Beginning in 1925, some members of higher levels of theGerman nobility joined theNazi Party, registered by their title, date of birth, NSDAP Party registration number, and date of joining the Party.[1]
FollowingKaiser Wilhelm II's abdication and theGerman Revolution, theGerman nobility, as a legally defined class, was abolished. Onpromulgation of theWeimar Constitution on 11 September 1919, all such Germans were declared equal before the law with all persons of formerly lesser rank.[2] There were 22 heads of these former federal states: 4 German kings—ofPrussia,Bavaria,Saxony, andWürttemberg—6grand dukes, 5dukes, and 7princes, who—along with all of their families—lost their titles and domains.Adolf Hitler,Hermann Goering,Heinrich Himmler, and other Nazi leaders frequently appealed to these former princes, and especially toWilhelm II and his family, by expressing sympathy for a restoration of theabolished monarchies and other such lost inheritances.
From 1925, the newly formed Nazi Party began accepting these princes by their (abolished) former titles, and by their (abolished) princedoms, and registering these dukes, princes, and princesses as such, in the Nazi Party. There are two known Nazi Party lists of such princes and principalities. Of the first list Historian Malinowski notes: "of 312 families of the old aristocracy 3,592 princes joined the Nazis (26.9%) before Hitler came to power in 1933." The second, in the Berlin Federal archives, lists 270 princely members of the Nazi Party (1928–1942), of which almost half joined the Nazis pre-Hitler. The Berlin list named 90 direct senior heirs, to their 22 abolished principalities,[3] and also included claimants to the (former) Imperial Crown of Wilhelm II.
Afterthe proposed "fourth Kaiser" died fighting as a member of theWehrmacht in 1940, Hitler issued thePrinzenerlass, prohibiting German princes from theWehrmacht, but not from the Nazi Party or itsparamilitary units, theSturmabteilung (SA) or theSchutzstaffel (SS). Some German states provided a proportionally higher number of SS officers, includingHesse-Nassau andLippe. Such princes includedSS–Obergruppenführer andHigher SS and Police LeaderJosias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont.
.png)
Wilhelm II, German Emperor issued his statement of abdication asGerman Emperor on 9 November 1918. This was followed on 28 November by his abdication asKing of Prussia, thus formally ending theHouse of Hohenzollern's 400-year rule overPrussia. He also gave up his, and his family's, future succession rights to the throne of Prussia and to the German imperial throne.[5]
Wilhelm, German Crown Prince was first son and heir of Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Crown Prince is known to have abdicated around the same time as his father in 1918. Prince Wilhelm was a military commander, second in command to his commander in chief father, and served withGeneralfeldmarschallCrown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria andGeneralfeldmarschallAlbrecht, Duke of Württemberg, at German military headquarters throughoutWorld War I, until thearmistice of 11 November 1918. As such, Wilhelm II and Crown Prince Wilhelm directly commanded their chief of theGeneral Staff,GeneralfeldmarschallPaul von Hindenburg, throughout the war. During the war, Crown Prince Wilhelm awarded theIron Cross, first class, to the future leading NaziHermann Göring, after Göring flew reconnaissance and bombing missions in theFeldflieger Abteilung 25 (FFA 25) in the Crown Prince's Fifth Army.[6]
In the early 1930s, Wilhelm II apparently hoped the successes of the GermanNazi Party would stimulate interest in a restoration of the monarchy, with Crown Prince Wilhelm's son as the "fourth Kaiser".[7] In 1933, Hindenburg, nowReich President of theWeimar Republic, appointed Nazi Party leaderAdolf Hitler as theChancellor of Germany. Crown Prince Wilhelm was a member of theStahlhelm, the conservative andnationalist veterans organization, which in 1931 had joined with the Nazis to form theHarzburg Front. Hitler visited the former Crown Prince atCecilienhof three times, in 1926, in 1933 (on the "Day of Potsdam"), and in 1935.[8] On Hindenburg's death in August 1934, Hitler officially abolished the presidency and became German head of state asFührer, as well as Reich chancellor. This effectively forestalled the hopes of a Hohenzollern restoration at that time.
Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, the son of Crown Prince Wilhelm, nominated by Wilhelm as the "fourth Kaiser", took part in theinvasion of France in May 1940. He was wounded during the fighting inValenciennes and died on 26 May. His funeral service drew over 50,000 mourners.[9] His death and the ensuing sympathy of the German public toward a member of the former German royal house greatly bothered Hitler, and he began to see the Hohenzollerns as a threat to his power. In 1940, Hitler issued thePrinzenerlass, which prohibited princes fromGerman royal houses from serving in theWehrmacht.[9]
Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia was the fourth son of Emperor Wilhelm II by his first wife, Augusta Victoria. He joined the Nazi Party on 1 April 1930 and was honored by being granted the low Nazi Party membership number 24. In April 1932, he was elected as a Nazi deputy to theLandtag of Prussia. At the 5 March 1933 election, he was elected as a deputy to the nationalReichstag from electoral constituency 4,Potsdam I.[10] In July, he was made a member of thePrussian State Council by Göring, now theminister-president of Prussia.[11] As perhaps the most prominent member of the Hohenzollerns in the Nazi Party, the former prince hoped that Hitler would one day elevate him or his son Alexander Ferdinand to the vacant throne. A member of the Naziparamilitary organization, theSturmabteilung (SA), August Wilhelm was promoted to SA-Obergruppenführer, the second highest SA rank, in June 1939.[12]
After the 1941 death of Prince August Wilhelm's father, the former Kaiser, and more so after making derogatory remarks aboutReichsministerJoseph Goebbels, Prince August Wilhelm was denounced in 1942, sidelined, and banned from making public speeches. In February 1945, with formerCrown Princess Cecilie, August Wilhelm fled the approachingRed Army to take refuge with his auntPrincess Margaret of Prussia inKronberg. Arrested and imprisoned after the end of the war, he faced adenazification trial in 1948. He was sentenced to thirty months at hard labour but was released on the basis oftime served. He died on 25 March 1949.[12]
Prince Alexander Ferdinand was the only son of Prince August Wilhelm and his wifePrincess Alexandra Victoria. Like his father, he hoped that Hitler would one day elevate him, or his son, to the vacant throne of the Kaiser. Their support for the Nazis caused disagreements among the Hohenzollerns, with Wilhelm II urging them both to leave the Nazi Party.[13] In 1933, Prince Alexander Ferdinand quit the SA and became a private in theGerman Army.[14] In 1934, Berlin reported that the prince quit the SA because Hitler had chosen the 21-year-old to succeed him as "head man in Germany when he [Hitler] no longer can carry the torch".[14] The report also said that Göring, harboring his own ambitions for the succession, was expected to oppose the prince's nomination.[14] In 1939, Prince Alexander Ferdinand was anOberleutnant in theLuftwaffe signal corps.[15][16] Unlike many princes distrusted and removed from their commands by Hitler, he was the only Hohenzollern allowed to remain in his post.[17]
NSDAP.svg) | Nazi Party | Military/ Paramilitary unit | Title and name | Royal house | .svg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 24 | Joined: 1 April 1930 |   | Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia |  |  |
| NSDAP – 534782 | Joined: 1 May 1931 |  | Prince Alexander Ferdinand of Prussia | |  |
| NSDAP – 2407422 | Joined: 1 May 1935 |  | Prince Karl Franz of Prussia | |  |
| House of Wittelsbach | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Titles | |
King Ludwig III may have been Hitler's first association with the imperial nobility. At the outbreak ofWorld War I, Ludwig III received a petition fromAdolf Hitler, asking for permission to join theRoyal Bavarian Army. The petition was granted and Hitler joined the army, where he served for the remainder of World War I.[20][21]
As the war drew to a close, theGerman Revolution broke out in Bavaria, and Ludwig III was the first imperial monarch to be deposed. On 7 November 1918, King Ludwig fled fromMunich with his family toAnif Palace, nearSalzburg. On 12 November 1918, King Ludwig gave Prime Minister Dandl theAnif declaration, releasing all government officials, soldiers, and civil officers from their oath of loyalty to him. Therepublican government ofKurt Eisner declared theWittelsbachs deposed, ending 700 years of Wittelsbacher rule overBavaria.[22]
Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Ludwig's son and heir, did not join thefar right in Germany, despiteHitler's attempts to win him over throughErnst Röhm and promises of royal restoration.[citation needed] Rupprecht opposed Hitler, but a plan to give Rupprecht dictatorial powers in Bavaria under the title ofStaatskommissar [de], attracted support from a wide coalition of parties, even including theSocial Democratic Party of Germany andWilhelm Hoegner. However, the hesitancy of the Bavarian government under Minister-PresidentHeinrich Held and Hitler's assumption of power in January 1933 ended all hopes for the idea.[23][full citation needed] Rupprecht continued to harbor the idea of the "restoration of the Bavarian monarchy", in a possible union withAustria as an independent Southern Germany.[24][full citation needed]
In a 1943 memorandum, Prince Rupprecht even mentioned his ambition for the German crown (of the German Empire), which had been held by theHouse of Wittelsbach in the past.
| House of Wettin | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
 Prince Georg | |
| Titles | |
KingFrederick Augustus III of Saxony was the lastKing of Saxony and a member of theHouse of Wettin. He voluntarily abdicated as King on 13 November 1918. When the German Republic was proclaimed in 1918, he was asked by telephone whether he would abdicate willingly. He said: "Oh, well, I suppose I'd better."[25] Upon abdicating, he is supposed to have saidNu da machd doch eiern Drägg alleene! (Saxon for "Well then do your shit by yourselves!"). When cheered by a crowd in a railroad station several years after his abdication, he stuck his head out of the train's window and shouted, "You're a fine lot of republicans, I'll say!"[25] After his father'sabdication in 1919,Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony, the king's first-born son and heir, renounced his rights to the Saxon throne to become aCatholic priest. This was very controversial among people who hoped that the monarchy might one day be restored. He worked in Berlin where he was credited with protectingJews from the Nazi regime,[26] notably in contrast to his pro-Nazi brothers-in-law,Prince Frederich of Hohenzollern andPrince Franz Joseph of Hohenzolllern-Emden, who joined theSS. As a leading Roman Catholic nobleman and near-relative of theHabsburg,Bourbon, andSaxon dynasties, Prince Franz Joseph did much to lend respectability to the Nazi party.[27][28]
KingWilliam II of Wurttemberg abdicated on 30 November 1918.[29]Princess Pauline was the elder daughter of William II and was a first cousin ofQueen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands,;Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone; and senior Nazi Party membersCharles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha andJosias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Princess Pauline was later indicted by a United States Military Government court for "having concealed two prominent Nazis since October 1945". The princess admitted "having deliberately provided a haven" forGertrud Scholtz-Klink and her husband, former Major GeneralAugust Heissmayer of theSS. The Princess had acknowledged knowing that "Scholtz-Klink was known as the chief of all Nazi women's organizations", but she denied awareness of Heissmayer's SS position. Scholtz-Klink told the authorities that she did not know whether "Adolf Hitler was alive or dead", but "as long as he lives in the hearts of his followers, he cannot die."[30]
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 3726902 | Joined: 1 April 1936 | Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg |  Hohenlohe-Langenburg | Born 13 June 1863. Ernst was the son, ofHermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, andPrincess Leopoldine of Baden, daughter ofPrince William of Baden. He marriedQueen Victoria's granddaughter,Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh, daughter ofThe Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Edinburgh andGrand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. Prince Ernst was the Regent of the Duchy ofSaxe-Coburg and Gotha during the minority of his wife's cousin, Duke Charles Edward. | |
| NSDAP – 4969451 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | Hohenlohe-Langenburg |  | |
| NSDAP – 4023070 | Joined: 1 May 1937 |  | Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | Hohenlohe-Langenburg | Born 24 March 1897. Gottfried was the son of Prince Ernst II. After 1918, Gottfried continued to serve as a leader of the European aristocracy.[15] He served in the German army inWorld War II, becoming severely injured at the Russian front. He was dismissed from the army after the abortiveattempt on Adolf Hitler's life on20 July 1944.[15] In 1931, Prince Gottfried marriedPrincess Margarita of Greece and Denmark, the sister ofPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947 he became brother-in-law toElizabeth II. |
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 1234146 | Joined: 1 August 1932 | Prince Albert Albrecht of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein |  Hohenlohe-Bartenstein | Born 9 March 1906. Prince Albert Albrecht of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein and Jagstberg, was born in Württemberg, son of Johannes, VIII andArchduchess Anna Maria Theresia of Austria. The husband ofCountess Therese of Hohenlohe. | |
| NSDAP – 1331054 | Joined: 1 September 1932 | Princess Lahmann Mariella of Hohenlohe-Oehringen |  Hohenlohe-Oehringen | Born 31 August 1900. Countess Maria-Gabrielle (Mariella) Hedwig von Faber-Castell. On 1 May 1935, she marriedPrince Max Hugo Paul Friedrich Karl Egon zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen (1893–1951). | |
| NSDAP – 1359811 | Joined: 1 November 1932 | Prince Carl of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein | Hohenlohe-Bartenstein | Born 20 October 1905. Carl, Prince of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, was husband ofClara, Baroness von Meyern-Hohenberg, married 7 November 1912. | |
| NSDAP – 3587919 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Princess Alexandra of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | Hohenlohe-Langenburg | Born 22 April 1902. Daughter of Ernst II. Princess Alexandra of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (2 April 1901 – 26 October 1963). | |
| NSDAP – 1891373 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Prince Friedrich of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein | Hohenlohe-Bartenstein | Born 3 September 1910. Frederick, Prince of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein. Prince Friedrich Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, was the son of Prince Johannes Hohenlohe-Bartenstein (b.1863) of Württemberg, and Princess Anna Austria-Toscana (b.1879) in Bavaria. He was husband of Marie Claire Buet. | |
| NSDAP – 2151756 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Prince Max-Hugo of Hohenlohe-Öhringen | Hohenlohe-Oehringen | Born 25 March 1893. Prince Max Hugo of Hohenlohe-Öhringen was the son of Max Anton Karl Prince of Hohenlohe-Öhringen and Helene Gräfin von Hatzfeldt. He married, firstly, Maria-Gabrielle Gräfin von Faber-Castell, daughter ofAlexander Friedrich Lothar Graf von Faber-Castell andSophie Ottilie Gräfin von Faber, divorced 1931. He married, secondly, Hella von Ramin in 1941. He and Hella divorced in 1942. He married, thirdly, Marianne Liselotte Diefenthal. He died on 17 October 1951 in Wurttemberg. | |
| NSDAP – 3409977 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | (Prince) Grand Duke Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach |  Hohenlohe-Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | Born 31 July 1908. "According to His Royal Highest resolution. Highness graciously reigning Grand Duke Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach from March 16, 1892 granted the rights of a legal personality". | |
| NSDAP – 1787117 | Joined: 1 July 1933 | Prince Friedrich Karl Kraft | .svg) Hohenlohe | Born 16 March 1892. Prince Friedrich Karl KRAFT, born in Dresden (d. 2 September 1965), was a son of PrinceHans Heinrich Georg, Prince of Hohenlohe-Oehringen, Duke of Ujest andPrincess Gertrud Auguste Mathilde Olga von Hohenlohe-Öhringen. Died with his wife Florence Nina Chischina (1898–1965), in Rome, of wounds received in a car crash. | |
| NSDAP – 3508258 | Joined: 1 January 1936 | Prince Rudolph of Hohenlohe | Hohenlohe | Born 1 December 1903. | |
| NSDAP – 5637217 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Princess Hella of Hohenlohe | Hohenlohe-Oehringen | Born 25 February 1883. Princess Hela was the wife of Prince Max-Hugo. Hella von Ramin was born on 25 February 1883. She was the daughter of Paul von Ramin and Gunhild von Ramin-Daber. She married, (third husband) Prince Max-Hugo in 1941. She and Max-Hugo divorced in 1942. She died on 7 January 1943. | |
| NSDAP – 4453767 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Princess Irma of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | Hohenlohe-Langenburg | Born 4 July 1902. Daughter of Ernst II. Princess Irma of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (4 July 1902 – 8 March 1986). | |
| NSDAP – 5371558 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Prince Hugo Felix August zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen | Hohenlohe-Oehringen | Born 28 April 1890. Prince Hugo Felix August zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen, was son of PrinceHans Heinrich Georg, Prince of Hohenlohe-Oehringen, Duke of Ujest and Princess Gertrud Auguste Mathilde Olga von Hohenlohe-Öhringen. He was husband ofValerie von Carstanjen andUrsula von Zedlitz. He was father ofPrincess Alexandra Olga Elsa zu Hohenlohe Ohringen, andPrincess Dorothea Elisabeth zu Hohenlohe Ohringen, (d.28 August 1962). | |
| NSDAP – 6294978 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | Prince Alfred of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst |  Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst | Born 31 March 1889. Prince Alfred of Hohenlohe was born in Salzburg, Austria, the son ofKonrad, Prinz zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst andFranzisca Countess of Schönborn-Buchheim. He was the husband of Catherine Britton. Father ofKonrad zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst. Brother ofFranziska Maria Anna von Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst. He died on 21 October 1948 in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. | |
| NSDAP – 6580922 | Joined: 1 December 1938 | Prince Karl of Hohenlohe | Hohenlohe | Born 1 December 1903. | |
| NSDAP – 6580933 | Joined: 1 December 1938 | | Prince Gottfried Constantin of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | Hohenlohe-Langenburg | Born 11 September 1893. Gottfried Constantin of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was the son of Kuk privy councilorPrince Gottfried Karl Joseph andAnna von Schönborn-Buchheim. In WWII, Constantin wasadjutant of theSupreme Commander inBelgium. After June 1944, he was assigned as head of the military administration inEstonia. Captain Hohenlohe was later fired from theWehrmacht. |
| NSDAP – 6510492 | Joined: 1 December 1938 | Princess Viktoria of Hohenlohe | Hohenlohe | Born 20 October 1914. |
Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden abdicated on 22 November 1918, during theGerman Revolution of 1918–19 which resulted in the abolition of the Grand Duchy. After his death in 1928, the headship of the house was transferred over to hisgreat uncle's grandson,Prince Maximilian of Baden. His successor Prince Maximilian, was theChancellor of Germany andMinister President of Prussia, and the chief negotiator of the Kaiserreich abdication. Prince Max was married toPrincess Marie Louise of Hanover, eldest daughter ofErnest Augustus II andThyra of Denmark. Prince Max's sonPrince Berthold of Baden marriedPrincess Theodora, daughter ofPrince Andrew of Greece and Denmark andPrincess Alice of Battenberg. As such, Prince Berthold was brother-in-law toPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and eventuallyElizabeth II. In 1920, withKurt Hahn, Prince Max established theSchule Schloss Salem school[31][32] attended byPrince Philip.[33] Kurt Hahn also foundedGordonstoun, inScotland, which was attended by Philip's heir,Prince Charles.
| House of Hesse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Titles | |
| Cadet branches | |
Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse was the brother-in-law of the German EmperorWilhelm II. He was elected asKing of Finland by theParliament of Finland on 9 October 1918. However, with the abdication of EmperorWilhelm II of Germany ending monarchies in Germany, Finland adopted arepublican constitution. His first sonPhilipp, Landgrave of Hesse, joined theNazi Party (NSDAP) in 1930, and theSA Stormtroopers in 1932. In 1933, Philipp's three brothers joined theSS and the SA. Philipp became a particularly close friend ofHermann Göring, the future head of theLuftwaffe. After Hindenburg's appointment ofAdolf Hitler as Chancellor in 1933, Philipp was appointedOberpräsident (Governor) ofHesse-Nassau, a member of theReichstag, and of the Prussian Staatsrat. Philipp played an important role in the consolidation of Nazi rule in Germany. He introduced other aristocrats to NSDAP officials and, as son-in-law of theKing of Italy, was a frequent go-between for Hitler andBenito Mussolini. As Governor ofHesse-Kassel, Philipp was complicit in theT-4 Euthanasia Program. In February 1941, Philipp signed the contract placing the sanitarium ofHadamar Clinic at the disposal of the Reich Interior Ministry. Over 10,000 mentally ill people were murdered there. In 1946, Prince Philipp of Hesse was charged with murder, but the charges were later dropped.
Prince Frederick's other son,Prince Christoph of Hesse, was an SS officer. Christophe was a director in theMinistry of Aviation, Commander of the Air Reserves, with the rank ofOberführer in the SS.[34] In 1943, he was killed in an airplane accident in a war zone near Italy.[citation needed] Prince Christoph was a great-grandson ofQueen Victoria andPrince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha through their daughterVictoria, Princess Royal, wife ofFrederick III, German Emperor. Christoph marriedPrincess Sophie of Greece and Denmark. Princess Sophie was the youngest daughter ofPrince Andrew of Greece and Denmark andPrincess Alice of Battenberg, and the sister of the futurePrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Prince Wilhelm of Hesse was heir to theHesse-Philippsthal line. Prince Wilhelm was the eldest child ofPrince Chlodwig of Hesse andPrincess Caroline of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich. In 1932, he joined the Nazi Party and the SS, rising to the rank ofHauptsturmführer.[35][36][page needed] Prince Wilhelm marriedPrincess Marianne, the daughter ofPrince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia.[35] During World War II Prince Wilhelm refused to join an SS unit, instead switching to the regular German Army, where he became a captain of infantry.[35][37] He was killed in action during the fighting at Gor on the Eastern Front.
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 418991 | Joined: 1 October 1930 |  | Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse |  Hesse | _NSDAP_Politiker_Sturmabteilung_SA-Oberfuehrer_(Nazi_party_uniform_Senior_leader)_National_Archives_NARA_(Misc_Photos_1919-1934)_Unrestricted_No_known_copyright.jpg) |
| NSDAP – 696176 | Joined: 1 November 1931 |  | Prince Christoph of Hesse | Hesse |  |
| NSDAP – 1187621 | Joined: 1 May 1932 | | Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld | _COA.svg) Hesse-Philippsthal | Born 1 May 1905. In 1932, Prince Wilhelm joined the Nazi party and theSS rising to the rank [[SS-Hauptsturmführer|SS-Hauptsturmführer]].[35][36][page needed] Prince Wilhelm marriedPrincess Marianne of Prussia. During WWII Prince Wilhelm refused to join an SS unit, instead switching to the regular German Army, where he became a captain of infantry.[36][page needed][37] He was killed in action during the fighting at Gor on the Eastern Front. |
| NSDAP – 1794944 | Joined: 1 May 1932 | Prince Wolfgang of Hesse | .svg) Hesse-Kassel | Born 6 November 1896. Prince Wolfgang ofHesse-Kassel was the designated Hereditary Prince of themonarchy of Finland (with a pretension toEstonia), and as such, called theCrown Prince ofFinland officially until 14 December 1918, and also afterwards by some monarchists. | |
| NSDAP – 7900128 | Joined: 1 January 1940 | Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden | Hesse-Hesse by Rhine |  | |
| NSDAP – 4628851 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Princess Marianne of Prussia | Hesse-Philippsthal | Born 23 August 1913. Princess Marianne was the wife of Prince Wilhelm of Hesse. She was a descendant ofKing Frederick William III of Prussia andKing William I of the Netherlands. She was named after her great-grandmotherPrincess Marianne of the Netherlands. She was athird cousin ofWilliam, German Crown Prince. | |
| NSDAP – 4814689 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse | Hesse |  | |
| NSDAP – 4814690 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | Princess Margaret of Prussia | Hesse |  |
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military Rank | Title and Name | Royal House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 1184026 | Joined: 1 March 1932 | | Prince Alexis of Hesse-Philippsthal | Hesse-Philippsthal | Born 8 June 1911. Prince Alexis Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld. Was the son ofLandgrave Chlodwig Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, andPrincess Karoline Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, b. 27 May 1877, d. 28 Nov 1958, Berlin, West Germany. |
| NSDAP – 1203662 | Joined: 1 August 1932 | | Prince Richard of Hesse | Hesse | Born 14 May 1901. Prince Richard was the twin brother of Prince Christopher. |
| NSDAP – 3515493 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Princess Victoria Cecile of Hesse-Philippsthal | Hesse-Philippsthal | Born 26 October 1914. Viktoria Cäcilie (1914–1998), Prince Wilhelm and Alexander Friedrich (1911–1939), were the children ofChlodwig, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, an officer in the Prussian Army and head of theHesse-Philippsthal line of theHouse of Hesse. In the early 1930s three of Landgrave Chlodwig's children (Wilhelm, Alexander Friedrich and Viktoria Cäcilie) joined theNazi party. His third son Prince Alexander Friedrich, who suffered from epilepsy, wassterilised by the Nazis on 27 September 1938, he died a year later.[38] |
DuringWorld War I,Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse served as an officer atKaiser Wilhelm's headquarters. In July 1918, roughly sixteen months after theFebruary Revolution, which deposed his brother-in-law,Nicholas II, Ernst's two sisters in Russia,Elizabeth, who had become a nun following the assassination of her husband,Grand Duke Sergei, in 1905, andAlexandra, the former tsarina, were killed by theBolsheviks. At the end of the war, he lost his throne during therevolution of 1918, after refusing toabdicate.[39] Ernst was the last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine from 1892 until 1918.[40]
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 3766312 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse | Hesse | Born 8 November 1906. Hereditary Grand Duke George was husband ofPrincess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark. | |
| NSDAP – 3766313 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark | Hesse | Born 22 January 1911. Princess Cecilie was a grandchild of KingGeorge I of Greece and Grand DuchessOlga Konstantinova of Russia (a granddaughter of TsarNicholas I of Russia). She was a great-great-granddaughter ofQueen Victoria. Her brother Philip, later Duke of Edinburgh, was the husband of QueenElizabeth II. | |
| NSDAP – 5900506 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine |  Hesse by Rhine | .JPG) |
Following the 1918 suicide ofGrand Duke Adolphus Frederick VI of Mecklenburg-Strelitz,Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin took up the regency of Strelitz, after the heir presumptiveDuke Charles Michael, who was serving in the Russian Army at the time, had indicated that he wished to renounce his succession rights. Friedrich Franz abdicated the grand ducal throne on 14 November 1918 following theGerman Empire's defeat inWorld War I; the regency ended at the same time.[41][full citation needed] His sonFriedrich Franz joined the SS, and by 1936 held the rank ofHauptsturmführer (Captain).[42] He was posted to Denmark during World War II where he worked at the German embassy as a personal aide to the civilian administratorWerner Best.[42] He spent 1944 serving with theWaffen-SS tank corps.[42] In May 1943, Friedrich Franz was passed over as heir in favour of his younger brotherDuke Christian Louis.[43]
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 504973 | Joined: 1 May 1931 |  | Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |  Mecklenburg |  |
| House of Oldenburg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Titles | |
Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg was forced to abdicate his throne at the end of World War I, when the former Grand Duchy of the German Empire joined the post-war German Republic.[44] He and his family took up residence atRastede Castle, where he took up farming and local industrial interests.[15] A year after his abdication, he asked the Oldenburg Diet for a yearly allowance of 150,000marks, stating that his financial condition was "extremely precarious".[15] In 1931, Frederick died in Rastede.[44]
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 4085803 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Nikolaus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg | .svg) |  |
.png)
Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt succeeded his father asDuke of Anhalt on 13 September 1918. However, due to his youth his unclePrince Aribert of Anhalt was appointed regent. His brief reign came to an end on 12 November 1918 with his uncle abdicating in his name following the German revolution. The duchy became theFree State of Anhalt.
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 3452693 | Joined: 1 May 1934 | Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt |  |  Marie-Auguste marriedPrince Joachim of Prussia, the youngest son ofGerman Emperor Wilhelm II. The wedding was attended by Joachim's father Wilhelm II and motherEmpress Augusta Viktoria, and theDuke and Duchess ofAnhalt, etc. After Joachim committed suicide in 1920, in 1922, Marie-Auguste sued the former Emperor for the financial support promised to her, in her and Joachim's marriage contract.[45] |
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 4843880 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Duchess Edda Charlotte of Anhalt | | Born 20 August 1905 | |
| NSDAP – 7267717 | Joined: 1 November 1939 | Duke Joachim Ernst of Anhalt | | Born 11 January 1901 |
| House of Hanover | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Parent house | |
| Titles | etc..,etc..,etc.. |
Prince Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, who was also 3rdDuke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, was the only son ofGeorge V of Hanover andMarie of Saxe-Altenburg. Although he was the senior male-line great-grandson ofGeorge III, he was deprived of his British peerages and honours for having sided withGermany inWorld War I.[46][47] Ernest Augustus was the lastHanoverian prince to hold a British royal title. His successorErnst Augustus, Duke of Brunswick and Prince of Hanover, Prince ofGreat Britain andIreland, was Ernest Augustus's youngest child, withPrincess Thyra.[48] When Ernest's older brother Prince George died, theGerman Emperor sent a message of condolence to the Duke. In response, the Duke sent Ernest, his only surviving son, to thank the Emperor. In Berlin, Ernest met Emperor Wilhelm II's only daughter,Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, and they married in 1913. The wedding was the last great gathering of European sovereigns: the German Emperor and Empress, the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland,George V andQueen Mary of the UK, andTsar Nicholas II attended. His father's British dukedom was suspended under theTitles Deprivation Act 1917, and, on 8 November 1918, he was forced to abdicate, along with the other German nobility. In 1947, his daughterFrederica becameQueen of the Hellenes when her husbandPrince Paul of Greece and Denmark succeeded as King. He died in 1953.
.png)
When Germany lost the war, all the German princes lost their titles and estates.Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg was one of the first princes to realize major changes were coming for Germany, and quickly arrived at an amicable settlement with his subjects.[18] He was forced to abdicate the government of the duchy on 13 November 1918, and spent the rest of his life like a private citizen. On 1 May 1937, Ernst joined the Nazi party.[49] Ernst became the only former reigning German prince who acceptedGerman Democratic Republic citizenship after World War II, refusing an offer to leave his belovedJagdschloß Fröhliche Wiederkunft [de] and relocate to the British occupation zone. The palace had been confiscated by the Soviet occupiers, but Ernst had been granted free use of it until his death. In March 1954, with the death ofCharles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, he became the last survivor of the German princes who had reigned until 1918. One year later, on 22 March 1955, he died at his palace.
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 4868932 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg |  |  |
.png)
| House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | |
|---|---|
| Parent house | House of Wettin |
| Titles |
|
Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the last reigningDuke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the head of theHouse of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha until his death in 1954. A male-line grandson ofQueen Victoria andPrince Albert, he was also, until 1919, aPrince of the United Kingdom as theDuke of Albany. TheDuke was a controversial figure in theUK due to his status as sovereignDuke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, part of theGerman Empire, duringWorld War I, when he held a commission as a general in the German Army. Consequently, George V ordered his name removed from the register of the Knights of the Garter in 1915. In July 1917, Charles Edward and his children had the Royal Arms insignia removed from their Saxe-Coburg and Gotha coats of arms. In 1918, he was forced to abdicate his ducal throne. He retained the style Highness of a sovereign ducal house in Germany, until 18 November 1918 when aWorkers' and Soldiers' Council of Gotha deposed him. On 23 November 1918, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. In 1919, Charles Edward and his children also lost theirBritish peerages, the titles ofPrince andPrincess of the United Kingdom, the stylesRoyal Highness andHighness, and otherBritish honours.[50]
In 1977,Ottfried Neubecker, Director of the German General Rolls of Arms and of the Board of the International Academy of Heraldry, with the cooperation ofJ. P. Brooke-Little from the College of Arms, publishedA Little Brown Book, later reprinted in 1988, 1989 and 1997 asHeraldry. Sources, Symbols and Meaning (ISBN 0-316-64141-3). On page 96, Neubecker states that: "The reigning royal family in Great Britain goes back to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, husband of Queen Victoria. Our summary of the family tree covers all those descended in the male line from Queen Victoria. As the princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were excluded from the British royal family in 1893, the labels chosen independently by them were not recognized in England. ... on 17 July 1917 the name of Saxe-Coburg was changed to Windsor."[51] By warrant of 12 September 1917, and subsequent Order in Council of 1919, George V removed the inescutcheon of Saxony from the arms of all descendants of the Prince Consort.[52] Of George's 29 first-cousins on his father's side, 19 were German, the rest half-German; while on his mother's side, of the 31 first-cousins, six were German and 25 half-German.[citation needed]
In 1919, most, if not all of these Saxe-Coburg Gotha princes lost their German titles and royal status, in accordance with the Weimar Constitution, which abolished their German monarchy. Although according to Neubecker: "the princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gothawere excluded from the British royal family in1893,[citation needed] the labels chosen independently by them were not recognized in England."[53][page needed] Following the successions to the British throne of two such Saxe-Coburg and Gotha princes—as king Edward VII, and king George V—the 1893 Saxe-Coburg and Gotha exclusions of the British branch were finally enacted in 1919, at the end of World War I, shortly prior to the Weimar exclusions.[citation needed]
In 1932, Charles Edward took part in the creation of theHarzburg Front, through which theGerman National People's Party became associated with the Nazi Party. Charles Edward was a member of the (NSDAP), and formally joined theNazi Party in 1935, becoming a member of theSA (Brownshirts), rising to rank ofObergruppenführer, which at the time was the highest commissionedSS rank, inferior only to that ofReichsführer-SS (Heinrich Himmler). Charles Edward held the same rank asPrince Josias of Waldeck and Pyrmont,Rudolf Hess,von Ribbentrop,Martin Bormann, andReinhard Heydrich. He was also a member of theReichstag representing theNazi Party. In 1936,Adolf Hitler sent Charles Edward to Britain as president of theAnglo-German Friendship Society. His mission was to improveAnglo-German relations and to explore the possibility of a pact between the two countries. He sent Hitler encouraging reports about the strength of pro-German sentiment among the British aristocracy. After theAbdication Crisis, he played host to theDuke and Duchess of Windsor, during their private tour of Germany in 1937.
Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, was a German aristocrat, and theRegent of the Duchy ofSaxe-Coburg and Gotha during the minority of his wife's cousin,Duke Charles Edward, from 1900 to 1905. Ernst was the oldest of three children, and the only son, ofHermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, andPrincess Leopoldine of Baden. He married Queen Victoria's granddaughterPrincess Alexandra of Edinburgh, daughter ofThe Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Edinburgh andGrand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. AfterAdolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Ernst joined his sonGottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe, who had joined in 1931, in theNazi Party.[56] Prince Gottfried married Princess Margarita, who was one of the sisters ofPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort ofQueen Elizabeth II.
Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha(Hohenlohe) joined theNazi Party, in 1937, together with several of her children.[57]
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military Rank | Title and Name | Royal House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 300354 | Joined: 1 September 1930 | Prince Rainer of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |  | Born 4 May 1900. Prince Rainer was son ofPrince August Leopold and his wifeArchduchess Karoline Marie of Austria. At the time of his birth the House of Wettin ruled theKingdom of Saxony and theErnestine duchies in Germany, as well as the kingdoms ofBelgium,Portugal,Bulgaria and theUnited Kingdom. In line of succession to the Coburg throne, he possessed one of the largest fortunes in Hungary, one of the constituent realms within theHabsburg Empire, whose reigns ended, along with that of the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1918. | |
| NSDAP – 1037966 | Joined: 1 April 1932 | | Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | |  |
| NSDAP – 2560843 | Joined: 1 May 1933 |  | Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | | Main article:Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha  |
| NSDAP – 7213588 | Joined: 1 October 1939 | | Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | |  |
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military Rank | Title and Name | Royal House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 196633 | Joined: 15 May 1930 | Prince Ernst of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | | Born 25 February 1907. Prince Ernst was the son ofPrince August Leopold(akaPrince of the Empire of Brazil) andArchduchess Karoline Marie of Austria. Prince Augusts' wife was the daughter ofArchduke Karl Salvator of Austria, Prince of Tuscany, and his wifePrincess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Prince Ernst married morganatically to Irmgard Röll. This marriage was childless. (d. 9 June 1978). | |
| NSDAP – 1037967 | Joined: 1 April 1932 | Hereditary Princess Foedora of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | | Born 7 July 1905. Princess Feodora Freiin von der Horst (1905–1991),[citation needed] wasPrince Johann Leopold's first wife. | |
| NSDAP – 1560711 | Joined: 1 March 1933 | Princess Irmgard of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | | Main article:Krupp Born 27 January 1912. Princess Irmgard was the daughter ofGustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach andBertha Krupp. Gustav Krupp was "a super Nazi". Krupp was an avowedmonarchist, and was persuaded the NASDP could end the Republic and restore theKaiser and the old elites for renewed German expansion. Bertha Krupp never liked Hitler and she pleaded illness when he came on an official tour in 1934. Her daughter Irmgard acted as hostess.[58] Krupp secretly builtartillery inSweden, and builtsubmarine pens in theNetherlands. In the 1930s, it also manufacturedtanks and otherwar materials forHitler. Krupp was a member of thePrussian State Council from 1921 to 1933. Gustav Krupp was named as awar criminal at the 1945Nuremberg Trials. | |
| NSDAP – 1453322 | Joined: 7 March 1933 | Prince Leopoldine of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | | Born 13 May 1905. Prince Leopoldine Gonzaga, was son ofPrince August Leopold. (d. 24 December 1978). |
.png)
Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen assumed the throne of theDuchy of Saxe-Meiningen after the death of his father in 1914. When Germany lost the war, all the German princes lost their titles and estates. Bernhard was forced to abdicate as duke on 10 November 1918, and spent the rest of his life in his former country as a private citizen. His wifePrincess Charlotte of Prussia was the second child of PrinceFrederick of Prussia andPrincess Victoria. Charlotte was the eldest granddaughter ofQueen Victoria andPrince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. She was well loved by her paternal grandparents KingWilhelm I andQueen Augusta, and close to her brotherWilhelm II.
Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen, was the head of the house ofSaxe-Meiningen from 1941 until his death.He was a nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm II,[citation needed][59] Georg was the eldest son ofPrince Frederick Johann of Saxe-Meiningen (1861–1914) andCountess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1870–1948). His uncleBernhard III abdicated on 10 November 1918 following theGerman Revolution. In 1933, Georg joined theNazi Party. He died in a Russianprisoner of war camp in NorthernRussia. His heir was his second and only surviving son Prince Frederick Alfred who renounced the succession, becoming a monk in 1953, allowing it to pass to his uncleBernhard.
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 898842 | Joined: 1 March 1932 | Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen |  | Born 30 June 1901. Prince Bernhard was the third son ofPrince Frederick Johann andCountess Adelaide. Bernhard and his first wife were declared guilty of aNazi conspiracy againstAustria in 1933; he was sentenced to six weeks in prison. After intervention of the German envoy, he was released from prison and they escaped to Italy. Three weeks later, he was arrested while trying to return to his castle ofPitzelstaetten.[60][61] He died in 1984. | |
| NSDAP – 2594794 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen | |  |
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 525333 | Joined: 1 March 1931 | Princess Clara of Saxe-Coburg Meiningen | | Born 31 May 1895 | |
| NSDAP – 898841 | Joined: 1 March 1932 | Princess B. Margot of Saxe-Coburg Meiningen | | Born 22 November 1911 |
Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe was forced to renounce the throne on 12 November 1918. Following the end of his rule, Lippe became aFree state in the newWeimar Republic. All three of his sons by his first wife became members of the Nazi party. His eldest sonPrince Ernst is reported to have been the first German prince to join the party when he joined in May 1928.[62] When Leopold died inDetmold his three eldest sons were all disinherited and his youngest son Armin, Prince of Lippe, became head of the house.[citation needed]
Princess Marie Adelheid of Lippe was the daughter ofCount Rudolph andPrincess Luise of Ardeck. In 1920, Marie Adelheid marriedPrince Heinrich XXXII,[63] who had once been close to succeedingQueen Wilhelmina to the Dutch throne. They divorced in 1921.[63] Marie Adelheid's third marriage, in 1927, was toHanno Konopath, a Nazi government official.[63] This marriage created some important contacts for her in the Nazi regime.[63]
Like the Hesse family, the Lippe dynasty joined the Nazi party in great numbers (eighteen members would eventually join).[64] Some German states, such as Hesse-Nassau and Lippe, provided a proportionally higher number of SS officers.[64] Marie Adelheid developed strong connections with the Nazi regime, and became a leading socialite during that time.[64] In 1921, she was an aide to the Nazi Minister of Food and Agriculture,Richard Walther Darré (a friend of her third husband's).[65] Her cousinErnst, Prince of Lippe, (son ofLeopold IV, Prince of Lippe) was also employed under Darré.[64] Marie Adelheid devoted her writing talent to promoting Nazi ideals, in particular those of Darré,[66] whose views suffered as new plans were produced by Himmler and Göring.[67] As Darré's influence declined, so did that of Marie Adelheid and her cousin.
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military Rank | Title and Name | Royal House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 88835 | Joined: 1 May 1928 |   | Ernst, Hereditary Prince of Lippe |  Lippe |  In 1938 Prince Ernst worked with, and became second Adjutant toWalter Darré, the "Reich Peasant Leader", at the Nazi Ministry of Agriculture. In 1939 he was one of three main aides to the Minister, in his functions as Reich Minister, andReichsleiter of the Nazi Party. Prince Ernst actively supported Darré's activity as Reichsleiter of the NSDAP, whilst also being Darré's adjutant asReich Farm Leader, Prince Ernst's official residence was in theReich Office of Agricultural Policy. Prince Ernst's main task as a party aide, was to act as a liaison between the Reich Office, for country people inMunich and inBerlin. As an adjutant, Prince Ernst was a member of the SS (SS-Nr. 314 184), with the honorary rank of [[SS-Sturmbannführer|Ss-Sturmbannführer]]. He is listed in theRace and Settlement Main Office. Prince Ernst testified at theNuremberg Trials. |
| NSDAP – 2583009 | Joined: 1 March 1933 | | Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld | Lippe | Main article:Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld  |
| NSDAP – 5854038 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Prince Ernst-Aschwin of Lippe-Biesterfeld | Lippe-Biesterfeld | .jpg) |
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 292948 | Joined: 1 March 1930 | Prince Kurt of Lippe | Lippe | Born 5 March 1855. Prince Kurt (1855–1934) married (I) Sophie von Klengel (1857–1945) married (II) Johanna Krischke (1894–1987) 1. Marie Sophie (1886–1946) 2. Karl Christian (1889–1942). | |
| NSDAP – 461527 | Joined: 1 February 1931 | Prince Karl Christian Joachim of Lippe | Lippe | Born 21 October 1889. | |
| NSDAP – 479952 | Joined: 1 March 1931 | Prince Ludwig of Lippe | Lippe | Born 27 September 1909. | |
| NSDAP – 565619 | Joined: 1 June 1931 | Princess Sophie of Lippe | Lippe | Born 9 April 1857. | |
| NSDAP – 621441 | Joined: 1 September 1931 | Princess Johanna of Lippe | Lippe | Born 15 June 1894. | |
| NSDAP – 674238 | Joined: 1 October 1931 | Princess Hedwig-Maria of Lippe | Lippe | 29 December 1903. | |
| NSDAP – 868756 | Joined: 1 January 1932 | Count Otto of Lippe | Lippe | Born 4 July 1904. | |
| NSDAP – 891529 | Joined: 1 February 1932 | Prince Leopold Barnard of Lippe | Lippe | Born 19 May 1904. Prince Leopold Bernhard (1904–1965), was the second son ofLeopold IV, Prince of Lippe. | |
| NSDAP – 1334759 | Joined: 1 October 1932 | Princess Elisabeth of Lippe | Lippe | Born 27 October 1900. | |
| v 5164799 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Prince Christian of Lippe-Biesterfeld | Lippe-Biesterfeld | ||
| v 4533031 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Prince Ferdinand of Lippe-Weissenfeld | Lippe-Weissenfeld | Born 16 July 1903. Prince Carl Franz Ferdinand of Lippe-Weissenfeld was the son ofClemens Prince of Lippe-Weissenfeld andFriederike Baronin von Carolowitz. He marriedDorothea Princess von Schönburg-Waldenburg. He died on 26 September 1939 at age 36 at near Lublin, Poland, killed in action. | |
| NSDAP – 6153171 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | Princess Franziska of Lippe | Lippe | Born 14 December 1902. | |
| NSDAP – 7218152 | Joined: 1 October 1939 | Prince Kurt-Bernhard of Lippe | Lippe-Biesterfeld | Born 4 July 1901. | |
| NSDAP – 4320380 | Joined:withheld | Count Rolf of Lippe | Lippe | Born 4 January 1912. | |
| NSDAP – 3723952 | Joined:withheld | Prince Walther of Lippe | Lippe | Born 7 April 1878. |
Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe succeeded his fatherGeorg as Prince in 1911, and ruled until he was forced to abdicate on 15 November 1918. Following the German revolution: the Principality became theFree State of Schaumburg-Lippe. Adolf marriedEllen Bischoff-Korthaus; they were both killed in a plane crash inMexico in 1936, in acontrolled flight into the side of a volcano. He was succeeded as head of the House ofSchaumburg-Lippe by his brotherWolrad.
Prince Adolph's brotherPrince Friedrich Christian was the third son of Prince Georg. Friedrich's brother Adolf II was the "last German prince forced to abdicate".[69] After World War I, Friedrich Christian was an ardent Nazi Party supporter, worked vigorously to gain noble and royal support for the party, and eventually became an upper privy councillor andadjutant to Propaganda MinisterJoseph Goebbels. In 1939, Friedrich was asked to becomeKing of Iceland by Icelanders sympathetic to the Nazi party, but refused due to the opposition of Foreign MinisterJoachim von Ribbentrop. Friedrich felt disillusioned by the abdication ofEmperor Wilhelm II, and even more unhappy over the "cowardly abdications" of the German princes in 1918.[70][full citation needed] The prince wished for a restoration of the monarchy, he believed thatAdolf Hitler was also in accord with these views, writing in his diary, "Hitler was in principle for the monarchy, but not for the continuation of that which, in his opinion, had failed totally."[70] The prince "liked to think the "National Socialists as true heirs of the old nobility."[check quotation syntax][71][full citation needed]
The House ofSchaumburg-Lippe had ten members in the Nazi party.[72] Hitler wanted these high-ranking members of society for propaganda reasons – the more who joined, the more socially acceptable his new regime would be.[1] Like Friedrich, and his brother Prince Wolrad, Hitler appointed many of these new members to the Sturmabteilung as stormtroopers.[73] Hitler made various assurances to the party's noble members, leading them to believe he intended to restore the monarchy.[74][full citation needed] Friedrich Christian was a speaker for the Nazi Party in 1929, and worked vigorously to gain the support of other noble families behind Hitler.[70][74][full citation needed] He worked closely with Propaganda MinisterJoseph Goebbels,[75] who gave him a position in the newly created Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.[76]
By April 1933, Friedrich Christian was both an upper privy councillor and Goebbels's adjutant.[76] That year, the prince arranged for the minister's involvement in the Berlin University book burning.[76] As evident from photographs and diaries during that time, Hitler and Goebbels both held Friedrich Christian in high esteem.[70] As World War II led to German military defeats, Hitler became more suspicious of royal and noble families, questioning their loyalties.[77] By 1943, he secretly ordered all Nazi bureaucracies to compile a record of members, and then personally decided if they were to be "retired" or allowed to stay.[78] Most of the princes were unwillingly booted out of the party as a result.[79] Goebbels went to Hitler to protect Friedrich Christian, who obtained a special waiver, for the prince's "future deployment in the Propaganda Ministry".
In 1947, four German princes—Friedrich Christian,Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia,Prince Philipp of Hesse, andHereditary Prince Ernst of Lippe—were brought under arrest to the war crimes jail atNuremberg in order to appear as witnesses in a portion of 16 trials of high-ranking Nazi criminals.[80] Viewed as an "old-line party member" who made propaganda excursions to many foreign countries on Goebbels's behalf, Friedrich Christian was the last of the four to testify.[80]
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 95146 | Joined: 1 August 1928 | | Prince Friedrich Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe |  |  |
| NSDAP – 3681098 | Joined: 1 August 1935 | | Wolrad, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe | Schaumburg-Lippe |  |
| NSDAP – 3681097 | Joined: 1 October 1935 | Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe | Schaumburg-Lippe | Princess Bathildis (1903–1983), married Wolrad, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. Bathildis was the only daughter ofPrince Albert of Schaumburg-Lippe andDuchess Elsa of Württemberg. |
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 638702 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | | Prince Albrecht of Schaumburg-Lippe | Schaumburg-Lippe | |
| NSDAP – 3018293 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | | Prince Max of Schaumburg-Lippe | Schaumburg-Lippe | Prince Max of Schaumburg-Lippe (28 March 1898 – 4 February 1974), married in 1933 toPrincess Helga-Lee of Schaumburg-Lippe, no issue. |
| NSDAP – 7965863 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | | Prince Walburgis of Schaumburg-Lippe | Schaumburg-Lippe | Prince Walbergis joined on the same day as Prince Franz Joseph. |
| NSDAP – 6189085 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | | Franz Joseph Adolph Ernst of Schaumburg-Lippe | Schaumburg-Lippe | Prince Franz Josef of Schaumburg-Lippe (1 September 1899 – 7 July 1963), married in 1959 to Maria Theresia Peschel. His motherDuchess Elsa of Württemberg; (1876–1936) was a daughter ofDuke Eugen of Württemberg andGrand Duchess Vera Constantinovna of Russia. She marriedPrince Albert of Schaumburg-Lippe (1869–1942). Her four children were Prince Franz Josef, Prince Max, Prince Alexander and Princess Bathildis. |
| NSDAP –144005 | Joined: 16 August 1929 | Princess Alexandra of Schaumburg-Lippe | Schaumburg-Lippe | d.o.b. withheld | |
| NSDAP – 309345 | Joined: 1 October 1930 | Princess Ingerborg-Alice of Schaumburg-Lippe | Schaumburg-Lippe | d.o.b. withheld |
Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Friedrich Adolf Hermann Prinz zu Waldeck und Pyrmont; 20 January 1865 – 26 May 1946) was the last reigningPrince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, from 12 May 1893 to 13 November 1918.
Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont was theheir apparent toWaldeck and Pyrmont. At the end of World War I, his family lost their principality as Waldeck and Pyrmont became aFree State in the newWeimar Republic.
On 1 November 1929, Josias joined theNazi Party, becoming a member of theSS in 1930. He was immediately appointedadjutant toSepp Dietrich, a leading member of the SS, before becomingHeinrich Himmler's adjutant and staff chief in September 1930.[81] Waldeck-Pyrmont was elected as theReichstag member forDüsseldorf-West in 1933 and was promoted to the rank of SS lieutenant general.[81] He was promoted again in 1939, to be the HigherSS and Police Leader forWeimar. In this position he had supervisory authority overBuchenwald concentration camp.[82] AfterWorld War II, he was sentenced to life in prison at theBuchenwald Trial (later commuted to 20 years) for his part in the "common plan" to violate the Laws and Usages of War in connection withprisoners of war held atBuchenwald concentration camp, but was released after serving about three years in prison. He was the nephew ofWilliam II, King of Württemberg, andEmma of Waldeck and Pyrmont,Queen Regent of theNetherlands. He was also a cousin ofWilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands, andCharles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Prince Josias and his wife,Duchess Altburg of Oldenburg, were the parents ofWittekind, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont.Adolf Hitler andHeinrich Himmler were Wittekind's godfathers.[36][page needed] Wittekind, who served in the German Armed Forces as a Lieutenant Colonel, succeeded as head of theHouse of Waldeck and Pyrmont when his father died on 30 November 1967.[83]
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 160025 | Joined: 1 November 1929 |   | Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont |  Waldeck and Pyrmont |   |
| NSDAP – 161001 | Joined: 1 November 1929 | Duchess Altburg of Oldenburg | |  | |
| NSDAP – 8562493 | Joined: 1 September 1941 | Princess Margarethe of Waldeck and Pyrmont | | Born 22 May 1923. Princess Margarethe was the eldest daughter of Prince Josias and Princess Altberg.Princess Margarethe of Waldeck and Pyrmont marriedCount Franz August zu Erbach-Erbach (b. 1925). |
At the death of his father on 29 March 1913,Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line[citation needed] inherited the throne of the principality; also, he continued the regency of theReuss Elder Line, because of a physical and mental disability ofPrince Heinrich XXIV due to an accident in the latter's childhood. Prince Heinrich XXVII abdicated in 1918 after theGerman Revolution of 1918–19, when all German monarchies were abolished. After the death ofHeinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss Elder Line in 1927, the titles passed to Heinrich XXVII.
Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss Younger Line was the head of theHouse of Reuss, and last male member of theReuss-Schleiz branch of theYounger Line. Heinrich XLV was the only surviving son ofHeinrich XXVII. During the 1930s Heinrich XLV became aNazi sympathizer and member of theNazi Party.[88] In 1945, he was arrested by theSoviet military and disappeared. In 1962, he was declared dead by a court inBüdingen.
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 237533 | 1 May 1930 | Princess Marie Adelheid of Lippe-Biesterfeld |  | Main article:Princess Marie Adelheid of Lippe-Biesterfeld Born 30 August 1895. Like the Hesse family, the Lippe dynasty joined theNazi party in great numbers (ultimately eighteen members would eventually join).[84] Some German states provided a proportionally higher number ofSS officers, includingHesse-Nassau andLippe, Marie Adelheid's birthplace.[84] As an ardent believer of the party's views, Marie Adelheid developed strong connections to the emergingNazi regime, and became a leading socialite during that time.[84] | |
| NSDAP – 2199219 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss Younger Line | Reuss |  | |
| NSDAP – 3603963 | Joined: 1 May 1935 | Prince Heinrich XXXIII Reuss of Köstritz |  Reuss-Köstritz |  |
| NSDAP | Nazi Party | Military rank | Title and name | Royal house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSDAP – 912977 | Joined: 1 February 1932 | Prince Heinrich of Reuss | Reuss | Born 28 March 1890. Heinrich Harry, Prince of Reuss, Graf von Plauen, was the son ofHeinrich XXVI, Prince of Reuss (b. 15 December 1857) andVictoria, Countess of Fürstenstein (b. 11 September 1863). He was the husband of Huberta Valeska Sascha Eva Anna Dorothea, Freiin von Tiele-Winckler. Prince Heinrich joined the Nazi Party at the same time as Princess Huberta. | |
| NSDAP – 912978 | Joined: 1 February 1932 | Princess Huberta of Reuss | Reuss | Born 14 April 1889. Princess Edina-Huberta of Reuss, was the daughter of Heinrich Harry, Prince Reuss, Count of Plauen (b. 28 March 1890) and Huberta Valeska Sascha Eva Anna Dorothea, Baroness of Tiele-Winckler (b. 14 April 1889). | |
| NSDAP – 1190474 | Joined: 1 May 1932 | Prince Heinrich XXXVI | Reuss (Köstritz) | Born 10 August 1888. Heinrich XXXVI Prince Reuß zu Köstritz, was born in Stonsdorf, and died inOberstdorf 10 May 1956. | |
| NSDAP – 3018157 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Prince Heinrich XXXV | Reuss | Born 10 August 1888. Brother of Heinrich XXXIII, and XXXII. Heinrich XXXV (1887–1936) married firstly in 1911 (divorced 1921) Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (1888–1947), married secondly in 1921 (divorced 1923)Princess Marie Adelaide of Lippe (1895–1993). | |
| NSDAP – 4418345 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Prince Heinrich XXVII | Reuss | Born 13 December 1897. | |
| NSDAP – 7089148 | Joined: 1 September 1939 | Prince Heinrich of Reuss | Reuss | Born 26 May 1921.Prince Heinrich V Reuss of Köstritz (d. 28 October 1980) was the son of Marie Adelheid andHeinrich XXXV Prinz Reuss zu Köstritz, her first husband's younger brother. |
Mr. Swift MacNeill asked the Prime Minister (1) whether he is aware that the Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, in the peerage of Great Britain, and Earl of Armagh, in the peerage of Ireland, and a prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, is in command of troops in the German Army, engaged in active hostilities against the Sovereign and people of the British Empire; whether he is aware that the first Duke of Cumberland, the paternal grandfather of the present duke, after his accession to the throne of Hanover, took the oath of allegiance in England, and sat in the House of Lords as a peer of Great Britain by hereditary right; whether the present Duke of Cumberland, who was born a British subject, has since divested himself of his British nationality and, if so, how and when; and whether, having regard to the fact that the present Duke of Cumberland is in arms with the enemies of the British Empire against the Sovereign of that Empire, and guilty of high treason, any and, if so, what steps will be taken to secure that he shall no longer retain British and Irish titles or peerages and a seat in the House of Lords; and (2) whether he is aware that theDuke of Albany,Earl of Clarence, andBaron Arklow, in the peerage of the United Kingdom, prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, is in command of troops in the German Army, engaged in active hostilities against the Sovereign and people of the British Empire; whether he is aware that the Duke of Albany was born in England, a subject of the British Crown, and succeeded, at his birth as a posthumous child, to these United Kingdom titles or peerages held by his father, who swore allegiance and sat as a peer of the United Kingdom in the House of Lords by hereditary right; whether the Duke of Albany has ever divested himself of his British nationality and, if so, how or when; and whether, having regard to the fact that the Duke of Albany is in arms with the enemies of the British Empire against the Sovereign of this Empire, and guilty of high treason, any and, if so, what steps will be taken to secure that he shall no longer retain United Kingdom peerages and titles and a seat in the House of Lords?
.svg)
.svg)
