Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (German: Louis Ferdinand Viktor Eduard Albert Michael Hubertus Prinz von Preussen) (November 9, 1907 - September 26, 1994), a member of the Hohenzollern family, was the pretender to the abolished German monarchy, opponent of the National Socialist German Workers Party in Germany, a business man, and patron of the arts.
| Pretender Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia |
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| Born | November 9 1907 Potsdam |
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| Died | September 26 1994 (aged 86) Bremen |
| Title(s) | Prince of Prussia |
| Throne(s) claimed | Germany, Prussia |
| Pretend from | July 20, 1951 – September 26, 1994 |
| Monarchy abolished | 1918 |
| Last monarch | William II |
| Connection with | grandson |
| Royal House | Hohenzollern |
| Father | William, German Crown Prince |
| Mother | Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
| Spouse | Kira Kirillovna of Russia |
| Children | Friedrich Wilhelm, Michael, Marie Cécile, Kira, Louis Ferdinand, Christian-Sigismund, Xenia |
| Predecessor | Crown Prince Wilhelm |
| Successor | Prince Georg Friedrich |
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Biography
Louis Ferdinand was born as the third in succession to the throne over the German Empire, after his father, German Crown Prince William and elder brother Prince Wilhelm of Prussia. The monarchy was abolished after Germany's revolution in 1918. When Louis Ferdinand's older brother Prince Wilhelm renounced his succession rights to marry a commoner in 1933 (he was later to be killed in action in France in 1940 fighting in the German army), Louis Ferdinand took his place in line for the throne following the deaths of the Kaiser and the Crown Prince. Louis Ferdinand was educated in Berlin and deviated from his family's tradition by not pursuing a military career. Instead, he travelled extensively and settled for some time in Detroit, where he befriended Henry Ford and became acquainted with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, among others. He held a great interest in engineering. Recalled from the United States upon his brother's renunciation of the throne, he got involved in the German aviation industry, but was barred by Hitler from taking any active part in German military activities. Louis Ferdinand disassociated himself from the Nazis after this. He was not involved in the July 20 Plot against Hitler in 1944 but was interrogated by the Gestapo immediately afterwards.[1] He married the Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia in 1938 in first a Russian Orthodox in Potsdam and then Lutheran ceremony in Huis ten Doorn, Netherlands. Kira was the second daughter of Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Viktoria Feodorovna. They had four sons and three daughters. His two eldest sons both renounced their succession rights in order to marry commoners. His third son, and heir, Prince Louis Ferdinand II died in 1977 during military maneuvers, and thus his eighteen-year-old grandson Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia became heir to the Prussian and Imperial throne and head of the Hohenzollern family upon Louis Ferdinand's death in 1994. After the reunification of Germany, Louis Ferdinand arranged to have the remains of several Hohenzollern members reinterred at the imperial vault in Potsdam.
Children
- Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (b. February 10, 1939), married firstly Waltraud Freytag (b. 1940), secondly Ehrengard von Reden (b. 1943), thirdly Sibylle Kretschmer; he renounced his succession rights September 18 1967. Son Philip was from his first marriage. His other children were from his second marriage.
- Prince Michael of Prussia (b. March 22, 1940), married firstly Jutta Jorn (b. 27 January 1943), secondly Brigitte von Dallwitz (17 September 1939); he renounced his succession rights August 29 1966. Both of his children are from the first marriage.
- Micaela Prinzessin von Preussen (b. 5 March 1967)
- Nataly Prinzessin von Preussen (b. 13 January 1970)
- Princess Marie Cécile of Prussia (b. May 28, 1942)
- Princess Kira of Prussia (June 27, 1943–January 10, 2004)
- Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (August 25, 1944–July 11, 1977)
- Prince Christian-Sigismund of Prussia (born March 14, 1946)
- Princess Xenia of Prussia (December 9, 1949–January 18, 1992)
Notes
- ^ Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, The Rebel Prince (Chicago: Henry Reegnery, 1952): 306-324.
External links
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Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia
Born: 9 November 1907 Died: 26 September 1994 |
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| Titles in pretence | ||
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| Preceded by Crown Prince William |
— TITULAR — German Emperor King of Prussia July 20, 1951 – September 26, 1994 Reason for succession failure: Empire / Kingdom abolished in 1918 |
Succeeded by Prince Georg Friedrich |
| Family information | ||
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| William II, German Emperor
House of Hohenzollern
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William, German Crown Prince | Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia |
| Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein
House of Oldenburg
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| Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
House of Mecklenburg
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Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | |
| Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia
House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
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Emperor William II (1918-1941) |
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