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Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Christian Fürst von Bentheim-Steinfurt (1923-2023)

 

TSH the late Prince and Princess of Bentheim-Steinfurt in 2000 - their 50th wedding anniversary


Only three days after celebrating his 100th birthday, HSH Christian, 6th Prince of Bentheim-Steinfurt, died.   He died on December 12 at his home, Schloss Steinfurt.  According to the Westfächlice Zeitung, the prince was surrounded by family members when he died.

The celebrations for his centenary birthday were muted due to his poor health.

HSH Prince Christian Max Gustav Albrecht of Bentheim-Steinfurt was on December 9, 1923, in Burgensteinfurt, the second and youngest son of HSH Viktor Adolf, 5th Prince of Bentheim-Steinfurt, and his first wife, HSH Princess Stephanie of Schaumburg-Lippe, who died in childbirth after giving birth to twin sons, one of whom was stillborn and the other lived for several hours.  He had seven half-siblings from his father's second marriage to HSH Princess Rosa Helene of Solms-Hohenssolms-Lich.

Prince Christian's older brother, HSH Hereditary Prince Alexis, a fighter pilot, was shot down in 1943 during the Second World War.

In 1950,  he married Countess Sylvia von Pückler, Baroness von Groditz.  She died in 2013. 

Prince Viktor died in 1961, and Christian succeeded as the 6th Prince, inheriting the family estates.  He and his wife were unable to have children.   On April 11, 1989, he adopted HSH Prince Carl Ferdinand of Bentheim-Steinfurt (1977), the eldest child of Christian's half-brother, Prince Reinhard (1954), and his wife, Angela Emmerman.

He was very popular in Burgensteinfurt and Borghorst and was considered "approachable and open," according to his obituary.  

Funeral plans will be announced shortly.  The late prince will be buried at the family cemetery in Bagno

Embed from Getty Images 

 The Prince of Bentheim-Steinfurt is survived by his half-sister,  Princess Charlotte, Frau Winkhaus,  and numerous nieces and nephews, including Prince Carl Ferdinand, who succeeds as the 7th Prince of Bentheim-Steinfurt.

The new Prince has two children, HSH Hereditary Prince Jonathan (2008) and HSH Princess Wilhelmina (2018) from his former marriage to Elna-Margret Rinn.

The late Prince was a descendant of Christian IX of Denmark

Christian IX - Frederik VIII - Louise - Stephanie - Christian.

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