en, George Donatus William Nicholas Edward Henry Charles , spouse = , issue = Prince Ludwig
Prince Alexander
Princess Johanna
Unnamed son , house =

Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse be ...

, father = Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine , mother =

Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich Princess Eleonore Ernestine Marie of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich (17 September 1871 – 16 November 1937) was Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine as the second wife of Grand Duke Ernest Louis. She was nicknamed "Onor" by her family. She was regent ...

, birth_date = , birth_place =

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the fourth largest city in the state of Hesse ...

Grand Duchy of Hesse The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Grand Duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 18 ...

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

, death_date = Worldroots.com
, death_place =

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

Kingdom of Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the ...

, burial_date = 23 November 1937 , burial_place = Rosenhöhe Park Cemetery, Rosenhöhe Park,

Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse (''Georg Donatus Wilhelm Nikolaus Eduard Heinrich Karl'', 8 November 1906 – 16 November 1937) was the first child of

Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse , spouses = , issue = , house = Hesse-Darmstadt , father =Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine , mother =Princess Alice of the United Kingdom , birth_date = , birth_place = New Palace, Darmstadt, Grand ...

, and his second wife,

. He was a nephew of Empress Alexandra and

Emperor Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of ...

Marriage and children

On 2 February 1931, at

, Georg, a great-grandson of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

, married his first cousin once removed,

Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

, daughter of

Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark ( el, Ανδρέας; da, Andreas; – 3 December 1944) of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the seventh child and fourth son of King George I of Greece and Olga Constantino ...

and Princess Alice of Battenberg (and thus a sister of Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark (later

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

), a great-great-granddaughter of

and Prince Albert. The couple had four children: On 1 May 1937 Georg Donatus and Princess Cecilie both joined the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

Death

In October 1937, Georg Donatus' father, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse died. A few weeks after the funeral, the new Grand Duke's younger brother, Prince Louis was due to be married to the Hon. Margaret Geddes, daughter of Lord Geddes. On 16 November 1937, Georg Donatus, Cecilie, their two young sons, Georg's mother Grand Duchess Eleonore, the children's nurse, a family friend, a pilot and two crewmen, flew from

bound for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, where Prince Louis was due to be married. The

Junkers Ju-52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German aeron ...

aeroplane hit a factory chimney near

and crashed into flames, killing all those on board. Cecilie was heavily pregnant with her fourth child at the time of the

crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch ...

, and the remains of the newborn baby were found in the wreckage, indicating that Cecilie had gone into labour during the flight; the Belgian inquiry into the crash suggested that the pilot was attempting to land in Ostend despite the poor weather conditions because of the birth.

Aftermath

Prince Louis' wedding had been scheduled for the 20th but, following discussions with his future father-in-law Lord Geddes, was brought forward to the day following the accident (17 November), as a small and quiet ceremony with the guests dressed in mourning. Immediately afterwards, he set off with his new wife Margaret to Belgium to visit the crash site. The funeral and burial of Georg Donatus and his family took place at the Rosenhöhe,

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are ...

, a few days later. Attending were

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

Prince Christoph of Hesse Prince Christoph Ernst August of Hesse (14 May 1901 – 7 October 1943) was a nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He was an SS-Oberführer in the Allgemeine SS and an officer in the Luftwaffe Reserve, killed on active duty in a plane crash during World ...

Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg Gottfried, 8th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (german: Gottfried Hermann Alfred Paul Maximilian Viktor Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg; 24 March 189711 May 1960) was the only surviving son of Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. At the death ...

, Prince Philipp of Hesse,

Berthold, Margrave of Baden Berthold, Margrave of Baden (''Berthold Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst August Heinrich Karl''; 24 February 1906 – 27 October 1963), was the head of the House of Baden, which had reigned over the Grand Duchy of Baden until 1918, from 1929 until his death ...

Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia Prince August Wilhelm Heinrich Günther Viktor of Prussia (29 January 1887 – 25 March 1949), nicknamed "Auwi", was the fourth son of German Emperor Wilhelm II by his first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He was a vocal supporter ...

and

Lord Louis Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

, among others. A photograph of the funeral procession, showing Prince Louis as chief mourner, shows crowds saluting the mourners with the

Hitler salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute (german: link=no, Hitlergruß, , Hitler greeting, ; also called by the Nazi Party , 'German greeting', ), or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. Th ...

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

began less than two years later. The Hereditary Grand Duke and Duchess' fourteen-month-old daughter, Johanna, was the only one of the family who was not on board the aircraft. She was adopted by her uncle Prince Louis and aunt Princess Margaret in early 1938. Johanna died of

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

in 1939. With the death of the childless Prince Louis in 1968, the male line of the Hesse and by Rhine became extinct.

In popular culture

The crash figures in the plot of ''

A Matter of Honour ''A Matter of Honour'' is a novel by Jeffrey Archer, first published in 1986. Synopsis In 1966 disgraced British colonel Gerald Scott bequeaths a mysterious letter to his only son, Adam Scott. The "item in question" that Adam's father's let ...

'' by

Jeffrey Archer Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English novelist, life peer, convicted criminal, and former politician. Before becoming an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament (1969–1974), but did not ...

, in which Grand Duke Georg has in his possession the jewels of his aunt, the last Tsarina of Russia, which the

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

are looking for. There is no evidence in reality that this was the case. He is depicted in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

series ''

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...

'' portrayed by German actor

August Wittgenstein Prince August Fredrik zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (german: August Fredrik Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg), known professionally as August Wittgenstein, (born 22 January 1981) is a German-Swedish actor and member of the princely House of ...

Titles

* 8 November 1906 – 16 November 1937: ''

His Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it t ...

'' The Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine Georg Donatus never acceded to the grand ducal throne as it had been abolished at the end of the First World War. Titles became surnames after that point, and it was rare for the head of a royal, grand ducal or ducal family to change his title upon accession as head of a house.

Ancestry

Patrilineal descent

#Gilbert I, Count of the Maasgau, d. 842 #Gilbert II, Count of the Maasgau, 825–875 #

Reginar, Duke of Lorraine Reginar Longneck or Reginar I ( 850–915), la, Rainerus or ''Ragenerus Longicollus'', was a leading nobleman in the kingdom of Lotharingia, variously described in contemporary sources with the titles of count, margrave, missus dominicus and du ...

, 850–915 # Reginar II, Count of Hainaut, 890–932 #

Reginar III, Count of Hainaut Reginar III (c. 920 – 973) was Count of Hainaut from approximately 940 until his exile in 958. He was the son of Reginar II, Count of Hainaut. He took part in the rebellion of his uncle Gilbert, Duke of Lorraine. When Gilbert was killed in ...

, 920–973 # Lambert I, Count of Leuven, 950–1015 # Lambert II, Count of Leuven, d. 1054 #

Henry II, Count of Leuven Henry II (Dutch: ''Hendrik'', French: ''Henri'') was the Count of Louvain (Leuven) from 1054 through 1071 (?). Henry II was the son of Lambert II, Count of Louvain and Oda of Verdun. His maternal uncles included Pope Stephen IX and Duke Godfrey ...

, 1020–1078 #

Godfrey I, Count of Leuven Godfrey I ( nl, Godfried, 1060 – 25 January 1139), called the Bearded, the Courageous, or the Great, was the Landgrave of Brabant, Count of Brussels and Leuven (Louvain) from 1095 to his death and Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1106 to 1129. He ...

, 1060–1139 # Godfrey II, Count of Leuven, 1187–1226 # Godfrey III, Count of Leuven, 1140–1190 #

Henry I, Duke of Brabant Henry I ( nl, Hendrik, french: Henri; c. 1165 – 5 September 1235), named "The Courageous", was a member of the House of Reginar and first duke of Brabant from 1183/84 until his death. Early life Henry was possibly born in Leuven (Louvai ...

, 1165–1235 #

Henry II, Duke of Brabant Henry II of Brabant ( nl, Hendrik, french: Henri; 1207 – February 1, 1248) was Duke of Brabant and Lothier after the death of his father Henry I in 1235. His mother was Matilda of Boulogne. Henry II supported his sister Mathilde's son, ...

, 1207–1248 #

Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse Henry I of Hesse "the Child" (German: ''Heinrich das Kind'') (24 June 1244 – 21 December 1308) was the first Landgrave of Hesse. He was the son of Henry II, Duke of Brabant and Sophie of Thuringia. Life In 1247, as Heinrich Raspe, Lan ...

, 1244–1308 #

Otto I, Landgrave of Hesse Otto I of Hesse (c. 1272 – 17 January 1328) was Landgrave of Hesse from 1308 until his death. Otto was born in Marburg, a son of Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse and his first wife Adelheid of Brunswick-Lunenburg. Following the death of his ...

, 1272–1328 #

Louis the Junker of Hesse Louis the Junker of Hesse (1305 – 2 February 1345) was a German nobleman. He was the third son of Landgrave Otto I of Hesse and his wife Adelheid, a daughter of Otto III of Ravensberg. Life In 1326, Otto I and his wife visited Pope John ...

, 1305–1345 # Hermann II, Landgrave of Hesse, 1341–1413 # Louis I, Landgrave of Hesse, 1402–1458 #

Louis II, Landgrave of Hesse Louis II of Hesse (german: Ludwig) (7 September 1438 – 8 November 1471), called Louis the Frank, was the Landgrave of Lower Hesse from 1458 - 1471. He was the son of Louis I, Landgrave of Hesse and Anna of Saxony. He married Mechthild, da ...

, 1438–1471 #

William II, Landgrave of Hesse William II (29 April 1469 – 11 July 1509) was Landgrave of Lower Hesse from 1493 and Landgrave of Upper Hesse after the death of his cousin, William III, Landgrave of Upper Hesse in 1500. William II is also called "William the Middle" to di ...

, 1469–1509 #

Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (13 November 1504 – 31 March 1567), nicknamed (in English: "the Magnanimous"), was a German nobleman and champion of the Protestant Reformation, notable for being one of the most important of the early Protesta ...

, 1504–1567 #

George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt George I of Hesse-Darmstadt (10 September 1547 – 7 February 1596) was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1567 to 1596. Early life Born on 10 September 1547 in Kassel, he was the fourth son of Philip I the Magnanimous of Hesse and his wife ...

, 1547–1596 #

Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ...

, 1577–1626 #

George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt George II of Hesse-Darmstadt, german: Georg II von Hessen-Darmstadt (17 March 1605, in Darmstadt – 11 June 1661) was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1626 to 1661. He was the son of Ludwig V and Magdalene of Brandenburg. He married Soph ...

, 1605–1661 #

Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Ludwig) (25 January 1630 – 24 April 1678) was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1661 to 1678. He was the eldest of three sons of the Landgrave George II of Hesse-Darmstadt and Sophia Eleonore of Saxony. ...

, 1630–1678 #

Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Ernest Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Ernst Ludwig) (15 December 1667 – 12 September 1739) was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1678 to 1739. His parents were Landgrave Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt and Elisabeth Dorothea of Saxe-Gotha-Alte ...

, 1667–1739 #

Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Louis VIII (German: ''Ludwig'') (5 April 1691 – 17 October 1768) was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1739 to 1768. He was the son of Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Margravine Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach. Li ...

, 1691–1768 #

Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt Louis IX of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Ludwig) (15 December 1719 – 6 April 1790) was the reigning Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1768 to 1790. Louis IX and his wife became the most recent common ancestors of all current European monarchs ...

, 1719–1790 #

Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse (14 June 1753 in Prenzlau – 6 April 1830 in Darmstadt) was ''Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt'' (as ''Louis X'') and later the first ''Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine''. Louis was the son of Louis IX, Landgrave o ...

, 1753–1830 #

Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse Louis II (26 December 1777 – 16 June 1848) was Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine from 6 April 1830 until 5 March 1848, resigning during the German Revolution of 1848. He was the son of Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse, and Princess Louise of ...

, 1777–1848 #

Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine (23 April 1809 - 20 March 1877) was a German prince, officer and politician. He was the second surviving son of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and Wilhelmine of Baden. The prince had a military career and becam ...

, 1809–1877 #

Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse English: Frederick William Louis Charles , house = Hesse-Darmstadt , father = Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine , mother = Princess Elisabeth of Prussia , birth_date = , birth_place = Prinz-Carl-Palais, Darmstadt, Gra ...

, 1837–1892 #

, 1868–1937 #Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, 1906–1937

References

{{Authority control 1906 births 1937 deaths House of Hesse-Darmstadt Princes of Hesse Hereditary Grand Dukes of Hesse Heirs apparent who never acceded Royalty in the Nazi Party Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Belgium Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1937 Burials at the Mausoleum for the Grand Ducal House of Hesse, Rosenhöhe (Darmstadt) Nazi Party members