Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein

Christoph
Prince of Schleswig-Holstein

Christoph at Grünholz in November 2010
Head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein
Predecessor Peter
Heir apparent Friedrich Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
Born (1949-08-22) 22 August 1949
Schloss Louisenlund, Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany
Spouse Princess Elisabeth of Lippe-Weissenfeld
Issue
House Oldenburg
Glücksburg
Father Peter, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
Mother Princess Marie Alix of Schaumburg-Lippe
Christoph and Elisabeth with Jacob Truedson Demitz and Emil Eikner (wearing the Swedish Costume of 1778) at Grünholz in 2010.
Ducal Family of
Schleswig-Holstein

HH The Prince
HH The Princess

HH The Dowager Duchess

  • HH Princess Marita
  • HH Prince Alexander
    • HH Princess Helena
    • HH Prince Julian
  • HH Princess Ingeborg
Extended family

Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein[1][2] (born 22 August 1949)[1][2] has been the head of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and, by agnatic primogeniture, of the entire House of Oldenburg since 1980.[3] He is the current titular Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Duke of Glücksburg, traditionally styled as His Highness.[3]

House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

The House of Oldenburg — in one of its cadet branches — is patrilineally the royal house of Denmark (since 1448) and Norway (1450–1818 and since 1905), has been the reigning dynasty of several other countries including Greece, Sweden and Russia,[3] and also includes the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom. As such, Christoph is the agnatic head of the family that today includes Margrethe II of Denmark,[4] Harald V of Norway, Constantine II of Greece and, patrilineally,[5] Charles, Prince of Wales. His great-great-grandfather, Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the older brother of Christian IX of Denmark, and through him Christoph is heir by masculine primogeniture to the Danish title Duke of Glücksburg conferred by the Danish crown in 1825.[3] Christoph is also, cognatically, a descendant of Queen Victoria and Alexander II of Russia, and is in the line of succession to the British throne.[6]

Life

Christoph was born in Louisenlund Castle in Güby, Germany,[1][2] the eldest son of Peter, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (1922–1980) and his wife Princess Marie Alix of Schaumburg-Lippe (b. 1923).[1][2] He has a diploma in Agricultural Engineering.[3] Christoph served as a Reservist in the German Army for two years holding the rank of lieutenant.[7]

He succeeded to the headship of the ducal house on 30 September 1980 following the death of his father. While possession of the united duchies of Schleswig and Holstein had been allocated by a series of wars and treaties since the First Schleswig War of 1848 and the London Protocol of 1852, the ducal title was borne by Christoph's father and paternal grandfather (as inherited from his great-grandfather, Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg in 1934). However Christoph is known also by the title which is shared by male cadets of the dynasty, "Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg".[3]

Since 1980, Christophe chairs the board of the family foundation that owns the ancestral castle, Glücksburg Castle. He is a founding member of the GLC Glücksburg Consulting Group and serves as chairman of its advisory board. He resides in Grünholz near Schwansen where he has business interests in agriculture, forestry and real estate.[8] He is the owner of the Grünholz and Bienebek estates and is one of the largest landowners of Schleswig-Holstein. His sister, Princess Ingeborg, chairs the board of a further family foundation, the Stiftung Louisenlund.

Family

Christoph married Princess Elisabeth of Lippe-Weissenfeld (b. 1957), daughter of Prince Alfred of Lippe-Weissenfeld and Baroness Irmgard Julinka Wagner von Wehrborn, at Glücksburg civilly on 23 September 1981 and religiously on 3 October.[1][2] Christoph and Elisabeth have four children:[1][2]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

Honours

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Darryl Lundy (20 July 2007). "Christoph Herzog zu Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Paul Theroff. "SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN". Paul Theroff's Royal Genealogy Site. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XVI. Haus Holstein. C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp.44-50. (German). ISBN 3-7980-0824-8.
  4. ↑ Burke's Royal Families of the World ISBN 0-85011-023-8 p. 60
  5. ↑ Burke's Royal Families of the World ISBN 0-85011-023-8 p. 325
  6. ↑ Michel Huberty, L'Allemagne dynastique, Volume 7, Giraud, 1994, ISBN 2-901138-07-1, ISBN 978-2-901138-07-5
  7. ↑ "Christoph, Prinz zu Schleswig-Holstein". GLC Glücksburg Consulting Group. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  8. ↑ "Family". Glücksburg Castle. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  9. ↑ Descendants of Queen Victoria's siblings 2.5.3.5.3.2.1.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Christoph of Schleswig-Holstein.
Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg
Born: 22 August 1949
Lines of succession
Preceded by
Prince Ludwig of Hohenlohe-Langenburg		 Line of succession to the British throne
descended from Alfred, son of Victoria 		Succeeded by
Friedrich Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
German royalty
Preceded by
Peter		 — TITULAR —
Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
30 September 1980 - present
Reason for succession failure:
Duchy annexed by Prussia in 1866		 Incumbent
Heir:
Friedrich Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein
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