Sophie, Princess of Prussia (born Princess Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg; 7 March 1978) is married to

Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preussen Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia (born 10 June 1976, as ''Georg Friedrich Ferdinand Prinz von Preußen'') is a German heir who is the current head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, the former ruling dynasty of the German Em ...

, head of the formerly-ruling

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern Castle, Hohenzollern, Margraviate of Bran ...

Early life and education

Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg was born on 7 March 1978 in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

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

, to Franz-Alexander, Prince of Isenburg (1943-2018), and his wife, Countess Christine Saurma, Baroness von und zu der Jeltsch (born 1941).''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XV. C.A. Starke Verlag, 1997, pp.271–275. Her father was the head of the Birstein branch of the House of Isenburg, a mediatized Catholic line of

Princes of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (, , cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors of the princely title bore it as immediate vassal ...

, who lost their independence in 1815. She has two sisters, Archduchess Katharina of Austria-Este and Isabelle, Dowager Princess of Wied, and two brothers, Alexander, 10th Prince of Isenburg, and Prince Viktor. Growing up at Birstein Castle, the family seat in

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

, Sophie studied at a primary school in Birstein and at '' Marienschule Fulda'' in

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...

. She then attended the boarding school ''Kloster Wald'' and passed her A-Levels as well as a trade test as a

dressmaker A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Notable dr ...

. Sophie studied Business Administration at the

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially ), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1 ...

and

Humboldt University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

and worked at a firm that offers consulting services for nonprofit business.

Marriage and issue

On 25 August 2011, Sophie civilly married

, at

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

's ''Stadthaus'' by Jann Jakobs, Mayor of Potsdam. The religious wedding took place at the Church of Peace on 27 August 2011, in commemoration of the 950th anniversary of the founding of the House of Hohenzollern. The wedding was covered live by German broadcaster RBB. The 700 guests included:

Prince Hassan bin Talal Prince Hassan bin Talal (, born 20 March 1947) is a member of the Jordanian royal family who was previously Crown Prince from 1965 to 1999, being removed just three weeks before King Hussein's death. He is now 20th in line to succeed his nephew ...

and Princess Sarvath al-Hassan of Jordan; Prince Laurent of Belgium;

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

and

Lady Nicholas Windsor Lady Nicholas Windsor (born Paola Louise Marica Doimi de Lupis, 7 August 1969) is the wife of Lord Nicholas Windsor, son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Early life Lady Nicholas Windsor was born as Paola Louise Marica Doimi de Lupis. She us ...

; and then Crown Princess Margareta of Romania. Following the ceremony, a reception was held on the grounds of the ''

Sanssouci Sanssouci () is a historical building in Potsdam, near Berlin. Built by Prussian King Frederick the Great as his summer palace, it is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and ...

'' palace. Upon her marriage, she has been known by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

Her Imperial and Royal Highness The Princess of Prussia. Sophie and Georg Friedrich have four children.

Honours

: Knight of the Imperial and Royal Order of the Black Eagle *

: Grand Mistress Dame Grand Cross of the Imperial and Royal Order of Louise

Ancestry

References

Notes

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sophie, Princess of Prussia 1978 births Living people German Roman Catholics House of Hohenzollern House of Isenburg People from Frankfurt Prussian princesses Humboldt University of Berlin alumni