Princely House of Hohenzollern

[GondorHasNoPants]

It seems that the man in question was Wolf-Harald von Ingenheim-Molitor (1962-2025), illegitimte descendant of the Counts von Ingenheim, who in turn were illegitimate line of the House of Hohenzollern.

His descent also passes twice through the female line, so if this is the gentleman in question, he was *really* pushing his claim to the Hohenzollern name:

Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia -->Grafin Marianne von der Marck --> Eugenie de Thierry von der Marck --> Graf Franz von Ingenheim --> Graf Manfred von Ingenheim --> Walter von Ingenheim-Molitor --> Wolf-Harald von Ingenheim-Molitor.

 

[Benjamin]

Based on that, it should be Wolf-Harald von Ingenheim-Molitor (b. 1962), illegitimte descendant of the Counts von Ingenheim, who in turn were illegitimate line of the House of Hohenzollern.

It would make more sense if the late Harald Prinz von Hohenzollern was Wolf-Harald von Ingenheim-Molitor. However, Wolf-Harald was born on 2 April 1962, whereas Harald was born on 24 May 1962 [per his Facebook account]. But, it would resolve the mystery if they did turn out to be the same person, despite that discrepancy.

Genealogical record for Wolf-Harald
Facebook post of Harald

 

[Stefan]

It seems that the man in question was Wolf-Harald von Ingenheim-Molitor (1962-2025), illegitimte descendant of the Counts von Ingenheim, who in turn were illegitimate line of the House of Hohenzollern.

But descending from the Royal House of Prussia not the Princely House of Hohenzollern

 

[hereditarytitles]

Based on the information of a French poster which was kindly translated by meeralakshmi :

If it is true that he is a descendant of the Prussian King Frederick William II and his mistress Wilhelmine Enke, later Countess Lichtenau, he can only be a descendant of the youngest daughter Marianne von der Mark, who was the only one of five children to reach adulthood and was married several times. I don't know where the Ingenheims fit into this picture.
The information from various genealogy websites is certainly not always reliable, just as one cannot be sure that the Wikipedia entry linked here is correct. Nevertheless, the question remains as to why he is not listed anywhere and has not published anything about his origins himself.

Wilhelmine, Gräfin von Lichtenau - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Tatiana Maria]

The information from various genealogy websites is certainly not always reliable, just as one cannot be sure that the Wikipedia entry linked here is correct.

Yes indeed, it is important to bear that in mind. And there are documented cases of unreliable information being copied from one website or Wikipedia article to another, so even when information appears in multiple places, this does not ensure its reliability, unless it is evident that they have independently engaged in verification.

 

[MarcBgd]

But descending from the Royal House of Prussia not the Princely House of Hohenzollern

I agree no matter how you want it, Hohenzollern name is involved...either way or around.

 

[Netty]

The Prussians never called themselves von Hohenzollern ...

 

[hereditarytitles]

If I understand correctly, the Prussian kings, later emperor, originated from the Hohenzollern family in Swabia. They are connected to each other, as can be seen on the website of Georg Friedrich von Preussen. The Swabian branch is called “von Hohenzollern” and the Prussian/Brandenburg branch “von Preussen.” It is also a fact that the family's ancestral seat, Hohenzollern Castle in Hechingen, is jointly owned by both families, i.e., the Prussian line and the Swabian line.

prussia.eu – The official website of the House of Hohenzollern

www.preussen.de

 

[Stefan]

If I understand correctly, the Prussian kings, later emperor, originated from the Hohenzollern family in Swabia. They are connected to each other, as can be seen on the website of Georg Friedrich von Preussen. The Swabian branch is called “von Hohenzollern” and the Prussian/Brandenburg branch “von Preussen.” It is also a fact that the family's ancestral seat, Hohenzollern Castle in Hechingen, is jointly owned by both families, i.e., the Prussian line and the Swabian line.

prussia.eu – The official website of the House of Hohenzollern

www.preussen.de

Their most common ancestor is Friedrich III. Burgrave of Nürnberg. He had two sons Konrad who continued the franconian line and the became later, Margraves, then Electors of Brandenburg and finally Kings of Prussia, the other son Friedrich is the ancestor of the swabian line from which the only surviving branch is the line Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

 

[Stefan]

The House of Hohenzollern had released a statement. Adelshaus distanziert sich: „Er gehört nicht zu unserer Familie“
Harald was married to Angela of Hohenzollern, née Stölzle who is the former wife of Prince Carl Alexander of Hohenzollern. Their marriage in the 90's was quiet a Scandal

 

[hereditarytitles]

Thank you very much Stefan for posting this. I am glad that the Hohenzollern family issued that statement.

 

[GondorHasNoPants]

The mystery is solved. Thank you, Stefan, for your sleuthing.

 

[LadyFinn]

Harald's widow Josefa von Hohenzollern at her Instagram:
Due to inquiries regarding my husband's sudden death, I would like to briefly comment on the origin of his noble princely name:
My late husband, Harald Prince of Hohenzollern-Emden, was, by law, a proper noble prince from the House of Hohenzollern, a member of the European nobility.
He originally came from a renowned jewelry dynasty, Hans D. Krieger Fine Jewellery, which throughout its history supplied, among other things, royal families worldwide. He always placed great importance on this ancestry and emphasized it publicly.
His contact with the House of Hohenzollern arose through my husband's history. He acquired the name Prince of Hohenzollern through his previous marriage to a longtime friend, a now deceased Hohenzollern princess.
My husband and I had known each other for years before a deeper relationship developed over time. We married last year and planned to start a family together. Our son, Leopold, will be born in July.
I expressly distance myself from the previously disclosed monetary policy of the House of Hohenzollern, which involved adoptions in exchange for cash payments (see report also on n-tv: Urenkel adoptiert aus Geldnot) – also on behalf of my late husband.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the help and support already offered during my mourning period, especially from members of the House of Hohenzollern.

Josefa v. Hohenzollern on Instagram: "Aufgrund Nachfragen im Zusammenhang mit dem plötzlichen Tod meines Ehemannes möchte ich mich nur kurz zur Herkunft seines adeligen Prinzennamens äußern: Mein verstorbener Ehemann, Harald Prinz von Hohenzollern-Em

163 likes, 9 comments - josefa.vhohenzollern on July 6, 2025: "Aufgrund Nachfragen im Zusammenhang mit dem plötzlichen Tod meines Ehemannes möchte ich mich nur kurz zur Herkunft seines adeligen Prinzennamens äußern: Mein verstorbener Ehemann, Harald Prinz von Hohenzollern-Emden, war nach Recht...

www.instagram.com

 

[hereditarytitles]

Excerpt of the article in German paper that Stefan posted:

"Angela Princess of Hohenzollern, née Stölzle, later married Tom Harald Krieger, a Munich-born diamond dealer who lived in Namibia and took her surname upon marriage"

Josefa either knows nothing or is defending her late husband. However, she is distorting the facts that are clearly stated in the article Stefan posted. Ms. Stölzle was married to an impoverished Hohenzollern, but then apparently married Josefa's recently deceased husband in a second marriage, who then unjustifiably called himself “Prince of Hohenzollern.” It says there that he was born Tom Harald Krüger and ran a diamond business in Namibia. That must have been him.

 

[LadyFinn]

Excerpt of the article in German paper that Stefan posted:

"Angela Princess of Hohenzollern, née Stölzle, later married Tom Harald Krieger, a Munich-born diamond dealer who lived in Namibia and took her surname upon marriage"

Josefa either knows nothing or is defending her late husband. However, she is distorting the facts that are clearly stated in the article Stefan posted. Ms. Stölzle was married to an impoverished Hohenzollern, but then apparently married Josefa's recently deceased husband in a second marriage, who then unjustifiably called himself “Prince of Hohenzollern.” It says there that he was born Tom Harald Krüger and ran a diamond business in Namibia. That must have been him.

"The widowed or divorced spouse retains the married name" (unless doesn't want to change it)
"The spouses may choose a common family name (married name).
The spouses may choose their married name by making a declaration to the registry office:
1. the birth name (paragraph 6) of a spouse,
2. the surname of a spouse used at the time of the declaration or
3. a double name formed from the names (number 1 or 2) of both spouses."

§ 1355 BGB - Einzelnorm

 

[Stefan]

Excerpt of the article in German paper that Stefan posted:

"Angela Princess of Hohenzollern, née Stölzle, later married Tom Harald Krieger, a Munich-born diamond dealer who lived in Namibia and took her surname upon marriage"

Josefa either knows nothing or is defending her late husband. However, she is distorting the facts that are clearly stated in the article Stefan posted. Ms. Stölzle was married to an impoverished Hohenzollern, but then apparently married Josefa's recently deceased husband in a second marriage, who then unjustifiably called himself “Prince of Hohenzollern.” It says there that he was born Tom Harald Krüger and ran a diamond business in Namibia. That must have been him.

The Problem is that after the german namelaw he could choose the surname of his new wife as his surname and this is what he did

 

[hereditarytitles]

I found a very old article of June 24, 2019 which explains what kind of person Carl Alexander is and how Mrs. Stölzle aquired her title

"The royal, who was disowned by his family in the early 1990s "Prince of Hohenzollern: Carl Alexander made headlines especially in the 1990s.

The prince has already been married three times. His first marriage to Angela Stölzle - von Hohenzollern lasted from 1991 to 1997, his second in 2002 to Yugoslavian Aslet was annulled after one month. In 2012, he married Corinna, who was 21 at the time. This marriage also failed after only two months.

The 48-year-old has had no luck in love in recent years. Family life is not going so well either. He has been at loggerheads with the Hohenzollerns since 1991. The reason for the family feud: Carl had married Angela Stölzle, who is 30 years his senior. A commoner. A no-go for the nobility at the time. "

She kept the title although she later married Tom Harald Krüger, the so called "Prince Harald of Hohenzollen".
Even if German law is permitting to keep the wife's name after divorce, it still is a fraud , at least IMO.

 

[MarcBgd]

Well, this is very clear. The law allows you to have a surname of your spouse, who aquired the surname from her former spouse, but this doesn't mean that you are part of the House of Hohenzollern.

Similar thing happened in Croatia few years ago. The guy married former wife of Prince of Schoenaich-Carolath who kept his surname and he then adopted her surname making him "Prince of Schoenaich-Carolath". When he returned to live in Croatia, they refused to make his documents under that name, so he went to Bosnia where they finally issued his documents under the name Prinz Schoenaich Carolath.

'U Bosni i Hercegovini sam princ, a u Hrvatskoj nisam'

Marko Bilandžija (44) je prije sedam godina otišao u Njemačku. Oženio je princezu i postao princ. No u Hrvatskoj mu ne dozvoljavaju da upiše titulu

www.24sata.hr