Armin, Prince of Lippe (''Armin Leopold Ernst Bruno Heinrich Willa August Fürst zur Lippe''; 18 August 1924 – 20 August 2015, also in

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of ...

) was the fourth son of

Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe (''Leopold Julius Bernhard Adalbert Otto Karl Gustav''; 30 May 1871 – 30 December 1949) was the final sovereign of the Principality of Lippe in northwestern Germany from 1905 until his abdication in 1918. Prior t ...

, from his second wife, Princess Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen.

Head of the House of Lippe

Armin succeeded his father as head of the

House of Lippe The House of Lippe () is the former reigning house of a number of small Germany, German states, two of which existed until the German Revolution of 1918–19, the Principality of Lippe and the Schaumburg-Lippe, Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe. ...

following the latter's death on 30 December 1949. On 22 March 1953, he renounced his position in favour of his older half brother, Prince Leopold. This move proved controversial within the house, and several princes started legal proceedings. Prince Leopold later in 1958 renounced the headship in favour of his older brother, Hereditary Prince Ernst. Later in that year, the Hereditary Prince called a family council, where it was agreed by the princes in attendance that the oldest prince living in Germany would be head of the house. So the position went to Prince Simon Casimir (1900–1980). Although agreeing at the time, Prince Ernst August of Lippe, the son of Prince Julius Ernst of Lippe-Biesterfeld and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg, later changed his mind, believing that all princes of house, not just those living in Germany, should be considered. He ultimately assumed the headship of the house. Ernst August died in 1990 and his son Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Lippe (b. 1947) has continued his claim. Prince Armin, who said he did not think his decision in 1953 was irrevocable, also claimed to be head of the house, given the fact that he inherited the family fortune, including farming land, forests and the princely castle at

, where he was living. He was a first cousin of Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, consort of

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Juliana of the Netherlands Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Sh ...

, and was a child attendant at their 1937 wedding.

Marriage and children

Prince Armin married Traute Becker (16 February 1925 – 25 February 2023), daughter of Gustav Becker and Charlotte Meyer, on 27 March 1953, in

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, in a

civil marriage A civil marriage is a marriage performed, recorded, and recognized by a government official. Such a marriage may be performed by a religious body and recognized by the state, or it may be entirely secular. History Countries maintaining a popul ...

followed by a religious ceremony on 29 March 1953, in

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle (district), Celle in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller (Germany), Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

, Germany. They had a son: * Stephan, Prince of Lippe, born on 24 May 1959.

Ancestry

References

External links

Schloss Detmold
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armin, Prince Of Lippe 1924 births 2015 deaths People from Detmold House of Lippe Princes of Lippe Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Sons of princes regnant Pretenders