Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Richard Casimir Karl August Robert Konstantin; 29 October 1934 – 13 March 2017) was the head of the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and husband of Princess Benedikte of Denmark.

Early life Richard Casimir Karl August Robert Konstantin was the eldest son and child of Gustav Albrecht, 5th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, a highly decorated German army officer declared missing in 1944 yet only legally declared dead in 1969, and his wife, Margareta Fouché d'Otrante, a descendant of Napoleonic statesman Joseph Fouché, Duke d'Otrante.

Education Richard was raised in Sweden with his maternal grandfather, the Duke of Otranto, at Elghammar Castle. He attended the boarding schools Viggbyholm and Sigtuna.

Having studied arboreal science at LMU Munich, Prince Richard obtained his forestry diploma at the University of Göttingen in Lower Saxony. He took post-graduate training as Forstreferendar, obtaining a degree as Assessor des Forstdienstes after passing the second-level examination at the North Rhine Westphalian State Forestry Service.

Marriage Richard married Princess Benedikte of Denmark at Fredensborg Palace Church on 3 February 1968. She is the second daughter of Frederik IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden, younger sister of Margrethe II of Denmark and elder sister of Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.

While the couple were raising their family Princess Benedikte reduced her royal engagements in Denmark, where she spent only about a quarter of her time. Count Friedrich Richard Oscar Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (born 14 September 1999) Countess Ingrid Alexandra Irma Astrid Benedikte von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (born August 16, 2003) Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (born 2 May 1975). On 27 May 2010, she married Alexander Johannsmann (born 6 December 1977). On 15 August 2022, the Danish court confirmed that Nathalie and Johannsmann had divorced. They have two children. Konstantin Gustav Heinrich Richard Johannsmann (born on 24 July 2010) Louisa Margareta Benedikte Hanna Johannsmann (born 28 January 2015)

Conservation Prince Richard engaged in several conservation programmes, while responsible for managing his family's extensive lands in Germany.

Health issues and death In July 2003, he underwent surgery for treatment of prostate cancer; previously, he had undergone treatment for skin cancer.

Prince Richard died suddenly on 13 March 2017 at the castle of Berleburg in Germany. He was 82.

Titles, styles and honours

Titles 29 October 1934 – 1944: His Serene Highness Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown

Ancestry