Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (Frederick Christian Charles Augustus; 22 January 1831 – 28 October 1917) was a minor Danish-born German prince who became a member of the British royal family through his marriage to

Princess Helena of the United Kingdom Princess Helena (Helena Augusta Victoria; 25 May 1846 – 9 June 1923), later Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, was the third daughter and fifth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Helena was educated by private tutors chose ...

, the fifth child and third daughter 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 ...

and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

Early life

Prince Christian was born in

Augustenborg Palace Augustenborg Palace (or Augustenborg Castle; da, Augustenborg Slot, german: Schloss Augustenburg) is a Rococo-style palace in the southwestern part of Augustenborg, Als Island, Denmark, overlooking Augustenborg Fjord. The palace owes its name t ...

. He was the second son of

Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg da, Christian Carl Frederik Augustgerman: Christian Karl Friedrich August , house = Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg , father = Frederick Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg , mother = ...

and his wife,

Countess Louise Sophie of Danneskiold-Samsøe Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

. In 1848, young Christian's father, Duke Christian August, placed himself at the head of a movement to resist by force the claims of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

upon the Duchies of

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...

and

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

, two personal possessions of the kings of Denmark, of which Holstein also was a part of the

German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...

. A year earlier, King Frederick VII acceded to the Danish throne without any hope of producing a male heir. Unlike Denmark proper, where the ''Lex Regia'' of 1665 allowed the throne to pass through the female royal line, in Holstein

Salic Law 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 ...

prevailed. The duchy would most likely revert to the

Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg () was a branch of the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg of the House of Oldenburg. The line descended from Alexander, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. Like all of the secondary ...

family, their cadet branch of the house of Holstein-Sonderburg. During the 1852

First War of Schleswig The First Schleswig War (german: Schleswig-Holsteinischer Krieg) was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig-Holstein Question, contesting the issue of who should control the Duchies of Schleswi ...

, Prince Christian briefly served with the newly constituted Schleswig-Holstein army, before he and his family were forced to flee the advancing Danish forces (see history of Schleswig-Holstein). After the war, he attended the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...

, where he befriended Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia (later the

German Emperor The German Emperor (german: Deutscher Kaiser, ) was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the offi ...

Frederick III).

Marriage

In September 1865, while visiting

Coburg Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it ...

, The Princess Helena met Prince Christian. The couple became engaged in December of that year. Queen Victoria gave her permission for the marriage with the provision that the couple live in Great Britain. They married at the Private Chapel at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

on 5 July 1866. Seven days before the wedding, on 29 June 1866, the Queen granted her future son-in-law the style of ''

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 ...

'' by Royal Warrant. In 1891, Prince Christian lost an eye when he was accidentally shot in the face by his brother-in-law, The Duke of Connaught, during a shooting party at Sandringham. Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, as they were known, made their home at

Frogmore House Frogmore House is a 17th-century English country house owned by the Crown Estate. It is a historic Grade I listed building. The house is located on the Frogmore estate, which is situated within the grounds of the Home Park in Windsor, Berks ...

in the grounds of Windsor Castle and later at Cumberland Lodge in

Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of , including a deer park, to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park was, for ma ...

. They had six children, known commonly as:Charles Mosley, editor-in-chief, ''Burke’s peerage & baronetage'', 106th ed. Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1999. . * Prince Christian Victor (14 April 1867 – 29 October 1900); never married; died young during military duty and was buried in South Africa. * Prince Albert (28 February 1869 – 27 April 1931) who in 1921 became the titular

Duke of Schleswig-Holstein The following is a list of rulers (usually dukes) who ruled both Schleswig and Holstein, starting from the first Holstein count who received Schleswig, until both territories were annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866; and afterwards, titular ...

and the Head of the

House of Oldenburg The House of Oldenburg is a German dynasty with links to Denmark since the 15th century. It has branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Iceland, Greece, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Schleswig, Holstein, and Oldenburg. The cu ...

. Never married; had an illegitimate daughter: ** Valerie Marie zu Schleswig-Holstein (3 April 1900 – 14 Aug 1953). Married firstly Ernst Johann Wagner (b. 10 Jan 1896); married secondly Engelbert-Charles, 10th Duke of Arenberg (20 April 1899 – 27 April 1974) * Princess Helena Victoria (3 May 1870 – 13 March 1948). Never married. *

Princess Marie Louise Marie Louise or Marie-Louise may refer to: People * Marie Louise of Orléans (1662–1689), daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, queen consort of Charles II of Spain *Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel (1688–1765), daughter of Charles I, Landgrave ...

(12 August 1872 – 8 December 1956). Married

Prince Aribert of Anhalt Prince Aribert Joseph Alexander of Anhalt (18 June 1866 – 24 December 1933) was regent of Anhalt from September to November 1918 on behalf of his underage nephew Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt. As regent, following the German revolution, he abdic ...

, no issue. * Prince Harold (12 May 1876 – 20 May 1876). * Unnamed stillborn son (born and died 7 May 1877).

Honours and offices

Orders and decorations

Military and civil appointments

Prince Christian was given the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

in July 1866 and received promotions to the ranks of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

in August 1874 and

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

in October 1877. From 1869 until his death, he was honorary colonel of the 1st Volunteer Battalion, The

Royal Berkshire Regiment The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was created in 1881, as the Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment), b ...

. However, he never held a major field command or staff position. He was High Steward of Windsor and

Ranger of Windsor Great Park The office of Ranger of Windsor Great Park was established to oversee the protection and maintenance of the Great Park at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. The ranger has always been somebody close to the monarch. Apart from a singl ...

, and was awarded a

Doctor of Civil Law Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; la, Legis Civilis Doctor or Juris Civilis Doctor) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees. At Oxford, the degree is a higher ...

degree by the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. He received the

freedom of the city The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...

on 7 July 1902, during a visit to the city for the Royal Agricultural Society's Show. As a "Minor Royal", he officiated at many public functions. These included participation, with the Princess Helena, in the speech day of

Malvern College Malvern College is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent coeducational day and boarding school in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school (United Kingdom), public school in the British sen ...

in 1870.2009 reprint via Google books
(Note: Google's authorship citation is inaccurate - see Internet Archive version for actual title page)

Death

Prince Christian died at Schomberg House (half of which is now part of the Oxford and Cambridge Club"Pall Mall, South Side, Existing Buildings: Nos 77-78 Pall Mall", in ''Survey of London'': Volumes 29 and 30, St James Westminster, Part 1, ed. F. H. W. Sheppard (London, 1960), pp. 418–419. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols29-30/pt1/pp418-419 ccessed 19 October 2020),

Pall Mall, London Pall Mall is a street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, Central London. It connects St James's Street to Trafalgar Square and is a section of the regional A4 road. The street's name is derived from pall-mall, ...

, in October 1917, in his eighty-sixth year. He is buried in the

Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore The Royal Burial Ground is a cemetery used by the British royal family. Consecrated on 23 October 1928 by the Bishop of Oxford, it is adjacent to the Royal Mausoleum, which was built in 1862 to house the tomb of Queen Victoria and Prince Alb ...

in Windsor Great Park.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Of Schleswig-Holstein, Prince Burials at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore German princes House of Augustenburg People from Old Windsor People from Augustenborg, Denmark 1831 births 1917 deaths University of Bonn alumni Princes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Royal reburials Knights of the Garter Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Knights of Justice of the Order of St John Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania