Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia

Prince Wilhelm Eitel Friedrich Christian Karl of Prussia (7 July 1883 – 8 December 1942) was the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. He was born and died in Potsdam, Germany. He was also called less formally Eitel Fritz.

Early life Prince Eitel Friedrich was born on 7 July 1883 as the second son of the then Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, and his first wife, Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. A great-grandson of the British Queen Victoria, he was born in the Marmorpalais of Potsdam in the Province of Brandenburg, where his parents resided until his father acceded to the Prussian and imperial thrones in 1888 as Emperor Wilhelm II. He spent his childhood with his siblings at the New Palace, also in Potsdam, and was educated privately with his brothers at the Princes' House in Plön, in his mother's ancestral Schleswig-Holstein.

On 27 February 1906, in Berlin, Prince Eitel Friedrich married Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg (1879–1964).

In 1907, it was reported that a Member of the Reichstag, Otto Arendt, had proposed the elevation of Alsace-Lorraine to a grand duchy within the empire, with Eitel Friedrich as grand duke; however, while the Emperor expressed interest in this, ultimately nothing came of the proposal.

First World War

Raised at the cadet corps of Plön Castle, Prince Eitel was in the front line from the beginning of World War I and was wounded at Bapaume, where he commanded the Prussian First Foot Guards. He temporarily relinquished command to Count Hans-Jürgen von Blumenthal, but returned to duty before the end of the year. The following year, he was transferred to the Eastern Front. During the summer of 1915, he was out in a field in Russia when he had a chance encounter with Manfred von Richthofen, who had just crashed with his superior officer, Count Holck. The two men were hiding in a nearby tree line from what they thought was the advancing Russian army and who turned out to be the grenadiers, guardsmen, and officers of Prince Eitel. Later life After the end of the war and the monarchy, unlike other members of his family Eitel Friedrich continued to live in Germany, at a private house in Potsdam, Villa Ingenheim. He was active in monarchist circles and in Der Stahlhelm, an ex-servicemen's organization. In 1921, the Berlin criminal court found him guilty of the fraudulent transfer of 300,000 Marks and sentenced him to a fine of 5000 Marks.

Eitel and his wife Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg had no children and were divorced in October 1926. Eitel had begun divorce proceedings in March 1919, alleging infidelities before the war. The final judgement of the court found Eitel to be the more guilty party.

Titles

From 1907 to 1926, he was Master of the Knights (Herrenmeister) of the Order of St. John (Johanniterorden). He received the Pour le Mérite order in 1915. His body is buried at the Antique Temple in Sanssouci Park, Potsdam.

Regimental Commissions Source: Hauptmann (captain) and commander of the Leibkompagnie (Life-company), 1. Garderegiment zu Fuß (1st Regiment of Foot Guards) à la suite, Grenadierregiment König Friedrich Wilhelm IV.(1. Pommersches) Nr. 2 à la suite, 1. Gardelandwehrregiment (Guard Reserve Regiment) Hauptmann (captain), Austria-Hungary K.u.K. Infantry Regiment "Wilhelm I., Deutscher Kaiser und König von Preußen" Nr. 34 Hauptmann (captain), Saxon Army à la suite, 7. Königsinfanterieregiment (King's Infantry Regiment) Nr. 106 First Brigade of Imperial Guards, commander, 1914–15

Orders and decorations German decorations with Collar, 17 January 1902 Grand Cross of the Red Eagle, with Crown, 7 July 1893 Knight of the Prussian Crown, 1st Class, 7 July 1893 Hohenzollern: Cross of Honour of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, 1st Class with Swords Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1904 Commander of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order Knight of St. Hubert, 1913 Officer of the Military Merit Order, with Swords War Merit Cross Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, with Swords Cross for Merit in War (Saxe-Meiningen) Hanseatic Cross Hesse and by Rhine: Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 7 September 1904 Mecklenburg: Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Ore Cross for Distinction in War, 1st Class (Strelitz) Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown, Collar and Swords Friedrich August Cross, 1st Class Knight of the Rue Crown Knight of the Military Order of St. Henry, 20 March 1915 Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1899

Foreign decorations China: Order of the Double Dragon, Class I Grade II Knight of the Elephant, 19 November 1906 Greece: Grand Cross of the Redeemer Knight of the Annunciation, 27 August 1902 Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum, 21 May 1908 Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Danilo I Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion Grand Cross of St. Olav, with Collar, 15 December 1906 Order of Glory Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class in Diamonds Persia: Order of the Lion and the Sun, 1st Class Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword Grand Cross of the Sash of the Two Orders Grand Cross of the Order of Carol I Grand Cross of the Crown of Romania Knight of St. Andrew, 1910 Siam: Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri, 6 June 1902 Grand Cross of the Crown of Siam Knight of the Military Merit Order, 3rd Class Knight of the Seraphim, 1 December 1904 Honorary Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 1 July 1904 (expelled in 1915)

Honours Two ships were named after Prince Eitel, the passenger ship Prince Eitel Friedrich (1901) and the Reich postal steamer Prince Eitel Friedrich (1904).

Ancestry