, image = Wedding of Princess Birgitta and Johan Georg von Hohenzollern 1961 004.jpg , caption = Princess Birgitta and the bridegroom, Johan Georg von Hohenzollern, after their wedding ceremony , spouse = , issue = Prince Carl Christian
Princess Désirée
Prince Hubertus , house = Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen , birth_date = , birth_place = Schloss Sigmaringen,

Sigmaringen Sigmaringen ( Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district. Sigmaringen is renowned for its castle, Schloss Sigmaring ...

Province of Hohenzollern A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, death_date = , death_place =

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

, Germany , burial_date = 12 March 2016 , burial_place = Erlöserkirche,

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, father =

Frederick, Prince of Hohenzollern , succession = Prince of Hohenzollern , image = FriedrichHohenzollern1.jpg , caption = , reign=22 October 1927 – 6 February 1965, reign-type=Tenure, predecessor = William , successor = Frederick William , spouse ...

, mother = Princess Margarete Karola of Saxony Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (''Johann Georg Carl Leopold Eitel-Friedrich Meinrad Maria Hubertus Michael''; 31 July 1932 – 2 March 2016) was a German prince, and through his marriage to Princess Birgitta of Sweden, was brother-in-law of King

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, D ...

of Sweden. Prince Johann Georg was the sixth child of

(Heiligendamm 30 August 1891 – Krauchenwies 6 February 1965) and his wife Princess Margarete Karola of Saxony (Dresden 24 January 1900 – Freiburg im Breisgau 16 October 1962).

Biography

Family

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, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenbu ...

also produced rulers of the Kingdom of Romania. King

Carol I of Romania Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...

was the first king of Romania born as a Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. He was followed by his nephew Ferdinand I of Romania (1865–1927), who was adopted as heir in 1889 by his uncle and succeeded as King in 1914 upon his uncle's death. Ferdinand became the father of King Carol II of Romania and grandfather of Michael I of Romania (1921–2017), the last reigning member of the Royal Family of Romania. Johann Georg, known as "Hansi", had six siblings: * Benedikta, who married Heinrich count of Waldburg zu Wolfegg und Waldsee; * Maria Aldegunde, married to Werner Hess; * Maria Theresia; * Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern who married Princess Margarita of Leiningen; * Franz Joseph who married first Princess Maria Ferdinande von Thurn und Taxis and second Princess Diane of Bourbon-Parma; * Prince Ferfied, married to Maja Meinert.

Marriage

Johann Georg met Princess Birgitta of Sweden, the sister of the current King of Sweden

in 1959 at a cocktail party while visiting friends and relatives in Germany. On 15 December 1960, their engagement was announced by the Royal Palace of Stockholm. The civil marriage ceremony took place at the Royal Palace of

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

on 25 May 1961, and the religious wedding in the Sankt Johann Church at the bridegroom's family palace of

on 30 May/31 July 1961. Johann Georg and Birgitta separated in 1990, though they remained legally married and attended Swedish royal family events together, including the 2010 wedding of

Crown Princess Victoria Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland (Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée; born 14 July 1977) is the heir apparent to the Swedish throne, as the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf. If she ascends to the throne as expect ...

. They celebrated their golden wedding in 2011.

Children

Johann Georg and Birgitta's marriage produced three children: *Prince Carl Christian of Hohenzollern (b. 5 April 1962 in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

, Germany), married Nicole Helene Neschitsch (b. 22 January 1968, Munich) on 26 July 1999 in Kreuzpullach. They have one son: **Nikolas, Prince of Hohenzollern (b. 22 November 1999) *Princess Désirée of Hohenzollern (b. 27 November 1963, Munich). She married firstly, Heinrich Franz Josef Georg Maria, Hereditary Count of Ortenburg (b. 11 October 1956,

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castl ...

) on 21 September 1998 in

Weitramsdorf Weitramsdorf is a municipality in the district of Coburg in Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest G ...

. They had three children before divorcing in 2002. Married secondly Eckbert von Bohlen und Halbach (b. 1956). **Carl Theodor, Count of Ortenburg (b. 21 February 1992, Lichtenfels) **Friedrich-Hubertus, Count of Ortenburg (b. 7 February 1995, Lichtenfels) **Carolina, Countess of Ortenburg (b. 1997) *Prince Hubertus of Hohenzollern (b. 10 June 1966 in Munich), married Uta Maria König (b.

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

25 February 1964).

Career

Johann Georg lived in Grünwald,

and was a fine art expert. From 1992 to 1998 he served as Director General of the

Bavarian State Picture Collection The Bavarian State Painting Collections (german: Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen), based in Munich, Germany, oversees artwork held by the Free State of Bavaria. It was established in 1799 as ''Centralgemäldegaleriedirektion''. Artwork includes ...

and was also a director of the Hypo-Kunsthalle of the Hypo Cultural Foundation. He served as a Member of Advisory Board - Europe at

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is owned by Groupe Artémi ...

International plc. A patron of the arts, his 75th birthday was celebrated with a special concert in Munich.

Honours

Dynastic

: Knight Grand Cross with Chain of the

Princely House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various v ...

National

* : Officer of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

** : Member of the Decoration of Merit<

Foreign

* : Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, 1st Class * ** Castroan Royal Family of Two Sicilies: Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Two Sicilian Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George * : Knight of the

Royal Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim ( sv, Kungliga Serafimerorden; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the P ...

* : Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Crown Princess Victoria to Daniel Westling

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johann Georg Of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Prince 1932 births 2016 deaths People from Sigmaringen People from the Province of Hohenzollern House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres People of the Weimar Republic