Count Luitpold of Castell-Castell

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; died November 6 or 8, 1941 in Bankya near Sofia, Kingdom of Bulgaria) was a 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. Luitpold was a Count of Castell-Castell and a member of the Comital House of Castell-Castell.

Count Luitpold of Castell-Castell
Born(1904-11-14)November 14, 1904
Langenzell, Wiesenbach, Grand Duchy of Baden
DiedNovember 6, 1941(1941-11-06) (aged 36)
(or November 8, 1941)
Bankya near Sofia, Kingdom of Bulgaria
SpousePrincess Alexandrine-Louise of Denmark
IssueCountess Amélie
Countess Thyra
Count Otto-Luitpold
Full name
Leopold Alfred Frederick Charles
German: Luitpold Alfred Friedrich Karl
HouseCastell-Castell
FatherCount Otto Friedrich of Castell-Castell
MotherPrincess Amélie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg

Family

Luitpold was born on November 14, 1904 in Langenzell, Wiesenbach, Grand Duchy of Baden and was the eldest child and son of Count Otto Friedrich of Castell-Castell and his wife, Princess Amélie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg.

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.[1][2][3] Until the announcement, Alexandrine-Louise had been frequently mentioned as a possible queen consort to Edward VIII.[2][3] The couple met for the first time in Berlin during the 1936 Summer Olympics.[1] Following their first meeting, Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise spent nearly every day together.[1] Before her departure from Berlin, Luitpold proposed marriage and Alexandrine-Louise accepted.[1] At the time of their engagement announcement, Luitpold was a law student residing in Munich.[1]

Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise were married on January 22, 1937 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Kingdom of Denmark.[4][5] 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.[6][7] 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."[6]

Luitpold and Alexandrine-Louise had three children:

  • Countess Amélie Alexandrine Helene Caroline Mathilde Pauline of Castell-Castell (b. Berlin May 25, 1938); m. Hochburg (civil) September 3, 1965 (religious) September 5, 1965 Oscar Ritter von Miller zu Aichholz (b. Vienna July 7, 1934)
  • Countess Thyra Antonie Marie-Therese Feodora Agnes of Castell-Castell (b. Berlin September 14, 1939); m. Copenhagen November 3, 1961 Karl Moritz Moes (b. Copenhagen October 17, 1937)
  • Count Otto-Luitpold Gustav Friedrich Christian Harald Carl Castell-Castell (b. Berlin March 13, 1942 – d. Berlin March 19, 1943)

Military service and death

Luitpold was a First Lieutenant in the German Army during World War II.[8] He died of his injuries from an airplane crash in action at a military hospital at Bankya near Sofia, Kingdom of Bulgaria on November 6 or 8, 1941 at the age of 36.[8] Luitpold was interred at Bankya, and reinterred in the Castell-Castell family plot at the cemetery in Hochburg.[9]

Ancestry

References
  1. Evening Post Staff (September 18, 1936), "King Christian's Niece", Evening Post, archived from the original on October 2, 2012, retrieved August 22, 2010
  2. Time Staff (August 31, 1936), "Milestones, Aug. 31, 1936", Time, archived from the original on November 21, 2010, retrieved August 22, 2010
  3. Associated Press (August 24, 1936), "Danish Princess Will Marry Count", Sarasota Herald, retrieved August 22, 2010
  4. Time Staff (February 1, 1937), "Milestones, Feb. 1, 1937", Time, archived from the original on January 25, 2012, retrieved August 22, 2010
  5. 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.
  6. Karin Bonde Johansen (June–August 2005). "DET NYE NITRATARKIV". Det Danske Filminstitut. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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.
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