Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Dietmar Hubertus Friedrich Wilhelm Philipp; 24 August 1909 – 26 November 1943) was a German courier pilot and a member of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, which reigned over the eponymous duchy in the German Empire. Born a prince of Great Britain and Ireland as a great-grandson of Queen Victoria, Hubertus lost this title during the First World War. He became heir apparent to the headship of his house in 1932. Secretly homosexual, he never married. Hubertus joined the Nazi Party upon the outbreak of the Second World War despite his opposition to Adolf Hitler and Nazism. He served in the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front until he was killed in action.

Family

Prince Hubertus was born on 24 August 1909 at Reinhardsbrunn Castle, German Empire. A 72-gun salute took place at Friedenstein Palace 40 minutes after the Prince's birth. Besides ruling a state of the German Empire, Charles Edward was a British peer and a British prince as the grandson of Queen Victoria. Charles Edward lost his Coburg and Gotha throne during the German Revolution of 1918–19, and then was stripped of his British titles in 1919 for siding with Germany in the First World War.

Second World War The father of Prince Hubertus, Duke Charles Edward, was an ardent supporter of Adolf Hitler. Prince Hubertus formally became a member of the Nazi Party on 19 October 1939, Serving in the Luftwaffe as a courier pilot in the Eastern Front, Hubertus obtained the rank of Oberleutnant (senior pilot). The Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha announced the death of their son and heir in Gothaer Beobachter with a very short obituary on 11 December. When King Carl XVI Gustaf's grandson was christened Alexander Erik Hubertus Bertil, the choice of the name Hubertus was criticized by journalist Henrik Arnstad due to Prince Hubertus's membership of the Nazi Party. Arnstad was rebuked for his comments by political commentator Ivar Arpi.

Titles and honours Hubertus was styled as "His Highness Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha". He was a knight of the Swedish Royal Order of the Seraphim.