Name Princess of | ||
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Born 14 October 1895
Potsdam, German Empire ( 1895-10-14 ) House House of Lippe (by birth)
House of Hohenzollern (by marriage) Father Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Lippe-Biesterfeld Mother Countess Gisela Berta of Ysenburg and Budingen in Meerholz Died December 15, 1982, Erbach, Rheingau, Eltville, Germany Spouse Prince Waldemar of Prussia (m. 1919–1945) Parents Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Lippe-Biesterfeld Similar People Prince Waldemar of Prussia, Princess Irene of Hesse an, Prince Henry of Prussia, Prince Sigismund of Prussia | ||
Princess Calixta Agnes Adelaide Irmgard Helene Caroline Elise Emma of Lippe (14 October 1895 - 15 December 1982) was the wife of Prince Waldemar of Prussia, eldest son of Prince Henry of Prussia.
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Family and early life
Countess Calixta of Lippe-Biesterfeld was born in Potsdam as the eldest child of Count Friedrich Wilhelm of Lippe-Biesterfeld (son of Julius, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld) and his wife Countess Gisela Berta Adelheid Klothilde Emma Klementine of Ysenburg and Büdingen in Meerholz. Her father was a colonel with the Prussian army. In 1905, her father assumed princely rank, causing Calixta to be granted the rank of princess with the style Her Serene Highness.
Princess Calixta was a first cousin of Princess Marie Adelheid of Lippe, as their fathers were brothers. Calixta and Marie Adelheid were also first cousins-once removed of Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, consort of Juliana of the Netherlands.
Marriage
On 14 August 1919 at Hemmelmark, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Calixta married Prince Waldemar of Prussia, the eldest son of Prince Henry of Prussia. As such, he was a nephew of Emperor Wilhelm II.
Prince Waldemar suffered from haemophilia, and consequently there were no children. He spent much of his life in a hospital, and surprised many by choosing to marry.
World War II
Calixta and Waldemar resided in Bavaria for most of World War II but were at castle in Kamenz in Silesia as the war ended. In the spring of 1945, the couple fled to Tutzing from approaching Russian troops, as Calixta was unwilling to leave him at the mercy of the Red Army, despite Waldemar being in the throes of an attack of haemophilia. After a long and painfully debilitating journey through Prague, they finally reached Tutzing, a few miles south of Munich, where Waldemar received a blood transfusion. The American army overran the area the following day, and diverted all medical resources and supplies to treat nearby concentration camp victims. Consequently, these actions prevented Waldemar's German doctor from treating him. There, Waldemar died on 2 May 1945 from blood loss, due to a lack of blood transfusion facilities.
Though a decree was issued declaring it illegal to have private graves dug until the needs of the camps had been satisfied, Calixta succeeded in persuading a gravedigger to help her bury her husband. She was alone, however, when she undressed her husband's body in preparation for burial, and was attacked by a burglar and robbed of Waldemar's clothes and pajamas. She soon discovered that the coffin was too small, as her husband's elbows would not fit into the space below the lid; the following day, she was forced to break her husband's arms, successfully sealing the lid of the coffin and laying him to rest.
As Dowager Princess Waldemar of Prussia, Calixta survived her husband by over 35 years, residing at Reinhartshausen Castle near Erbach, a Stadtteil of Eltville, Hessen, West Germany, where she died on 15 December 1982.