Prince Karl of Leiningen
Encyclopedia
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
.
, Germany
. As a young man, he worked mainly as a salesman in Paris
.
in Madrid
, where she was living with her mother. 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. They married in a quiet civil ceremony in Amorbach
on 14 February 1957. 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. As of 1957, his family's fortune was valued at $1,5000,000. The couple also married in a Greek Orthodox religious ceremony in Cannes
on 20 February 1957.
After the couple's wedding, they lived in Madrid
until June 1958. Karl traveled to Canada early in their marriage, and decided to settle there. Karl and Marie Louise then arrived in Canada
, with plans to journey to Toronto
, where he hoped to go into business. The marriage produced two sons:
The marriage was unhappy, and Karl and Marie Louise divorced on 4 December 1968. Later in life, Carl reminisced, "Princes are expected to marry princesses, so I married Maria-Luisa, the daughter of Bulgarian ex-King Boris III". After the divorce, Marie Louise and their two sons moved to the United States
, where the boys were educated in a military academy.
, where he entered finance and became an executive in a brokerage firm. He eventually became a naturalized Canadian citizen. 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
.
Leiningen
Leiningen is the name of an old German family whose lands lay principally in Alsace, Lorraine and the Palatinate. The first count of Leiningen about whom anything certain is known was a certain Emich II , whose family became extinct in the male line when Count Frederick, a Minnesinger, died about...
(2 January 1928 – 28 September 1990) was the son of Karl, 6th Prince of Leiningen
Karl, 6th Prince of Leiningen
Karl, Prince of Leiningen was the son of Emich, 5th Prince of Leiningen. He was the titular Prince of Leiningen from 1939 until his death.-Early life:...
(1898–1946) and Maria Kirillovna of Russia. Maria was the daughter of Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , was the third child and second daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia...
, a paternal granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, and Cyril Vladimirovich, Grand Duke of Russia. As such, Karl was a great great grandson of Queen Victoria and Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
.
Early life
Karl was born in CoburgCoburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. As a young man, he worked mainly as a salesman in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Marriage and issue
Karl met Princess Marie Louise of BulgariaPrincess Marie Louise of Bulgaria
Princess Maria Louise of Bulgaria is the daughter of Tsar Boris III and Tsaritsa Ioanna and the older sister of Simeon II of Bulgaria. Her baptism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church caused controversy at the time.-Biography:...
in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, where she was living with her mother. She was the only daughter of Boris III of Bulgaria
Boris III of Bulgaria
Boris III the Unifier, Tsar of Bulgaria , originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver , son of Ferdinand I, came to the throne in 1918 upon the abdication of his father, following the defeat of the Kingdom of Bulgaria during World War I...
by his wife Princess Giovanna of Italy
Giovanna of Italy
Joanna of Italy was the last Tsaritsa of Bulgaria.-Childhood:Giovanna was born in Rome, the third daughter and fourth child of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Queen Elena, former Princess of Montenegro...
. Karl announced his engagement to Marie Louise in December 1956. They married in a quiet civil ceremony in Amorbach
Amorbach
Amorbach is a town in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany, with some 4,100 inhabitants .- Location :...
on 14 February 1957. 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. As of 1957, his family's fortune was valued at $1,5000,000. The couple also married in a Greek Orthodox religious ceremony in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
on 20 February 1957.
After the couple's wedding, they lived in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
until June 1958. Karl traveled to Canada early in their marriage, and decided to settle there. Karl and Marie Louise then arrived in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, with plans to journey to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, where he hoped to go into business. The marriage produced two sons:
- BorisPrince Boris of LeiningenPrince Karl Boris Frank Markwart of Leiningen is the elder son of Prince Karl of Leiningen and of his wife Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria. He is currently 128th in line to the British Throne.-Biography:...
(b. 1960) - HermannPrince Hermann Friedrich of LeiningenPrince Hermann of Leiningen is the younger son of Prince Karl of Leiningen and of his wife Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria....
(b. 1963)
The marriage was unhappy, and Karl and Marie Louise divorced on 4 December 1968. Later in life, Carl reminisced, "Princes are expected to marry princesses, so I married Maria-Luisa, the daughter of Bulgarian ex-King Boris III". After the divorce, Marie Louise and their two sons moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where the boys were educated in a military academy.
Later life
Carl moved to TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, where he entered finance and became an executive in a brokerage firm. He eventually became a naturalized Canadian citizen. He next moved to Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. Persuaded by some Jewish friends to visit Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, 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
Vered Hagalil
Vered Hagalil is an American-style ranch in the Galilee, uphill from the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee The ranch was founded in 1961 by Yehuda Avni, a Chicago-born Jew who established himself in Israel in 1949...
.
Titles and styles
- 2 January 1928 – 28 September 1990: His Serene Highness Prince Karl of Leiningen
Ancestry
External links
- Wedding picture of Charles of Leiningen and Maria Borisova of Bulgaria (visible in the website of the royal family of Bulgaria).
