Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-BerleburgIn 1919 royalty and

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

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. (Gustav Frederik Philip Richard; born 12 January 1969), is the eldest child and only son of

Princess Benedikte of Denmark Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid, born 29 April 1944) is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second daughter and child of King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid of ...

and

Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Richard Casimir Karl August Robert Konstantin; 29 October 1934 – 13 March 2017) was the head of the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and husband of Princess Benedikte of Denmark. Biography ...

Biography

Prince Gustav is the head of the House of

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was one of several imperial counties and later principalities ruled by the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein. Most of the former county is located in the present district of Siegen-Wittgenstein (in the modern state of Nort ...

, the senior branch of the formerly princely house of

Sayn Sayn was a small German county of the Holy Roman Empire which, during the Middle Ages, existed within what is today Rheinland-Pfalz. There have been two Counties of Sayn. The first emerged in 1139 and became closely associated with the County ...

.''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XIX. "Sayn-Wittgenstein". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2011, pp.314–338. . He resides at '' Schloss Berleburg-Wittgenstein'' in the town of

Bad Berleburg Bad Berleburg (, earlier also Berleburg) is a town, in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of Germany's largest towns by land area. It is located approximately northeast of Siegen and northwest of ...

, in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

, Germany. He is the son of Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and

and has two sisters, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and

Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Nathalie Xenia Margrethe Benedikte; born 2 May 1975) is a Danish equestrian, an Olympian and a daughter of Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. She is ...

. The principality and princely title of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg descended, historically, according to

semi-Salic The Salic law ( or ; la, Lex salica), also called the was the ancient Frankish civil law code compiled around AD 500 by the first Frankish King, Clovis. The written text is in Latin and contains some of the earliest known instances of Old D ...

primogeniture. If the childless Gustav dies without legitimate issue, the family heritage devolves upon his father's younger brother, Prince Robin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. Gustav was formerly engaged to be married to Elvire Pasté de Rochefort (granddaughter of French Ambassador André Rodocanachi and wife Nada Diplarakou, herself sister of

Aliki Diplarakou Aliki, Lady Russell ( el, Αλίκη Διπλαράκου; born Aliki Diplarakou; 28 August 1912 – 30 October 2002) was the first Maniot Greek contestant to win the Miss Europe title. She previously won the "Miss Hellas" () title at the Miss ...

and grand-aunt of Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg), with the engagement being announced on 16 August 2000 and wedding planned for 12 May 2001 in Paris. The wedding did not occur, reportedly due to financial issues with the bride's family, and it was announced on 16 July 2001 that they had separated. For many years, he resided with his partner, Carina Axelsson, although they were unable to marry due to a clause in Gustav's grandfather's will preventing him from inheriting family property if he marries someone not of Protestant, noble and Aryan descent. However, on 27 April 2022, the Danish court confirmed that Gustav would marry Axelsson on 3 June 2022, civilly and on 4 June 2022, religiously in

. He is the godfather of Count Richard von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, son of his sister Alexandra; Konstantin Johannsmann, son of his second sister

Nathalie Nathalie is a female given name. It is a variant of the name Natalie/ Natalia which is found in many languages, and is especially common in French and English speaking countries. Notable people with the name include: * Nathalie, Italian singer ...

; and Prince Vincent of Denmark, son of his first cousin, the

Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, (Frederik André Henrik Christian; born 26 May 1968) is the heir apparent to the Danish throne. He is the elder son of Queen Margrethe II and Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, Prince Henri ...

Ancestry

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gustav Of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Hereditary Prince 1969 births People from Frankfurt German princes House of Sayn-Wittgenstein Living people