Sophie, Princess of Prussia (born Princess Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg;
[In 1919 ]royalty
Royalty may refer to:
* Any individual monarch, such as a king, queen, emperor, empress, etc.
* Royal family, the immediate family of a king or queen regnant, and sometimes his or her extended family
* Royalty payment for use of such things as int ...
and nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
were mandated to lose their privileges in Germany, hereditary titles were to be legally borne thereafter only as part of the surname, according t
Article 109
of the Weimar Constitution
The Constitution of the German Reich (german: Die Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs), usually known as the Weimar Constitution (''Weimarer Verfassung''), was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era (1919–1933). The c ...
. 7 March 1978) is the wife of
Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia
Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia (born 10 June 1976) is a German businessman who is the current head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire and of the Kingdom of Prussia. ...
, head of the formerly-ruling
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 ...
.
Early life and education
![Birstein 153540](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Birstein_153540.jpg)
Princess Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenberg was born on 7 March 1978 in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
,
to Franz-Alexander, Prince of Isenburg (born 1943), and his wife, Countess Christine von Saurma zu der Jeltsch (born 1941).
[''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XV. C.A. Starke Verlag, 1997, pp.271–275.]
Her father is head of a
mediatized Mediatization or mediatisation may refer to:
* German mediatisation
German mediatisation (; german: deutsche Mediatisierung) was the major territorial restructuring that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany and the surrounding region by ...
Catholic line of
Princes of the Holy Roman Empire
Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor.
Definition
Originally, possessors o ...
, who lost their independence in 1815.
[ She has two sisters, Archduchess Katharina of Austria-Este and Isabelle, Dowager Princess of Wied, and two brothers, Alexander, Hereditary Prince of Isenberg, and Prince Viktor.][
Growing up at ]Birstein
Birstein is a municipality on the northeastern edge of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis in Hesse, Germany with approximately 6,600 inhabitants. It was the home of the former principality of Isenburg-Birstein.
Geography
Location
The town lies at the southern ...
Castle, the family seat in Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
, Sophie studied at a primary school in Birstein and at '' Marienschule Fulda'' in Fulda
Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival.
History ...
. She then attended the boarding school ''Kloster Wald'' and passed her A-Levels as well as a trade test as a dressmaker
A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and gown, evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua (clothing), mantua-makers, and are also known as a mod ...
. Sophie studied Business Administration at the University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisg ...
and Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
and worked at a firm that offers consulting services for nonprofit business.
Marriage and issue
On 25 August 2011, Sophie civilly married Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia
Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia (born 10 June 1976) is a German businessman who is the current head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire and of the Kingdom of Prussia. ...
, at 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 ...
's ''Stadthaus'' by Jann Jakobs, Mayor of Potsdam. The religious wedding took place at the Church of Peace on 27 August 2011, in commemoration of the 950th anniversary of the founding of the House of Hohenzollern. The wedding was covered live by German broadcaster RBB. The 700 guests included: Prince Hassan bin Talal
Prince Hassan bin Talal ( ar, الحسن بن طلال, born 20 March 1947) is a member of the Jordanian royal family who was previously Crown Prince from 1965 to 1999, being removed just three weeks before King Hussein's death.
Family
Prince Ha ...
and Princess Sarvath al-Hassan of Jordan; Prince Laurent of Belgium nl, Laurens Benedikt Boudewijn Maria ger, Laurentius Benedikt Balduin Maria
, image = Prince Laurent of Belgium (2015 F).jpg
, caption = Prince Laurent in 2015
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Belvédère Castle, Laeken, Brussel ...
; Lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...
and Lady Nicholas Windsor
Lady Nicholas Windsor (born Paola Louise Marica Doimi de Lupis, 7 August 1969) is the wife of Lord Nicholas Windsor, son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent.
Early life
Lady Nicholas Windsor was born as Paola Louise Marica Doimi de Lupis. She used ...
; and then Crown Princess Margareta of Romania. Following the ceremony, a reception was held on the grounds of the ''Sanssouci
Sanssouci () is a historical building in Potsdam, near Berlin. Built by Prussian King Frederick the Great as his summer palace, it is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and ...
'' palace.
Issue
Sophie and Georg Friedrich have four children:
* Carl Friedrich Franz Alexander, Hereditary Prince of Prussia (born 20 January 2013)
* Prince Louis Ferdinand Christian Albrecht of Prussia (born 20 January 2013)
* Princess Emma Marie Charlotte Sofia of Prussia (born 2 April 2015)
* Prince Heinrich Albert Johann Georg of Prussia (17 November 2016)
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sophie, Princess of Prussia
1978 births
Living people
German princesses
German Roman Catholics
House of Hohenzollern
House of Isenburg
People from Frankfurt
Prussian princesses