Prince Wolfgang of Hesse

Wolfgang Maurice of Hesse and Brabant (6 November 1896, castle Rumpenheim - 12 July 1989), was the designated Hereditary Prince of the monarchy of Finland, and as such, already called the Crown Prince of Finland officially until 14 December, 1918, and also afterwards by some monarchists.

He was born as twin, the fourth child and son of Frederick Charles of Hesse (1868-1940) and Margaret of Prussia (1872-1954). His maternal uncle was the German Emperor William II. Wolfgang's father was elected on 9 October 1918 King of Finland, to replace his first cousin's son, the deposed Grand Duke Nicholas II of Finland.

Wolfgang would have been his father's heir as King of Finland instead of his elder twin Prince Philip of Hesse (1896–1980), apparently because Wolfgang was with his parents in 1918 and ready to travel to Finland (where rumoredly a wedding to a Finnish lady already was in the preparation for the coming Crown Prince). Philip was in the military and incommunicado at the time.

Wolfgang married 17 September 1924 Marie Alexandra of Baden (1902-44), daughter of Prince Maximilian of Baden and Princess Marie Louise of Hannover and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and they were childless. When the Prince died, his nephew Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse succeeded him in the claims to the throne of Finland.

He had adopted an orphan nephew of his, Prince Charles Adolf of Hesse (born 1937), due to his younger brother Christoph having been killed 1943 in World War II.

His ancestry, representing that of the designated Royal House of Finland, is available at Ahnentafel of Wolfgang of Hesse.