Prince Karl of Leiningen
| Prince Karl | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 2 January 1928 Coburg, Germany | ||||
| Died | 28 September 1990 (aged 62) Vered Hagalil, Israel | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Prince Boris Prince Hermann Friedrich | ||||
| |||||
| House | House of Leiningen | ||||
| Father | Karl, 6th Prince of Leiningen | ||||
| Mother | Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna of Russia | ||||
Karl Vladimir Ernst Heinrich, Prince of Leiningen (2 January 1928 – 28 September 1990) was the son of Karl, 6th Prince of Leiningen (1898–1946) and Maria Kirillovna of Russia. Maria was the daughter of Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a paternal granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and Cyril Vladimirovich, Grand Duke of Russia. As such, Karl was a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria and Alexander II of Russia (as Victoria Melita and Cyril Vladimirovich were both grandchildren of Alexander II).
Biography
Early life
Karl was born in Coburg, Germany.[1] As a young man, he worked mainly as a salesman in Paris.[1]
Marriage and issue
Karl met Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria in Madrid, where she was living with her mother.[1] She was the only daughter of Boris III of Bulgaria by his wife Princess Giovanna of Italy. Karl announced his engagement to Marie Louise in December 1956.[1] They married in a quiet civil ceremony in Amorbach on 14 February 1957.[1][2] Amorbach had been the residence of the House of Leiningen since 1803, and the town's streets were lined with hundreds of cheering spectators; Karl's family owns huge estates in South Germany, and was considered to be one of the richest German noble families.[1] As of 1957, his family's fortune was valued at $1.5 billion.[1] The couple also married in a Greek Orthodox religious ceremony in Cannes on 20 February 1957.[2]
After the couple's wedding, they lived in Madrid until June 1958.[3] Karl traveled to Canada early in their marriage, and decided to settle there.[3] Karl and Marie Louise then arrived in Canada, with plans to journey to Toronto, where he hoped to go into business.[3] The marriage produced two sons:
The marriage was unhappy, and Karl and Marie Louise divorced on 4 December 1968.[4] Later in life, Carl reminisced, "Princes are expected to marry princesses, so I married Maria-Luisa, the daughter of Bulgarian ex-King Boris III".[4] After the divorce, Marie Louise and their two sons moved to the United States, where the boys were educated in a military academy.
Later life
Carl moved to Toronto, where he entered finance and became an executive in a brokerage firm. He eventually became a naturalized Canadian citizen.[4] He next moved to Zurich. Persuaded by some Jewish friends to visit Israel, Karl eventually found a job through the help of some new-found Israeli friends. He subsequently moved there, rarely leaving except for short visits with his family. He lived in Israel until his death on 28 September 1990 in Vered Hagalil.[4]
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 2 January 1928 – 28 September 1990: His Serene Highness Prince Karl of Leiningen
Ancestry
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Royalty Glitters At Wedding Rite", The Washington Post and Times Herald, Amorbach, 16 February 1957
- ^ a b "Bulgarian Princess Wed", The New York Times, Amorbach, Germany, 14 February 1957
- ^ a b c "Two Royal Immigrants", The New York Times, Halifax, 15 June 1958
- ^ a b c d Mass, Haim (12 October 1990), "The Prince Who Lived In Galilee", Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem