About
Eldest child of Wilhelm, German Crown Prince and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He was second in line to the German throne and would have succeeded to power had not his father and grandfather outlived him. In World War II, he and other members of the German monarchy enlisted to serve in the Wehrmacht, where he was killed in battle. After his death, the Prinzenerlaß decree barred any members of the German monarchy from enlisting.
Before Fame
When he was 12, the German monarchy was abolished and his grandfather went to live in exile. He and his brothers remained in Potsdam for school, and later he attended the Universities of Königsberg, Munich and Bonn. In college he met his wife, Dorothea von Salviati.
Trivia
His grandfather did not approve of his marriage to Dorothea, saying it was unequal and would produce mongrels. Wilhelm chose to renounce any rights to the succession of the throne for him or his future children and married her in 1933. In 1940, the ex-Emperor recognized their marriage and their daughters were established as princesses, though he himself did not regain his right to succession.
Family Life
His younger brother was Louis Ferdinand. He and his wife had two daughters, Princess Felicitas and Princess Christa.
Associated With
Franz Joseph I was one of his godparents.
