Gottfried, 8th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (; 24 March 189711 May 1960) was the only surviving son of

Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg Ernst, 7th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (Ernst Wilhelm Friedrich Carl Maximilian, 7. Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg; 13 September 1863 – 11 December 1950) was a German aristocrat and Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. He served as the Regent of ...

. At the death of his father in 1950, Gottfried inherited the title of Prince of

Hohenlohe-Langenburg Hohenlohe-Langenburg () was a German county and later principality in the Holy Roman Empire. It was located around Langenburg in what is now northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Starting in medieval times and continuing until 1806, this smal ...

.Marlene A. Eilers, Queen Victoria's Descendants (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987), page 181. Hereinafter cited as Queen Victoria's Descendants.

Early life

Prince Gottfried of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Gottfried was born at

Langenburg Langenburg () is a town in the district of Schwäbisch Hall, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on a hill above the river Jagst, 18 km northeast of Schwäbisch Hall. It is also the place where Wibele - small, sweet, biscuit-l ...

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806. Geogr ...

, the first child of

(1863–1950, son of

Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (Hermann Ernst Franz Bernhard; 31 August 1832 – 9 March 1913) was the 6th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and the second son of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and Princess Feodora of Leiningen ( ...

and

Princess Leopoldine of Baden Princess Leopoldine of Baden (''Leopoldine Wilhelmine Amalie Pauline Maximiliane''; 22 February 1837, Karlsruhe – 23 December 1903, Strasbourg) was a Princess of Baden by birth and Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg by marriage. Life Leopoldine ...

) and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh (daughter of

Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Alfred (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 184430 July 1900) was sovereign Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 22 August 1893 until his death in 1900. He was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was known as the Du ...

and

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (; – 22 October 1920) was the sixth child and only surviving daughter of Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine; she was Duchess of Edinburgh and later Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and G ...

). Through his maternal grandparents, he was a great-grandson 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 Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and of

Tsar Alexander II Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland fro ...

. On 1 May 1937, he joined the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

the same day as his mother, with the membership number of 4023070. He served as an army officer in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, becoming severely injured at the Russian front. He was dismissed from the army after the abortive attempt on

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

's life on

20 July 1944 The 20 July plot, sometimes referred to as Operation Valkyrie, was a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the chancellor and leader of Nazi Germany, and overthrow the Nazi regime on 20 July 1944. The plotters were part of the German re ...

Marriage and issue

Gottfried was briefly engaged during 1927–28 to

Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt (born Maria Mercedes Morgan; 23 August 1904 13 February 1965) was an American socialite. Vanderbilt was the mother of fashion designer and artist Gloria Vanderbilt and maternal grandmother of television journalist Anders ...

, the widow of

Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt (January 14, 1880 – September 4, 1925) was a member of the Vanderbilt family. He was the father of Gloria Vanderbilt and maternal grandfather of Anderson Cooper. An avid equestrian, Vanderbilt was the founder and pr ...

. That engagement was however repudiated. On 3 December 1930, Gottfried became engaged to

Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark (; 18 April 1905 – 24 April 1981) was a List of princesses of Greece, Greek and List of princesses of Denmark, Danish princess by birth and Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg by marriage. An elder sister ...

. Margarita was the daughter of

Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (; – 3 December 1944) was the seventh child and fourth son of King George I and Queen Olga of Greece. He was a grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark and the father of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ...

and his wife,

Princess Alice of Battenberg Princess Alice of Battenberg (Victoria Alice Elizabeth Julia Marie; 25 February 1885 – 5 December 1969) was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II, and paternal grandmother of King Charles III. Af ...

. Gottfried and Margarita were second cousins once removed through

and third cousins through

Nicholas I of Russia Nicholas I, group=pron (Russian language, Russian: Николай I Павлович; – ) was Emperor of Russia, List of rulers of Partitioned Poland#Kings of the Kingdom of Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 18 ...

. Margarita's younger brother

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

in 1947 married Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Gottfried's second cousin,

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

. Elizabeth succeeded her father to the throne of the United Kingdom as

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. Gottfried and Margarita had a generally harmonious marriage. They had six children, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren: *A stillborn daughter (born and died 3 December 1933) * Prince ''Kraft'' Alexander Ernst Ludwig Georg Emich (25 June 1935 – 16 March 2004); succeeded his father as

Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg Hohenlohe-Langenburg () was a German county and later principality in the Holy Roman Empire. It was located around Langenburg in what is now northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Starting in medieval times and continuing until 1806, this smal ...

. He married Princess Charlotte Alexandra Marie Clotilde of Croÿ (31 December 1938) on 5 June 1965 at Langenburg, Baden-Württemburg, Germany. They had three children: **Princess Cécile Marita Dorothea of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (16 December 1967); married Count Cyril of Commarque on 6 June 1998 at Cadouin Abbey, Dordogne. ** Prince Philipp Gottfried Alexander of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (20 January 1970); married Saskia Binder on 13 September 2003. They had three children: ***Max-Leopold Ernst Kraft Peter, Hereditary Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (22 March 2005) ***Prince Gustav Philipp Friedrich Alexander (28 January 2007) ***Princess Marita Saskia Friedelinde Charlotte (23 November 2010) **Princess Xenia Margarita Anne of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (8 July 1972); married Max Soltmann on 13 August 2005 at Obertaukirchen, Bayern, Germany. They had two children: ***Ferdinand Gabriele Kraft Soltmann (5 November 2005) ***Louisa Marei Charlotte Soltmann (6 April 2008) * Princess ''Beatrix'' Alice Marie Melita Margarete of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (10 June 1936 – 15 November 1997), once engaged to her first cousin

Maximilian, Margrave of Baden Maximilian, Margrave of Baden (Maximilian Andreas Friedrich Gustav Ernst August Bernhard Prinz und Markgraf von Baden; 3 July 1933 – 29 December 2022), also known as Max von Baden, was a German businessman and the head of House of Baden. Thro ...

*Prince ''Georg Andreas'' Heinrich of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (24 November 1938 – 28 October 2021) married Princess ''Luise'' Pauline Amelie Vibeke Beatrix of Schönburg-Waldenburg on 9 September 1968. They had two daughters: **Princess ''Katharina'' Clementine Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (21 November 1972); married Prince Nikolaus of Waldeck and Pyrmont (2 November 1970) on 29 September 2002. They have two daughters: ***Princess ''Laetitia'' Antoinette Julia Tatjana Felicitas of Waldeck and Pyrmont (2 December 2003). ***Princess ''Alexia'' Natalie Luise Tatjana Maresa of Waldeck and Pyrmont (20 June 2006). **Princess ''Tatjana'' Luise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (10 February 1975); married Hubertus Stephan (d. 10 May 2018 in a

traffic collision A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Tr ...

). They had two sons: ***Carl Stephan (b. 2012). ***Wolf Thomas Dres Stephan (b. 2013). *Prince ''Rupprecht'' Sigismund Philipp Ernst of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (7 April 1944 – 8 April 1978) *Prince ''Albrecht'' Wolfgang Christoph of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (7 April 1944 – 23 April 1992) married Maria-Hildegard Fischer (b. 1933) on 23 January 1976. They had one son: ** Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (b. 1976) Their four elder children were all born at

Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall (; 'Swabian Hall'; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the N ...

, while the two youngest boys, twins, were born in

.''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XIII. "Haus Griechenland". C.A. Starke Verlag, 1987, pp. 38, 203–204.

Later years and death

After World War II, he was appointed as district administrator (Landrat) of

Crailsheim Crailsheim () is a town in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg. Incorporated in 1338, it lies east of Schwäbisch Hall and southwest of Ansbach in the Schwäbisch Hall (district), Schwäbisch Hall district. The city's mai ...

. Gottfried became an advocate for

West German West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...

business interests, which included securing land leases in

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

. Together with his wife and their three elder children, he took part in the ship tour organized by Queen Frederica and her husband King

Paul of Greece Paul (; 14 December 1901 – 6 March 1964) was King of Greece from 1 April 1947 until his death on 6 March 1964. Paul was born in Athens as the third son of Constantine I of Greece, Crown Prince Constantine and Sophia of Prussia, Crown Princess ...

in 1954, which became known as the “

Cruise of the Kings The Cruise of the Kings () was a royal cruise around the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 1954, organised by Queen Frederica of Greece, Queen Frederica and Paul of Greece, King Paul of Greece. The cruise aimed to promote tourism in Greece an ...

” and was attended by over 100 royals from all over Europe. On 11 May 1960, Gottfried died at

Langenburg Castle Langenburg () is a town in the district of Schwäbisch Hall, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on a hill above the river Jagst, 18 km northeast of Schwäbisch Hall. It is also the place where Wibele - small, sweet, biscuit-lik ...

after a long illness. He is buried on the castle grounds.

Ancestry

Notes

Sources

*Queen Victoria's Descendants, New York, 1987, Eilers, Marlene A., Reference: 197

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gottfried, Prince Of Hohenlohe-Langenburg 1897 births 1960 deaths People from Langenburg House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg Princes of Hohenlohe-Langenburg German Army officers of World War II 20th-century German landowners Pretenders Nazi Party members