Prince Ernst Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Encyclopedia
Ernst Leopold Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (Ernst Leopold Eduard Wilhelm Josias; 14 January 1935 – 27 June 1996) was the elder son of Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
and Baroness Feodora von der Horst.
, Germany
. His paternal grandparents were Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
, the only son of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
(youngest son of Queen Victoria
), and his wife, Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.
Ernst Leopold had two siblings: Princess Caroline Mathilde and Prince Peter Albert.
His father was heir-apparent to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
until the forced abdication of his grandfather on 18 November 1918, to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, result of the German Revolution. As the marriage of his parents was considered morganatic
he lost any rights to the succession of the ducal throne.
They had one child:
On 29 May 1963, he married, secondly, Gertraude Monika Pfeiffer (b. 1 July 1938), daughter of Hermann Horst Pfeiffer and Gertrud Marianne Jardin at Regensburg
, Germany. They divorced in 1985.
They had five children:
He married, thirdly, Sabine Margarete Biller (b. 25 June 1941), daughter of Alfred Carl Biller, on 20 January 1986.
They had one daughter, born before the marriage of her parents:
at the death of his father in 1972. He was entitled to apply for reinstatement of the Dukedom, which his grandfather lost under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917
, though he never did so.
, Germany
at age 61, by committing suicide along with his wife Sabine Biller.
Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the eldest son of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
and Baroness Feodora von der Horst.
Early life
Ernst Leopold was born at HirschbergHirschberg, Thuringia
Hirschberg is a town in the Saale-Orla-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, 20 km south of Schleiz, 12 km northwest of Hof , and 25 km southwest of Plauen .-History:...
, Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. His paternal grandparents were Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the fourth and last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, two duchies in Germany , and the head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1900 until his death in 1954...
, the only son of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
The Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany was the eighth child and fourth son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Leopold was later created Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence, and Baron Arklow...
(youngest son of Queen Victoria
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 his wife, Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.
Ernst Leopold had two siblings: Princess Caroline Mathilde and Prince Peter Albert.
His father was heir-apparent to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha served as the collective name of two duchies, Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha, in Germany. They were located in what today are the states of Bavaria and Thuringia, respectively, and the two were in personal union between 1826 and 1918...
until the forced abdication of his grandfather on 18 November 1918, to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, result of the German Revolution. As the marriage of his parents was considered morganatic
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
he lost any rights to the succession of the ducal throne.
Marriage
On 4 February 1961, Ernst Leopold married, Ingeborg Henig (b. 16 August 1937), daughter of Richard Henig and Luise Duckwitz. They divorced on 26 March 1963.They had one child:
- Hubertus Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (b. 8 December 1961)
On 29 May 1963, he married, secondly, Gertraude Monika Pfeiffer (b. 1 July 1938), daughter of Hermann Horst Pfeiffer and Gertrud Marianne Jardin at Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, Germany. They divorced in 1985.
They had five children:
- Viktoria Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (b. 7 September 1963)
- Ernst-Josias Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (13 May 1965 – 4 September 2009)
- Carl-Eduard Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (b. 7 Jul 1966)
- Ferdinand-Christian Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (b. 13 Dec 1968)
He married, thirdly, Sabine Margarete Biller (b. 25 June 1941), daughter of Alfred Carl Biller, on 20 January 1986.
They had one daughter, born before the marriage of her parents:
- Alice-Sybilla Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (b. 6 Aug 1974)
Duke of Albany
He became the heir of the Dukedom of AlbanyDuke of Albany
Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish, and later the British, royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover....
at the death of his father in 1972. He was entitled to apply for reinstatement of the Dukedom, which his grandfather lost under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917
Titles Deprivation Act 1917
The Titles Deprivation Act 1917 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which authorised enemies of the United Kingdom during the First World War to be deprived of their British peerages and royal titles. -Background:...
, though he never did so.
Death
Ernst Leopold died in June 1996 in Bad WiesseeBad Wiessee
Bad Wiessee is a spa town on Lake Tegernsee, Bavaria, Germany. The name "Bad" means for "spa" or "baths", while "Wiessee" derives from "West See", meaning "western part of the lake"....
, 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...
at age 61, by committing suicide along with his wife Sabine Biller.
Titles and styles
- 14 January 1935 – 27 June 1996: Prince Ernst Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
- in GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Ernst Leopold Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha - Titles in pretence: 4 May 1972 – 27 June 1996: Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence, Baron Arklow
- in German