Hard work helps you lose weight says Prince Eitel Friedrich

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August 16, 1908


Prince Eitel Friedrich, the second son of the German Emperor, has "decided that hard work, and plenty of it," is the best cure for his obesity problem, reports the New York Times.

At his summer home, Schloss Ingenheim, near Charlottenburg in Berlin,  the prince "engages from morning til night in the most strenuous labor."

He "applies himself to gardening, tree-felling, cutting hedges, sawing wood, carpentry, and the building of potting sheds."   The estate's gardeners and other workmen on the fair-sized natural park on the banks of the Havel," find they have little leisure time, while Prince Eitel Friedrich is in residence.  He expects them to put in a full day of work every day of the week.

During the past week, the Prince has taken a "leading part" in the construction of a new riding school.  On one occasion, during the "great heat," he was chastised by his wife, Princess Sophie Charlotte, for "working so hard.

"Oh, this kind of work is good for my figure," he responded.  He continued to work as if he were a "paid laborer."

When he is not working on the estate,  the Prince and Princess enjoy long horseback rides, leaving the castle before 7 a.m.  They prefer to ride without a groom, and usually take a "light lunch" with them, which they eat in the forest.

The couple returned to the castle just in time to change for dinner. 

Other times, they drive together "in a dog-cart with a tandem team and a picnic in the woods."  The princess usually brings her sketchbook with her.  But even after their return to the castle, Prince Eitel Friedrich likes to apply himself to several hours of manual labor at the castle.