House Hohenzollern | Name Princess of | |
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Born 25 December 1918
Bristow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany ( 1918-12-25 ) Spouse Karl Biron, Prince of Courland Issue Princess Benigna
Ernst-Johann Biron, Prince of Courland
Prince Michael Father Prince Oskar of Prussia Mother Countess Ina Marie von Bassewitz Died March 22, 1989, Munich, Germany Children Ernst-Johann Biron, Prince of Courland Parents Countess Ina Marie von Bassewitz, Prince Oskar of Prussia Grandparents Wilhelm II, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein Great-grandparents Victoria, Princess Royal Similar People Prince Oskar of Prussia, Countess Ina Marie von Bass, Wilhelm II, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig‑Holstein | ||
Princess Herzeleide-Ina-Marie Sophie Charlotte Else of Prussia (25 December 1918 – 22 March 1989) was a member of the deposed House of Hohenzollern. She was the only daughter of Prince Oskar of Prussia (the second youngest son of Emperor Wilhelm II) and his morganatic wife ,Countess Ina Marie von Bassewitz. She is the mother of Ernst-Johann Biron, Prince of Courland, the current head of the House of Biron.
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Family and early life
Countess Herzeleide von Ruppin was born on Christmas Day 1918, shortly after the fall of the German Empire and the collapse of the monarchy. She was consequently given the name Herzeleide because it meant "heart's sorrow". Herzeleide had three brothers: Oscar, Burchard, and Wilhelm-Karl. Herzeleide and her brothers became Prince/Princess of Prussia on 21 June 1920 when their parents' marriage was recognised as dynastic by the deposed Emperor Wilhelm II.
In early 1938, Herzeleide was one of three bridesmaids at the wedding of Crown Prince Paul of Greece to Frederica of Hanover, her first cousin.
Marriage and issue
On 15 August 1938 in Potsdam Garrison Church, nineteen-year-old Herzeleide married thirty-one-year-old Karl Biron, Prince of Courland. Karl was the eldest son and heir of Prince Gustav Biron of Courland, descendants of the Biron family that obtained sovereignty of the Baltic Duchy of Courland and Semigallia by marriage in the 18th century. Along with the bride and groom's parents in attendance were former German Crown Prince Wilhelm, along with Emperor Wilhelm's consort, Empress Hermine. Herzeleide wore a white silk gown with a headdress trimmed with myrtle, while all the male guests wore uniforms of the former German army. The couple planned to stop at Doorn on their honeymoon to visit Emperor Wilhelm.
They had three children: