#wilhelm karl duke of urach

[die-greifen]

when: royally fun facts

They may not be fun, but some of them are made-up. Made up facts are in italics.

Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia

(Karolina Augusta's great-great-grandmother)

Is the granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia

Is the mother of Alexandrine, Queen Consort of Denmark

Is the mother of Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Is the mother of Cecilie, Crown Princess of Germany

Following the death of her husband, had a illegitimate son with her personal secretary

Three of her brothers were murdered by the Bolsheviks during the Russian revolution

Princess Karola of Urach

(Karolina Augusta's great-grandmother)

Karola’s father, Wilhelm Karl, 2nd Duke of Urach, was briefly elected as the King of Lithuania in 1918.

Princess Karola of Urach was the first queen consort of Mecklenburg, and also the last Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Karola was the grand-niece of Empress Elisabeth ‘Sisi’ of Austria.

Karola was the half-niece of Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians.

Karola half-first cousins include Leopold III of Belgium, and Marie José, the last Queen Consort of Italy.

Karola and Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom, both descend from morganatic branches of the House of Württemberg. Karola and Mary were third cousins as great-great-granddaughters of Friedrich II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg.

Karola was a Roman Catholic and retained her faith following her marriage to Heinrich Ludwig, though their children were brought up in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg.

Duchess Thyra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

(Karolina Augusta's grandmother)

Thyra’s father, Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was overthrown by her father-in-law, King Heinrich Ludwig of Mecklenburg

Thyra was the first Crown Princess of Mecklenburg (1939 - 1954)

Thyra was the second Queen of Mecklenburg (1954 - 1980)

Thyra was the niece of Alexandrine, Queen of Denmark (1912 - 1947)

Thyra was the first cousin of Frederik IX of Denmark (1947 - 1972)

Thyra was the niece of Cecilie, Crown Princess of Germany (1905 - 1951)

Thyra was the first cousin of Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia (1951 - 1994)

Thyra was the niece of Marie Louise, Margravine of Baden (1928 - 1929)

Thyra was the first cousin of Berthold, Margrave of Baden (1929 - 1963), who married Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (the older sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)

Thyra was the niece of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick (1913 - 1918) and head of the House of Hannover (1923 - 1953)

Thyra was the first cousin of Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, Prince of Hanover (1953 - 1987)

Thyra was the first cousin of Frederica, Queen of Greece (1947 - 1964) (the mother of King Constantine II of Greece and Queen Sofia of Spain)

Princess Eleonora of Leiningen

(Karolina Augusta's mother)

Descends from all three children of Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld: Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen; Princess Feodora of Leiningen; and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Queen Karolina Augusta I of Mecklenburg

Is the first female ruler in Mecklenburg’s 900 year history.

Will be the final ruler from the House of Mecklenburg which will eventually bring an end to the House’s status as the longest still reigning house in European history.

Is descended from both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and of King Christian IX of Denmark.

Has been the youngest monarch in the world since 1992.

Has 15 godparents:

HRH Princess Cecilie Auguste, Duchess of Ludwigslust (paternal aunt)

HRH Princess Marie Anastasia, Duchess of Grevesmühlen (paternal aunt)

HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark (paternal second cousin once removed)

HRH Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Princess of Leiningen (maternal aunt-by-marriage)

HSH Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Oehringen, Princess of Leiningen (maternal aunt-by-marriage)

HM Silvia, Queen of Sweden (family friend)

HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (paternal and maternal second cousin twice removed)

HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este (paternal third cousin once removed)

HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (paternal third cousin once removed and family friend)

HRH Prince Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark (paternal third cousin)

HH Prince Harald of Denmark (paternal first cousin once removed)

HSH Prince Hermann Friedrich of Leiningen (maternal first cousin once removed)

HRH Prince Felipe, Prince of Asturias (paternal third cousin)

HH Borwin, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (distant cousin and family friend)

HSH Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein (distant cousin and family friend)

[princessvictoriamelita]

Royal Wedding on 26 November 1924.

Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach (60) and Princess Wiltrud of Bavaria (40).

The bridegroom was the eldest son of Wilhelm, Duke of Urach and his second wife, Princess Florestine of Monaco. He was previously married to Duchess Amalie of Bavaria who died in 1912.

The bride was the sixth daughter of King Ludwig III of Bavaria and his wife, Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este.

The bridal couple with Princess Wiltrud's niece and nephew, Countess Maria Theresia and Count Johann Kaspar von Preysing-Lichtenegg-Moos.

The wedding guests

Back row: Prince Eberhard of Urach, Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Prince Karl Aloys of Liechtenstein, Prince Karl Gero of Urach and Prince Albrecht of Urach.

Front row: Princess Margarete of Urach, Princess Karl Aloys of Liechtenstein, Princess Wiltrud of Bavaria, Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach, Princess Karola of Urach and Princess Mechthilde of Urach.

[archduchessofnowhere]

The family of Karl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, in 1884.

From left to right: Ludovika, Duchess Maximilian in Bavaria (neé Princess of Bavaria), Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, Duchess Amalie in Bavaria, Duke Ludwig Wilhelm in Bavaria, Maria José, Duchess Karl Theodor in Bavaria (neé Infanta of Portugal), Karl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria and Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria.

[roehenstart]

Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg (1897–1957; here in a coloured photo by Krisgabwooshed) was a member of the German princely House of Württemberg and a senior automotive production engineer. Most of his professional career was spent working for Daimler-Benz in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. Wilhelm married Elisabeth Theurer on 19 June 1928, in the teeth of opposition from his father voiced when they got engaged. By the date of his marriage, Wilhelm's father had been dead for nearly three months, but the marriage was nonetheless deemed morganatic, and he was required to renounce his right to the title Duke of Urach. Headship of the noble family instead passed to his younger brother, Karl Gero, Duke of Urach.

[wgabry]

Duchess Amalie Maria in Bavaria (1865-1912) the only child of Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria and his first wife Princess Sophie of Saxony. Amalie was a member of the House of Wittelsbach and a Duchess in Bavaria by birth. She was a member of the House of Württemberg, Duchess of Urach and Countess of Württemberg through her marriage to Wilhelm, 2nd Duke of Urach.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach, 1880s.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach and his wife Duchess Wiltrud née Bavaria, mids 1920s.

Born as Wilhelm Karl Florestan Gero Crescentius, Count of Württemberg, he was the eldest son of Wilhelm (I) Duke of Urach, Count of Württemberg, and his second wife, Princess Florestine of Monaco, daughter of Prince Florestan of Monaco.

Wilhelm was married twice. In 1892, he married Duchess Amalie in Bavaria(1865–1912), daughter of Karl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria by his first wife Princess Sophie of Saxony, Amalie was a niece of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Nine children were born of this marriage

Sadly Amalie passed away in 1912, following the birth of her ninth child, Princess Mechthilde.

In 1924, Wilhelm married Princess Wiltrud of Bavaria (1884–1975), daughter of King Ludwig III of Bavaria. This marriage was childless

[princessvictoriamelita]

Engagement of Duchess Amalie in Bavaria and Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach in 1892.

Amalie was an elder half-sister of Elisabeth, Queen of Belgium and Crown Princess Marie Gabrielle of Bavaria.

Wilhem Karl was a first cousin of Albert I, Prince of Monaco.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Princess Mechtilde of Urach (1912-2001), 1920s.

She was born in Stuttgart on 04 May 1912, the youngest daughter of Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach and Duchess Amalie in Bavaria who was the niece of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

Her mother died shortly after giving birth to her on 26 May 1912.