Wittekind Adolf Heinrich Georg-Wilhelm, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (born 9 March 1936) has since 1967 been the head of the House of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. " Burke’s Royal Families of the World: ''Volume I Europe & Latin America'', 1977, p. 287.

Early life

He was born in

Arolsen Bad Arolsen (, until 1997 Arolsen, ''Bad'' being the German name for ''Spa'') is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany, in Waldeck-Frankenberg district. From 1655 until 1918 it served as the residence town of the Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont and ...

the son of Hereditary Prince Josias of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his wife,

Duchess Altburg of Oldenburg Duchess Altburg Marie Matilda Olga of Oldenburg (19 May 1903 – 16 June 2001) was a daughter of Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg by his second wife Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Early life In 1914, Altbu ...

(1903–2001).

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

and

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

were his godfathers. Wittekind, who has served in the

German Armed Forces The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

and held the rank

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...

, succeeded as head of the House of Waldeck and Pyrmont on the death of his father on 30 November 1967. He lives with his family at

Arolsen Castle Arolsen Castle (german: Residenzschloss Arolsen) is a baroque-style '' schloss'' in Bad Arolsen, Hesse, Germany. The castle is now a museum, and is still inhabited by Wittekind, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his family. As a result, it con ...

Marriage and issue

Wittekind was married on 19 May 1988 in Frohnleiten to Countess Cecilie von Goëss-Saurau (b. 1956). They have three sons.

Honours

*9 August 2001:

Federal Cross of Merit 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 ...

from

Roland Koch Roland Koch (born 24 March 1958) is a German jurist and former conservative politician of the CDU. He was the 7th Minister President of Hesse from 7 April 1999, immediately becoming the 53rd President of the Bundesrat, completing the term beg ...

, then

Minister-President A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over the council of ministers. I ...

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are ...

Ancestors

Notes

1936 births Living people People from Bad Arolsen Princes of Waldeck and Pyrmont House of Waldeck and Pyrmont Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German Army personnel Military personnel from Hesse {{Germany-royal-stub