Princess Filippa zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn & Count Vittorio Mazzetti d'Albertis 2001


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Elsa M.

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Maria Filippa Johanna Elisabeth Fernanda Yvonne, Princess zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, was born on July 23rd 1980 as the fourth child of the Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and Countess Gabriela von Schönborn-Wiesentheid.

On June 10th 2001 she married the Italian Count Vittorio Mazzetti d’Albertis (*1965), a son of Countess Maria Pia d’Albertis and Leopoldo Mazzetti (a remarkable expert in international law).

The civil wedding took place at the Sayn Castle, on June 8th, and it was followed by a pre-wedding ball on June 9th, while the religious wedding occured on June 10th, at the Abbey Church St. Marien in Sayn, with a reception being held in the Castle gardens.


Immediately after their honeymoon, Princess Filippa started working with the renowned Italian photographer Roberto Sisini and her first foreign assignment took her to Cornwall (England). Then on Sunday, September 30th, when she was returning to London, a tragic car accident occurred near Bristol. Princess Filippa died instantly, whilst the driver and the two other occupants survived.



Photos of the young couple, from DPA and SeegerPress:
 
From the pre-wedding soirée. By SeegerPress:

 
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The wedding gown was made in Florence and the veil came from a Russian ancestor of the bride.

Photos by DPA and SeegerPress:

 
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Photos by DPA and SeegerPress:

 
Photos by DPA and SeegerPress:

 
Are they the couple that after figuring out his wife died he ran into the forest and shot himself or is that another german aristocrat. I remember reading about it somewhere but I was never able to find out about it again. Im begining to think I imagined it. It was tragically romantic. They got married and soon after the wife died and the husband heart was broken so he ran into the forest and shot himself. At least that is how I think it went.
 
Was she related to Princess Benedikte's children?
 
Princejohnny25 said:
I remember reading about it somewhere but I was never able to find out about it again. Im begining to think I imagined it. It was tragically romantic. They got married and soon after the wife died and the husband heart was broken so he ran into the forest and shot himself. At least that is how I think it went.
You are thinking of Prince Ludwig Rudolf of Hanover and his wife Countess Isabelle von Thurn und Valsassina-Como-Vercelli in 1988. A sorry and tragic tale of overdose, suicide and an orphaned baby; more details in the Royal House of Hanover thread.


crisiñaki said:
Was she related to Princess Benedikte's children?
The Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn family is the Roman Catholic offshoot of the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, which is Protestant.
The two branches were founded in the mid-to-late 1700s when the Sayns split from the main Berleburg line.
They have tended to keep to their respective religions when marrying.
 
Elsa M. said:
Immediately after their honeymoon, Princess Filippa started working with the renowned Italian photographer Roberto Sisini and her first foreign assignment took her to Cornwall (England). Then on Sunday, September 30th, when she was returning to London, a tragic car accident occurred near Bristol. Princess Filippa died instantly, whilst the driver and the two other occupants survived.

This is so tragic... She was a beautiful princess and they probably had so much hopes for the future, but clearly, fate brought the opposite. :eek: :eek:
 
I agree. This was a beautiful bride, a beautiful wedding and a beautiful dress... what makes the story even sadder.


After her death, the family decided to publish some notes from Filippa's diary, under the title:

Filippas Engel: Aus den Tagebüchern von Filippa Sayn-Wittgenstein.












(*1980 +2001)

(SeegerPress)​
 
The castle in the background of this pic (thanks Elsa! :) ) is Schloss Sayn, the seat of the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn family. It was partly destroyed during WWII and recently restored to its former glory.
pic posted by Elsa at post #13
http://s2.supload.com/image.php?get=017201_4.JPG
 
It is terribly tragic. So young and beautiful, full of potential.
 
The first time I read about Princess Filippa was in Hola magazine, when she saddly died. I was very touched by this story, and even more touched when I read some parts of the Diary she wrote.

Thank you Very much, Elsa, for all the pictures you posted, they are beautiful! :)
 
Thanks for all these great pictures Elsa! :)

Filippa's dress was very simple but very beautiful and elegant in that simplicity.

It's really a tragedy that she died so young. She had her whole life ahead of her.

What is her husband doing these days?
 
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You're welcome!
Count Vittorio has a doctorate in agricultural management and he works for a Florentine wine house. That's where the couple lived during the short months of their married life.


Regina said:
The first time I read about Princess Filippa was in Hola magazine, when she saddly died. I was very touched by this story, and even more touched when I read some parts of the Diary she wrote.
According to the presentation provided by the editor, although she was a young woman with a strong passion for life, Filippa's intimate diary contains reflections about her "traveling to Home", as if she intuited that she was going to die young. Filippa previewed that moment with total serenity:

“I loved you all so much. Stay together. Serve God; not as a condition for my love, but like an aid for loving yourselves and being happy”.
 
Regina said:
The first time I read about Princess Filippa was in Hola magazine, when she saddly died. I was very touched by this story, and even more touched when I read some parts of the Diary she wrote.

Thank you Very much, Elsa, for all the pictures you posted, they are beautiful! :)

Princess Filippa's sister-in-law is the famous German actress Sunnyi Melles, now Sunnyi Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn of course. She still uses the Melles-name for her work in the theatre and on TV. Princess Sunnyi read the diaries of princess Filippa for the audio book production. Well worth listening to if you understand German.
 
Are you sure sunny melles is her sister-in-law? i think she is her aunt.
 
berry said:
Are you sure sunny melles is her sister-in-law? i think she is her aunt.

You're right. Technically Sunnyi is the aunt, but they are not that far away when it comes to their age, so I just assumed she was the sister-in-law.
 
Jo of Palatine said:
Princess Sunnyi read the diaries of princess Filippa for the audio book production. Well worth listening to if you understand German.

That audio must be remarkable! :) Thank you for the info.

I read her diary in spanish, I really loved it. Words full of beauty, hapiness and faith.
 
Jo of Palatine said:
Princess Filippa's sister-in-law is the famous German actress Sunnyi Melles, now Sunnyi Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn of course. She still uses the Melles-name for her work in the theatre and on TV. Princess Sunnyi read the diaries of princess Filippa for the audio book production. Well worth listening to if you understand German.
Sunnyi Melles is the wife of Prince Peter Heinrich Stanislaus zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (the youngest brother of Alexander Konrad zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn), what makes her Filippa's aunt-in-law.

The youngest brother of Filippa is also named Peter zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, but he's just 14 years old;)
 
For those who may be interested in reading more about this diary, here's an interview given by Fürstin Gabriella (see page 11):
http://www.randomhouse.de/content/download/news/heyne_0505.pdf

After its publication, her parents and husband created the foundation Filippa's Angel. The income obtained with this book is destined to award European young people who have outstanding performances in social, cultural or environmental projects.
 
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