Prince Dedo's funeral

The funeral of Prince Dedo of Saxony took place today in Sigmaringen. Dedo, who died on December 6, was 86 years old.
The original plan was for Dedo's burial to take place in the Royal Chapel in Dresden, but the plans were scuppered after it was learned that Dedo's wish was to be cremated.
Instead, Rüdiger Prinz von Sachsen brought the urn carrying his uncle's ashes to the chapel at Schloss Sigmaringen. In 1945, Prince Dedo, after fleeing from his home, Schloss Morizburg, found refuge with the Prince of Hohenzollern and his family.
The prince's urn was placed next to his brother, Prince Gero's urn, in an alcove in the chapel. Prince Gero died in 2003.
The twelve mourners included Rüdiger and his three sons, Daniel, Arne and Nils, who was accompanied by his wife, Jedida, and their young son, Moritz. Hereditary Prince Karl Friedrich of Hohenzollern and his cousin, Prince Ferfied also attended. Karl Friedrich, a jazz musician, played "Lady Be Good," during the funeral service.
The head of the house of Saxony, Prince Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen, did not attend the funeral. The 83-year-old Margrave lives in Switzerland. He called his cousin's cremation "a sin." The Roman Catholic priest, at the end of his homily, also commented on Dedo's decision to be cremated. Referring to the urn, the priest said: "It is a pity that we have so little before us."
Prince Dedo was the eldest of three sons of the late Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony and Princess Sophie of Luxembourg. He was the eldest of King Friedrich August III of Saxony's grandchildren.
In the 1950s, Prince Dedo and Prince Gero became Irish nationals and took the name Saxony. They emigrated to Picton, Ontario, where they lived for many years. During the cold winter months, the two brothers would travel to Sebring, Florida.
Prince Dedo never married, nor did he have any children. Several genealogies have listed Maria Christina von Sachsen, born October 16, 1956 as his natural daughter. This is a mistake. Maria Christina is the illegitimate daughter of Dedo's first cousin, Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony, sister of the Margrave of Meissen.