Count Luitpold of Castell-Castell
Born(1904-11-14)November 14, 1904
Castle Langenzell, Wiesenbach, Grand Duchy of Baden
DiedNovember 6, 1941(1941-11-06) (aged 36)
Bankya near Sofia, Kingdom of Bulgaria
SpousePrincess Alexandrine-Louise of Denmark
IssueCountess Amélie
Countess Thyra
Count Otto-Luitpold
Names
Leopold Alfred Frederick Charles
German: Luitpold Alfred Friedrich Karl
HouseCastell-Castell
FatherCount Otto Friedrich of Castell-Castell
MotherPrincess Amélie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg

Count Luitpold Alfred Friedrich Karl of Castell-Castell (German: Luitpold Alfred Friedrich Karl Graf zu Castell-Castell; born November 14, 1904, in Langenzell, Wiesenbach, Grand Duchy of Baden;[1] died November 6, 1941, in Bankya near Sofia, Kingdom of Bulgaria was a German jurist (Dr. jur.), staff officer in the German Army during World War II and a member of the extended Danish Royal Family through his marriage to Princess Alexandrine-Louise of Denmark.[2] Luitpold was a Count of Castell-Castell and a member of the Comital House of Castell-Castell.[3]

Family

Luitpold was born on November 14, 1904, in Langenzell, Wiesenbach, Grand Duchy of Baden and was the eldest child and son of Generalmajor Otto Friedrich Graf zu Castell-Castell (1868–1939), aide-de-camp (Flügeladjutant) to the King of Bavaria, and his wife, Serene Highness (Durchlaut) Amélie Caroline Ludwiga Gabriele Prinzessin zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (1883–1978).[4]

Marriage and issue

Luitpold's engagement to Princess Alexandrine-Louise of Denmark, third child and daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark and his wife Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was announced on August 24, 1936, by special permission of Alexandrine-Louise's uncle Christian X of Denmark.[5][6][7] Until the announcement, Alexandrine-Louise had been frequently mentioned as a possible queen consort to Edward VIII.[6][7] The couple met for the first time in Berlin during the 1936 Summer Olympics.[5] Following their first meeting, Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise spent nearly every day together.[5] Before her departure from Berlin, Luitpold proposed marriage and Alexandrine-Louise accepted.[5] At the time of their engagement announcement, Luitpold was a law student residing in Munich.[5]

Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise were married on January 22, 1937, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Kingdom of Denmark.[8][9] Footage of the wedding on nitrate film is preserved by the Danish Film Institute in their bunker archive for nitrate film at Store Dyrehave in Hillerød.[10][11] According to the film archivist Karin Bonde Johansen regarding the scenes captured by the film, "the atmosphere looks cheerful and wild looking, but unfortunately there is no audio to the footage."[10]

Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise had three children:[12]

Military service and death

Luitpold, among other things a Knight of Honour (Ehrenritter) of the Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg) and recipient of the Grand Cross of the Danish Order of the Dannebrog, was a First Lieutenant (Oberleutnant) in the German Army during World War II.[13] He was severely wounded as a flight passenger when the Ju 52 (CE + AS; Werknummer: 5382) he was on, during a courier flight from Belgrade to Athens, crashed due to ice on the wings on 28 October 1941. He died on 6 November 1941 in the Kriegslazarett 1/602 in Bankya near Sofia at the age of 36.[14][13] Luitpold was interred at Bankya, and reinterred in the Castell-Castell family plot at the cemetery in Hochburg.[15]

Ancestry

References

Citations

  1. ^ Gothaischer Hofkalender: Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Fürstlichen Häuser, 1935, p. 181
  2. ^ Wedding of Princess Alexandrine Louise of Denmark and Count Luitpold of Castell-Castell
  3. ^ Graf und Herr zu Castell-Castell
  4. ^ Prinzessin Amelie Caroline Ludwiga Gabriele zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg
  5. ^ a b c d e Evening Post Staff (September 18, 1936), "King Christian's Niece", Evening Post, archived from the original on October 2, 2012, retrieved August 22, 2010
  6. ^ a b Time Staff (August 31, 1936), "Milestones, Aug. 31, 1936", Time, archived from the original on November 21, 2010, retrieved August 22, 2010
  7. ^ a b Associated Press (August 24, 1936), "Danish Princess Will Marry Count", Sarasota Herald, retrieved August 22, 2010
  8. ^ Time Staff (February 1, 1937), "Milestones, Feb. 1, 1937", Time, archived from the original on January 25, 2012, retrieved August 22, 2010
  9. ^ Finansministeriet Slots- og Ejendomsstyrelsen. "Kongelige begivenheder i Christiansborg Slotskirke". Finansministeriet Slots- og Ejendomsstyrelsen. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  10. ^ a b Karin Bonde Johansen (June–August 2005). "DET NYE NITRATARKIV". Det Danske Filminstitut. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  11. ^ Tækker, Christina (November 2006), "Fy og Bi skal opbevares i koldkrigsbunker" (PDF), COWIfeature, archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2011, retrieved August 22, 2010
  12. ^ CASTELL, part 1
  13. ^ a b The New York Times Staff (November 21, 1941), "German Count Dies of Injuries", The New York Times, archived from the original on November 3, 2012, retrieved August 22, 2010
  14. ^ Ju 52 CE+AS, Forum der Wehrmacht
  15. ^ Royalty (Travel) Guide. "Castell-Castell". M-A-R-D-A-M Royalty (Travel) Guide. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2010.

Bibliography

External links

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