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| Both photos: Bucharest, Romania, 2001 @Marlene A Eilers Koenig |
Prince Wilhelm of Schaumburg-Lippe, a German prince who made Denmark his home, died on July 9, 2026. He was 86 years old. The death was first reported by his niece, Princess Eleonore, on her Facebook page.
The place of death is not known, as no death announcement has been published,
Prince Wilhelm Friedrich Harald Christian Ernst-Augusts Carl Gustav was the eldest of four children of HSH Prince Christian Nikolaus Wilhelm Friedrich of Schaumburg-Lippe and HH Princess Feodora Louise Caroline Mathilde Viktoria Alexandra Frederikke Johanne of Denmark. This was a first-cousin marriage as Christian's father, Prince Friedrich, had married Feodora's paternal aunt, Princess Louise of Denmark.
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| The wedding of Prince Christian and Princess Feodora |
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| Prince Christian and Princess Feodora |
He was born on August 19, 1939, at Jagdschloss Klein Glienecke, near Potsdam, Germany. After the Second World War, the young prince and his younger brother, Prince Waldemar, were sent to Denmark to live with their grandfather, Prince Harald of Denmark. After some time with Prince Harald, Prince Wilhelm lived with Prince Viggo and Prince Knud, whose wife, Princess Caroline Mathilde, was Princess Feodora's younger sister.
In February 1976, Wilhelm spoke to Berlingske Tidende : “I fell deeply in love with Denmark when the Red Cross brought my brother Waldemar and me here from war-ravaged Germany in the summer of 1946. We were six and seven years old, thin and half-starved. We had never experienced a safe and peaceful childhood until we moved in with my late grandfather, Prince Harald, at Svanemøllevej. He enrolled us at Busse's Private School in Hellerup. We learnt Danish within three weeks and were never allowed to forget the language again. When we returned to Germany in 1949, Mother always spoke Danish to us, and I continued to feel Danish and longed for Copenhagen.”
Neither brother enjoyed their time with their grandfather, and preferred being with their cousins, Ingolf, Christian and Elisabeth, the children of Prince Knud and Princess Caroline Mathilde.
Wilhelm was 10-years-old when he and his brother returned to Germany to live with their parents at Schloss Hagenberg, in northern Germany, a Schaumburg-Lippe family property.
Due to a health issue, Prince Wilhelm was exempted from Germany's military service, which allowed him to study banking and finance in England, Germany, and Switzerland. After marrying Ilona Hentschel von Gilgenheim in 1971, the couple settled in Denmark, where he worked for the Landmandsbanken for many years. In 1976, the prince and princess were granted Danish citizenship.
The couple were close friends and bridge partners with Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. They were often present at Danish and European royal events.
After many years of living in Copenhagen, Prince Wilhelm and Princess Ilona moved to Glesborg to be nearer to their daughter, Desiree, who lives with her husband, Michael Frederik Iuel, a member of the Danish nobility, and their children at Schloss Meilgaard in Glesborg.
Princess Ilona died in 2024.
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2024/01/hsh-princess-ilona-of-schaumburg-lippe.html
“The title of prince is a burden. I never use it. I simply try to be myself. I avoid using the title because I want to avoid unpleasantness. I have to do my job just like everyone else, and there is no point in putting on airs. I am simply an employee at the bank, trying to do my work as well as I can. Some people think that having the title of prince opens every door. It does not. I never push myself forward. I have never used my title to seek favours, whether from old school friends or anyone else. My title has never brought me any special privileges. If people want to help me, it should be because they genuinely wish to do so; otherwise, it is of no interest to me, " Wilhelm told the B.T. newspaper in 1983.
Prince Wilhelm is survived by his two children, HSH Prince Christian Hubertus Clemens-August Friedrich Sigismund Louis-Ferdinand Harald and HSH Princess Desiree Alexandra Felicitas Rosmarie Feodora, Mrs. Iuel, and grandchildren, HSH Prince Julian and HSH Princess Emilia of Schaumburg-Lippe, Alexandra, Tatiana, & Philippa Iuel.
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2016/04/double-tragedy-for-schaumburg-lippe.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2012/04/schaumburg-lippe-royals-die-within.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2009/05/king-christian-approves-nieces-marriag.html
My thanks to Stig Nielsen who allowed me to use his research for this article.
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