (field marshal) of the Austro-Hungarian Army and for a short period head of state of Hungary. He wa ...

. Georg Alexander and Ilona had four children before divorcing on 12 December 1974.

Ancestry

References

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External links

Photograph of Duke Georg Alexander
{{DEFAULTSORT:Georg Alexander Of Mecklenburg, Duke 1921 births 1996 deaths House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Pretenders to the Mecklenburg thrones People from Nice Knights of Malta German expatriates in France