Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia

Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, (legal name: Georg Friedrich Ferdinand Prinz von Preußen) (born June 10 1976 in Bremen) is the current head of the royal House of Hohenzollern, the former ruling house of the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia.

Pretender Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia
Born	June 10 1976 (1976-06-10) (age 31) Bremen (Germany)
Title(s)	Prince of Prussia
Throne(s) claimed	Germany Prussia
Pretend from	September 26, 1994
Monarchy abolished	1918
Last monarch	William II
Connection with	great-great-grandson
Royal House	Hohenzollern
Father	Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia ("Louis Ferdinand Jr.")
Mother	Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen
Predecessor	Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia ("Louis Ferdinand Sr.")

Early life

Georg Friedrich is the only son of the late Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (1944-1977) and Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen (born a member of a mediatized princely family, she is now Duchess Donata of Oldenburg by her second marriage to her former sister-in-law's ex husband, Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg). Georg Friedrich attended grammar schools in Bremen and Oldenburg and completed his education at Glenalmond College near Perth, Scotland, where he passed his A-levels. Following a two year stint in the German army Georg Friedrich studied business economics at the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology.

House of Hohenzollern

Georg Friedrich succeeded his grandfather, Prince Louis Ferdinand I of Prussia as head of the House of Hohenzollern in 1994. As head of the house he is occasionally styled His Royal Highness The Prince of Prussia (German: Seine königliche Hoheit, der Prinz von Preußen), or alternatively His Imperial and Royal Highness The Prince of Prussia (German: Seine kaiserliche und königliche Hoheit, der Prinz von Preußen) and is sometimes referred to by the anglicisation of his name, George Frederick. German law does not recognise the existence of any princely titles but under German civil law, former non-primogenitural titles are considered to be part of a person's surname. His position as head of the House of Hohenzollern was challenged by his uncles Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and Prince Michael who filed a law suit claiming that losing their places in the succession based on their marriages was discriminatory and unconstitutional.^[1] His uncles were initially successful with the regional court of Hechingen and the higher regional court of Stuttgart ruling in their favour in 1997 citing that the requirement to marry equally was "immoral".^[2] The Federal Court of Justice of Germany overturned the original rulings in favour of his uncles and the case returned to the courts in Hechingen and Stuttgart which this time both ruled in favour of Georg Friedrich. His uncles then took their case to the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany which overruled the previous court rulings in favour of Georg Friedrich.^[1] On October 19 2005 a German regional court ruled that Georg Friedrich is the full heir of his grandfather but that his uncles and the other children of Prince Louis Ferdinand are entitled to a portion of the Prussian inheritance.^[3] As a result of the 1442 Treaty of Wittstock between the House of Mecklenburg and the House of Hohenzollern, Georg Friedrich, as the titular Margrave of Brandenburg, would be the titular Grand Duke of Mecklenburg (that is, of the grand duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz). This however depends on the extinction of the House of Mecklenburg, and Prince Georg Fredrich and Duke Georg Borwin who regards himself as head of the house,^[4] have appeared together at an event about Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz despite its alleged extinction.^[5] As yet Georg Fredrich has not publicly acknowledged or claimed any Mecklenburg rights or titles. Georg Friedrich is also the heir of the Prussian claimants of the title of Prince of Orange. As a descendant of the United Kingdom's Queen Victoria, Georg Friedrich is 152nd in the line of succession to the British throne. He is also related to all of the current monarchs in Europe.

Quotes

• "I do not see any reason for the political system in Germany to be changed. And I am very happy - probably happier than many of my forebears."^[6]
• "As head of the House of Hohenzollern, I do not have any political role − nor do I aim at such." („Ich habe als Chef des Hauses Hohenzollern keine politische Rolle – und strebe dies auch nicht an“, in an Interview with the Cicero)
• "The German people should think about bringing back the monarchy, I am sure it will happen." (in an Interview with the Vanity Fair)

Ancestry

References

1. ^ ^{a b} The Hohenzollern Succession Dispute
2. ^ Kaiser's rule on marriage still applies to heirs
3. ^ Royal news: October 2005
4. ^ A letter by Duke Georg Borwin of Mecklenburg
5. ^ Saisoneröffnung in Hohenzieritz. Official website of the House of Hohenzollern. Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
6. ^ I don't envy Royal Family, says heir to German throne

External links

• Official (English-language) website of the House of Hohenzollern
• Biography at preussen.de

Pretenders to the German and Prussian thrones since 1918
Emperor William II (1918-1941) Crown Prince William (1941-1951) Prince Louis Ferdinand (1951-1994) Prince Georg Friedrich (1994-)
See also House of Hohenzollern