Princely House of Hohenzollern


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
The 1923 Romaniam Constitution (the last constitution approved while Romania was still a Kingdom) settled the succession "from male to male in order of primogeniture and with the perpetual exclusion of women and their descendants"; this means that, according to that provision, the successor to King Michael will be the Fürst of Hohenzollern (who btw has declared not to be interested in the Romanian succession).
This was until 2007, when King Michael changed the succession rules, allowing women to succeed to the throne and excluding the Hohenzollern relatives from the succession; so his heir is his eldest daughter Margarita.
The problem is that some think that being Michael a constitutional monarch he can't change the succession law (previously contained in the Constitution), because only the Parliament can amend the Constitution; thus, according to this theory, the succession is still following the 1923 provisions.
 
Only the parliament can change the laws of succession in Romania and HM King Mihai I wished that in his family document.Theoretically now HRH Prince Karl is Heir to the romanian Throne.
 
How closely related are the Furst of Hohenzollern and King Michael? This is fascinating stuff. I've recently become more interested in this (very) extended family since reading a profile of Prinz Georg Friederich in MAJESTY. Before this, all I really knew of these connections was the WWI Kaiser's connection to Queen Victoria. Now I'm learning more about these branches thanks to the kind responses here. Thank you.
 
King Michael and the late Fürst Friedrich Wilhelm of Hohenzollern were second cousins, being both great-grandchildren of Fürst Leopold and Fürstin Antonia of Hohenzollern.
 
:previous:
Fürst Leopold von Hohenzollern > Fürst Wilhelm > Fürst Friedrich > Fürst Friedrich Wilhelm
Fürst Leopold von Hohenzollern > Ferdinand, King of Romania > Carol, King of Romania > Michael, King of Romania
.
 
Thank you, Warren and Mafan. Second cousins are fairly close relations in the grand scheme of things.:flowers:
 
Thank you for the reply, Saschana. I know that "hereditary prince" is a European term, and as such I'm not very familiar with it. Does it mean the prince who'll inherit the "top spot" in the family; i.e. the heir to a principality?


Erbprinz means hereditary prince :flowers:
 
Thank you for the reply, Saschana. I know that "hereditary prince" is a European term, and as such I'm not very familiar with it. Does it mean the prince who'll inherit the "top spot" in the family; i.e. the heir to a principality?

Back in the day when Germany was still a monarchy mostly the heirs apparents (oldest sons / nearest male relative) of the duchys, margravates and landgravates were called 'Erbprinz', while the heirs to the throne of the different kings or the emperor were called 'Kronprinz' (crown prince).
Today there are no official titles like that in Germany anymore (they are all called Prince, Duke,...) but some families still use those names because of their tradition and to show whose the heir and next head of the family, for example the Badens or Anhalts as well as some other formerly sovereign or mediatized families. They can call themselves 'Erbprinz' but it is not official, so it's not their legal name. Same applies to other titles like 'Fürst', for example Alexander Fürst von Schaumburg-Lippe's official name is Prinz von Schaumburg-Lippe, but he calls himself and is well known as 'Fürst' to show that he is the head of the family.

In other (still existing) European monarchies I believe it is just Guillaume of Luxembourg who has a similar title - Hereditary Grand Duke (Erbgroßherzog in German)
 
Funeral of Fürst Friedrich Wilhelm

Courtesy of Marlene Eilers, from her highly-recommended blog Royal Musings

Attendees at the funeral of the late Fürst von Hohenzollern included:

Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia
The Duke of Württemberg
The Margrave of Baden
The Hereditary Prince and Princess of Baden
The Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
The Prince of Fürstenberg
The Prince of Thurn und Taxis
The Prince and Princess of Waldburg-Wolfegg
The Hereditary Prince and Princess of Waldburg-Zeil
Duke Max and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria
Prince and Princess Leopold of Bavaria
.
 
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Thank you, Saschana. That was the impression that I had of what "hereditary prince" meant. I appreciate the fuller information, though.:flowers:

Back in the day when Germany was still a monarchy mostly the heirs apparents (oldest sons / nearest male relative) of the duchys, margravates and landgravates were called 'Erbprinz', while the heirs to the throne of the different kings or the emperor were called 'Kronprinz' (crown prince).
 
It's nice to see that three of the highest ranking german royals were there.
 
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How many of these dignitaries can be considered Royal Highnesses, as distinct from Highnesses and Serene Highnesses?


Attendees at the funeral of the late Fürst von Hohenzollern included:

Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia
The Duke of Württemberg
The Margrave of Baden
The Hereditary Prince and Princess of Baden
The Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
The Prince of Fürstenberg
The Prince of Thurn und Taxis
The Prince and Princess of Waldburg-Wolfegg
The Hereditary Prince and Princess of Waldburg-Zeil
Duke Max and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria
Prince and Princess Leopold of Bavaria
.
 
How many of these dignitaries can be considered Royal Highnesses, as distinct from Highnesses and Serene Highnesses?

I would say 9: Georg Friedrich who is also an Imperial Highness, the Badens, the duke of Wurttemberg and the Bavarias.
 
Georg Friedrich is NOT an imperial highness, because the german emperor was VOTED by unificated german countries.

Only the kindom of prussia was the prussians inheritage.

The three german emperors were called: German Emperor AND King of Prussia !!!!

This means, that only the persons, that were born during the german empire to the house of prussia were imperial highnesses ( an their wifes of course). The german empire ended in 1918.
Georg Friedrich was born far after 1918 :). So he is only a royal highness, because he is formerly just the heir of the throne of prussia. To be an imperial highness he must be voted by the counties/ federal states/ free cities of germany.

An hereditary emperial throne of germany has never exsisted in that way: Both, the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire ( 1871 - 1913) were actually voted emipres. Only the late austrian empire, the russian empire and the napoleonic something were hereditary empires.
 
Only the Prussians, the Württembergs, the Bavarians, the Hanovarians and the Markgrafen of Meißen ( Kingdom of Saxony, not to be mixed up with the three duchy's of saxony) are royal houses. So their members are all royal highnesses. HRH/ TRH

Some heads of some (grand) ducal houses ( f. ex. Oldenburg ) are also royal highnesses, BUT only the heads ( and their wifes). It was a given privilege by the emperor/ kings.

Luxemburg is a grand duchy and their members are royal highnesse, because theiy come from a royal house. The Lichtensteins and Grimaldis don't, so they are Seren Highnesses.

Also the members of Land- and Markgräfliche houses are sometimes royal highnesses, when their heads had the right to vote the german emperors - read more on wikipedia ! ( f.ex a part of the Hessen-family )

All the other ( grand) ducal houses are only highnesses. HH/ TH

The most princes are serene highnesses except some heads, who may have the privilege to call themselves highness ( and their wifes). HSH/ TSH

The counts/ countesses are their excellencies. HE/ TE

Imperial Highnesses are the Habsburgs, the japanese family and the heads of the romanov family ( so the big lady and Georgi). HIH/ TIH.
 
This means, that only the persons, that were born during the german empire to the house of prussia were imperial highnesses ( an their wifes of course). The german empire ended in 1918.
Georg Friedrich was born far after 1918 :). So he is only a royal highness, because he is formerly just the heir of the throne of prussia. To be an imperial highness he must be voted by the counties/ federal states/ free cities of germany.

As far as I know, only the German Crown Prince and the German Crown Princess were Imperial and Royal Highnesses, but all the other members of the Prussian Royal House were/are "mere" Royal Highnesses, beyond they were born before or after the end of the Empire.
 
This means, that only the persons, that were born during the german empire to the house of prussia were imperial highnesses ( an their wifes of course).

Actually I think it was just the Crown Prince and his wife who were Imperial Highnesses while all the other children of the Emperor (who of course was also an Imperial Highness as well as his wife) were just Royal Highnesses.
So Crown Prince Wilhelm and his wife Cecilie were the last German Imperial Highnesses.
 
Actually I think it was just the Crown Prince and his wife who were Imperial Highnesses while all the other children of the Emperor (who of course was also an Imperial Highness as well as his wife) were just Royal Highnesses.
So Crown Prince Wilhelm and his wife Cecilie were the last German Imperial Highnesses.

Yes it where the Crown Prine and his spuse and since 1918 the Head of the House and his spouse. So Georg Friedrich is His Imperial and Royal Highness as was the late Prince Louis Ferdinand.
 
Fürst Friedrich Wilhelm the Head of the princely line of Hohenzollern died last night at the age of 86. He had already since a few yearts health-problems.

suedkurier.de | Fürst Friedrich Wilhelm ist tot

Yesterday the funeral took place. Here ist the report on it including a picture gallery on the right handside:

suedkurier.de | Friedrich Wilhelm beerdigt

Unfortunatly there are no names included in the gallery. However, you might be able to discover one or the other member of German royalty or otherwise well known people. E.g. Pic 24 Prince Bernhard of Baden and his wife Stephanie, Pic 38 Tanja Gönner, a lawyer, CDU politician and member of the Baden-Württemberg Landesregierung, and Pic 70 seems to be the youngest child of Fürstin Gloria ....
 
May be you are right about the fact, that except the crown prince couple no one was imperial highness ( Viktoria Luise f ex. was just a royal highness, I just looked it up ), but nevertheless Georg Friedrich styles himself also just as a royal highness on his internet page Preussen.de - Heute.

So I come to the point, that he is no imperial highness.

Luis Ferdinand was, because he was born before 1913 and, although, being the second child, he became imperial highness instead of his older brother after his morganatic marriage.

Historians negate, that Georg is an imperial highess and in many other media he is referred mostly as royal highness or if he is referred as imperial highness, its written in brackets.

May be its hard to say, but see it that way:

If monarchy returns to Germany, Georg will be from one moment to the other King of Prussia. BUT NOT Emperor, because to be an emperor like his greatgrandfathers all royal and noble men and presidents of free cities, that have the right to VOTE the emperor, will have to come together and make him emperor.

A german emperor in style of the old empire ( 1871-1913) cannot exsist, if not voted !

Eventhough Freidrch Wilhelm and Wilhelm II were heirs, they had to be affirmed by the national union.
 
Yesterday the funeral took place. Here ist the report on it including a picture gallery on the right handside:

suedkurier.de | Friedrich Wilhelm beerdigt

Unfortunatly there are no names included in the gallery. However, you might be able to discover one or the other member of German royalty or otherwise well known people. E.g. Pic 24 Prince Bernhard of Baden and his wife Stephanie, Pic 38 Tanja Gönner, a lawyer, CDU politician and member of the Baden-Württemberg Landesregierung, and Pic 70 seems to be the youngest child of Fürstin Gloria ....

Isn't Archduke Martin of Austria-Este in picture 35?
 
Oh, right, thanks for the correction!
And did anyone from the Austrian Imperial Family attend the funeral?
 
Poor Karl! He looked really sad :sad:

How was the relationship between father and son?
 
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