Carol Victor, Hereditary Prince of Albania

Carol Victor, Hereditary Prince of Albania (19 May 19138 December 1973) was the only son of William, Prince of Albania and briefly heir to the Principality of Albania

Principality of Albania

The Principality of Albania refers to the short-lived monarchy in Albania, headed by William, Prince of Albania and to the state after the First World War, until the abolition of the monarchy in 1925, when Albania was declared a republic.-Principality:The Principality was established on February...

. He held the title of Hereditary Prince of Albania.

Early life

Carol Victor was born on 19 May 1913 in Potsdam

Potsdam

Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....

, Kingdom of Prussia

Kingdom of Prussia

The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...

as Prince Charles Victor of Wied

Wied

Wied was a County of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located on the river Wied where it meets the Rhine. Wied emerged as a County earlier than many other German states. From 1243–1462, Wied was united with an Isenburgian County as Isenburg-Wied. Wied was partitioned twice: between itself and...

. He was the second child and only son of Prince William Frederick of Wied (1876–1945), son of William, Prince of Wied

William, Prince of Wied

William V, Prince of Wied was a German officer and politician, elder son of Hermann, Prince of Wied. He was the father of William, Prince of Albania and brother of Queen Elisabeth of Romania.-Early life:...

and Princess Marie of the Netherlands

Princess Marie of the Netherlands

Princess Marie of the Netherlands was the fourth child and younger daughter of Prince Frederick of the Netherlands and wife of William, 5th Prince of Wied...

, and his wife, Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg

Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg

Princess Sophie Helene Cecilie of Schönburg-Waldenburg was the wife of Prince William of Wied. With her husband's ascension to the Albanian throne she became the Princess of Albania .-Family and marriage:...

(1885–1936), daughter of Victor, Hereditary Prince of Schönburg-Waldenburg and his wife Princess Lucia of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. Through her maternal grandmother was related with the Dutch Royal Family

House of Orange-Nassau

The House of Orange-Nassau , a branch of the European House of Nassau, has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands — and at times in Europe — since William I of Orange organized the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after the Eighty Years' War...

. His great-grandparents were King William I of the Netherlands

William I of the Netherlands

William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....

and King Frederick William III of Prussia

Frederick William III of Prussia

Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...

Hereditary Prince of Albania

On 7 March 1914, appointed by the Great Powers of Europe, his father William was created Prince of Albania

Principality of Albania

. After his father became Prince, he held the title of Hereditary Prince of Albania.

With Albania in a state of civil war since July 1914, Greece occupying the south of the country, the great powers at war with one another, the regime collapsed, and so all of his family left the country on 3 September 1914 originally heading to Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

. Despite leaving Albania his father insisted that he remained head of state.

Marriage

Carol Victor married on 8 September 1966 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, Eileen Johnston (1922–1985), daughter of George Johnston and Alice Percival.

He died seven years later without issue in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

. He was buried at Neuwied

Neuwied

Neuwied is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne...

Titles and styles

19 May 1913 – 7 March 1914: His Serene Highness Prince Karl Victor of Wied
7 March 1914 – 8 December 1973: His Highness The Hereditary Prince of Albania

Early life

Hereditary Prince of Albania

Marriage

Titles and styles

Ancestry

Further reading