Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
| Christoph | |
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| Prince of Schleswig-Holstein | |
| File:Christoph of Schleswig-Holstein 2010 crop.jpg
Christoph at Grünholz in November 2010
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| Head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein | |
| Predecessor | Peter |
| Born | 22 August 1949 Schloss Louisenlund, Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany |
| Spouse | Princess Elisabeth of Lippe-Weissenfeld |
| Issue | Princess Sophie Prince Friedrich Ferdinand Prince Constantin Prince Leopold |
| House | House of Oldenburg House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg |
| Father | Peter, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein |
| Mother | Princess Marie Alix of Schaumburg-Lippe |
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HH The Prince
Extended family
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Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein[1][2] (born 22 August 1949)[1][2] has been the head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and the entire House of Oldenburg since 1980.[3] As a member of highest German nobility, he is the current titular Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Duke of Glücksburg, traditionally styled as His Highness.[3]
Contents
House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
The House of Oldenburg—in one of its cadet branches—is the royal house of Denmark (since 1448) and Norway (1450–1818 and since 1905), and has been the royal house of several other countries including Greece, Sweden and Russia;[3] it also includes the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom. As such, he is the head of the family that today includes Margrethe II of Denmark,[4] Harald V of Norway, Constantine II of Greece and, patrilineally,[5] Charles, Prince of Wales. His great-great-grandfather, Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the older brother of Christian IX of Denmark, and through him Christoph is heir by masculine primogeniture to the Danish title Duke of Glucksburg conferred by the Danish crown in 1825.[3] Christoph is also, cognatically, a descendant of Queen Victoria and Alexander II of Russia, and is in the line of succession to the British throne.[6]
Life
Christoph was born in Schloss Louisenlund in Güby, Germany,[1][2] the eldest son of Peter, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (1922–1980) and his wife Princess Marie Alix of Schaumburg-Lippe (b. 1923).[1][2] He has a diploma in Agricultural Engineering.[3] Christoph served as a Reservist in the German Army for two years holding the rank of Lieutenant.[7]
He succeeded to the headship of the ducal house on 30 September 1980 following the death of his father. While possession of the united duchies of Schleswig and Holstein had been allocated by a series of wars and treaties since the First Schleswig War of 1848 and the London Protocol of 1852, the ducal title was borne by Christoph's father and paternal grandfather (as inherited from his great-grandfather, Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg in 1934). However Christoph is known also by the title which is shared by male cadets of the dynasty, "Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg".[3]
Since 1980, he chairs the board of the family foundation that owns the ancestral castle of the House of Glücksburg, Glücksburg Castle. Christoph is a founding member of the GLC Glücksburg Consulting Group and serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board. He resides in Grünholz near Schwansen where he has business interests in agriculture, forestry and real estate.[8] He is the owner of the Grünholz and Bienebek estates and is one of the largest land owners of Schleswig-Holstein. His sister, Princess Ingeborg, chairs the board of a further family foundation, the Stiftung Louisenlund.
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Grünholz Estate
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Louisenlund Manor
Family
Christoph married Princess Elisabeth of Lippe-Weissenfeld (b. 1957), daughter of Prince Alfred of Lippe-Weissenfeld and Baroness Irmgard Julinka Wagner von Wehrborn, at Glücksburg civilly on 23 September 1981 and religiously on 3 October.[1][2] Christoph and Elisabeth have four children:[1][2]
- Princess Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein (born 9 October 1983 in Eckernförde)[1][2]
- Friedrich Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein (born 19 July 1985 in Eckernförde)[1][2]
- Prince Constantin of Schleswig-Holstein (born 14 July 1986 in Eckernförde)[1][2]
- Prince Leopold of Schleswig-Holstein (born 5 September 1991 in Eckernförde)[1][2]
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 22 August 1949 – 10 February 1965: His Highness Prince Christoph of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
- 10 February 1965 – 30 September 1980: His Highness The Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
- 30 September 1980 – present: His Highness The Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
Military title
- Leutnant Prinz zu Schleswig-Holstein (or Lieutenant Prince of Schleswig-Holstein)
Ancestry
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XVI. Haus Holstein. C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp.44-50. ISBN 3-7980-0824-8. In German.
- ↑ Burke's Royal Families of the World ISBN 0-85011-023-8 p. 60
- ↑ Burke's Royal Families of the World ISBN 0-85011-023-8 p. 325
- ↑ Michel Huberty, L'Allemagne dynastique, Volume 7, Giraud, 1994, ISBN 2-901138-07-1, ISBN 978-2-901138-07-5
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Christoph of Schleswig-Holstein. |
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Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg
Born: 22 August 1949 |
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| Lines of succession | ||
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| Preceded by
Prince Ludwig of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
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Line of succession to the British throne descended from Alfred, son of Victoria |
Succeeded by Friedrich Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein |
| German royalty | ||
| Preceded by | — TITULAR — Duke of Schleswig-Holstein 30 September 1980 - present Reason for succession failure: Duchy annexed by Prussia in 1866 |
Incumbent Heir: Friedrich Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein |
