Gottfried, 8th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Gottfried, 8th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (; 24 March 189711 May 1960) was the only surviving son of Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

At the death of his father in 1950, Gottfried inherited the title of Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Early life

Gottfried was born at Langenburg, Kingdom of Württemberg, the first child of Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1863–1950, son of Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Leopoldine of Baden) and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh (daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia). Through his maternal grandparents, he was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and of Tsar Alexander II.

On 1 May 1937, he joined the Nazi Party the same day as his mother, with the membership number of 4023070. He served as an army officer in World War II, becoming severely injured at the Russian front. He was dismissed from the army after the abortive attempt on Adolf Hitler's life on 20 July 1944.

Later years and death After World War II, he was appointed as district administrator (Landrat) of Crailsheim. Gottfried became an advocate for West German business interests, which included securing land leases in Liberia. Together with his wife and their three elder children, he took part in the ship tour organized by Queen Frederica and her husband King Paul of Greece in 1954, which became known as the “Cruise of the Kings” and was attended by over 100 royals from all over Europe.

On 11 May 1960, Gottfried died at Langenburg Castle after a long illness.

Ancestry