Prince Johannes-Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a scion of the Catholic branch of the Saxe-Coburg family, died on April 14 in Innsbruck. He was 79 years old. He was the son of Prince Rainer of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his first wife, Johanna Karolyi de Karolyi-Patty. This marriage ended in divorce, and Rainer was killed in action in Budapest in January 1945.
Johannes Heinrich was born at Innsbruck on March 28, 1931. He was married twice, and both marriages ended in divorce. His first marriage to Baroness Marie-Gabrielle von Fürstenberg took place on October 24, 1957, and was dissolved in 1968. Later that year, Johannes married Princess Mathilde of Saxony at Kloster Andechs. This marriage ended in 1993.
The Prince is survived by his daughter, Princess Felicitas, by his first marriage, and her husband, Serge Trotzy and six grandchildren, and by his longtime partner, Rosemarie Steinhauser. His son, Prince Johannes, who was born in 1969, was killed in a climbing accident in 1987. The young prince had been named as heir to his maternal uncle, the Margrave of Meissen.
Although divorced...Johannes Heinrich and his second wife remained good friends. In 2001 they attended a royal gathering in Coburg. The strain caused by the tragic death of their only son played a huge role in bringing the marriage to an end.
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