Prince Karl Franz Josef Wilhelm Friedrich Eduard Paul of Prussia (15 December 1916 – 23 January 1975) was the only child of
Prince Joachim of Prussia
Prince Joachim Franz Humbert of Prussia (17 December 1890 – 18 July 1920) was the youngest son and sixth child of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, by his first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He committed suicide at age 29.
Prince J ...
and his wife
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 ...
.
[ He was also the grandson of ]Wilhelm II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir ...
.
Early life
Prince Karl Franz was born on 15 December 1916 in Potsdam. He was the only child born to Prince Joachim of Prussia
Prince Joachim Franz Humbert of Prussia (17 December 1890 – 18 July 1920) was the youngest son and sixth child of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, by his first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He committed suicide at age 29.
Prince J ...
by his wife 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 ...
. Karl Franz was the Emperor's fourth grandchild to be born since World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
began; he was consequently very young when Hohenzollern fortunes fell. His grandfather abdicated in 1918, and his father Prince Joachim committed suicide in 1920.[ At the time of his grandfather's abdication, Prince Karl Franz was twelfth in line of succession to the German and Prussian thrones.
After his father's suicide, Karl Franz was taken into custody by his paternal uncle ]Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia
Prince Wilhelm Eitel Friedrich Christian Karl of Prussia (7 July 1883 – 8 December 1942) was the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. He was born ...
. As the legal head of the House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzol ...
, he claimed this right because Emperor Wilhelm had issued an edict placing Hohenzollern powers in Eitel's hands.[ This was later declared to have been illegal, and his mother was given full custody of him in 1921.] She was given this right despite the fact that she had run away from her husband and that there had been numerous servants testifying against her.[ Eitel's defence had also stated that Marie-Auguste was not a fit person for Karl Franz's guardianship.][ Marie-Auguste went to court however and made a plea that she was heartbroken, which may have helped win the case for her.][
In 1922, Marie-Auguste sued ex-Emperor Wilhelm for financial support that had been promised in her and Joachim's marriage contract.] Wilhelm's attorney argued that the House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzol ...
laws were no longer valid, and therefore there was no obligation to support her.[
In 1926, his mother remarried to Johannes-Michael, Baron von Loën.] They were divorced in 1935.
In 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 ...
, Karl Franz served as a lieutenant in an armoured car division, and at one point was stationed on the Polish front. He was awarded the Iron Cross.
Marriages
First
On 5 October 1940, Karl Franz married Princess Henriette Hermine Wanda Ida Luise of Schönaich-Carolath. She was a daughter of Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz
Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz (german: Hermine, Prinzessin Reuß zu Greiz;Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, pp. 248-249,302. "Almanach de Gotha", ''Russie'', (Gotha: Justus ...
, who had been the second wife of Karl Franz's grandfather Emperor Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empi ...
since 1922 (Henriette was thus Kaiser
''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...
Wilhelm's stepdaughter). Held at Wilhelm's private residence without much ceremony, he and Hermine attended the ceremony, as did a few other guests.[ The Mayor of ]Doorn
Doorn is a town in the municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.
History
In a document from 885 to 896, the settlement is called "Thorhem", dwelling of Thor, the God of Thunder. Vikings quarte ...
performed the ceremony.[
They had three children:
* Prince Franz Wilhelm Viktor Christoph Stephan of Prussia (born 3 September 1943), he married a claimant to the Russian throne ]Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia
Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia (russian: Мария Владимировна Романова; born 23 December 1953) has been a claimant to the headship of the Imperial Family of Russia (who reigned as Emperors and Autocrats of all ...
. Their child is Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia (russian: Георгий Михайлович Романов, Georgiy Mikhaylovich Romanov, also spelled ''Romanoff''; german: Georg Mikhailowitsch Romanow; born 13 March 1981) is the heir apparent to Ma ...
, Prince of Prussia, born 13 March 1981 in Spain.
*Prince Friedrich Christian Ludwig of Prussia (3 September 1943 – 26 September 1943)
*Prince Franz Friedrich Christian of Prussia (born 17 October 1944), firstly married in 1970 to Gudrun Winkler (born 29 January 1949) and had one daughter, Christine Prinzessin von Preussen (born 22 February 1968), they later divorced in 1996. He secondly married in 1998 to Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
politician and former pianist Susann Genske[(in German]
Röd, Ildiko, "''Schlager-Sängerin Cora geht in die Politik''"
''Märkische Allgemeine
The ''Märkische Allgemeine'' (also known as the MAZ) is a regional, daily newspaper published by the ''Märkische Verlags- und Druckgesellschaft mbH'' for the area in and around the state capital of Brandenburg, Potsdam in Germany.
The newspaper ...
'', 11 March 2014. (born 12 January 1964), with no issue.
They divorced on 5 September 1946.
Second
Karl Franz married secondly, morganatically
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 spou ...
, on 9 November 1946, to Luise Dora Hartmann (5 September 1909 Hamburg, Germany
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
– 23 April 1961 Hamburg, Germany). The couple were childless and divorced in 1959.
Third
Prince Karl married lastly, on 20 July 1959 in Lima, Peru
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
, ''Doña'' Eva Maria Herrera y Valdeavellano (10 June 1922 Lima, Peru – 6 March 1987 Lima, Peru). They were married until Prince Karl's death and had two daughters;
*Alexandra Maria Augusta Juana Consuelo Prinzessin von Preußen (born 29 April 1960 Lima, Peru). She married Dr. Alberto Reboa in October 1995 in Hechingen, Germany. They have two children:
**Alberto Reboa y von Preußen (b. 8 April 1994 Miami, United States)
**Alexandra Reboa y von Preußen (b. 8 July 1995 Lima, Peru)
*Désirée Anastasia Maria Benedicta Prinzessin von Preußen (born 13 July 1961 Lima, Peru). She married Juan Carlos Gamarra y Skeels on 25 May 1983 at Lima, Peru. They have two children:
**Juan Francisco Gamarra y von Preußen (b. 1 March 1987 Montevideo, Uruguay)
**Ines Sofia Gamarra y von Preußen (b. 28 April 1989 Lima, Peru).
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karl Franz of Prussia, Prince
1916 births
1975 deaths
Prussian princes
House of Hohenzollern
People from Potsdam
German Army officers of World War II