Empress Hermine’s descendants

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Empress Hermine, born Hermine Reuss of Greiz, did not have any children from her second marriage to the exiled Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany. However, her first marriage to Prince Johann George of Schönaich-Carolath produced five children and through her daughter’s marriage with the Emperor’s grandson, the bloodlines intertwined anyway.¹

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Hans Georg

Born 3 November 1907 –  Died 9 August 1943

Her eldest son was Hans Georg and he married Baroness Sibylle von Zedlitz und Leipe in 1939, and they had two children before he was killed in action on the Russian front.

Marina was born on 8 May 1940, and she married Peter, Baron Wiedersperger von Wiedersperg in 1967. They have two daughters and a son, Marietta (1968), Axel (1972) and Donata (1977).

George was born on 4 January 1943, and he married Monika Basselot, Comtesse de la Rosee in 1979.

Georg Wilhelm

Born 16 March 1909 – Died 1 November 1927

Her second son Georg Wilhelm died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 18, leaving no descendants.

Hermine Caroline

Born 9 May 1910 – Died possibly 1992²

Hermine Caroline married Hugo Herbert Hartung in 1936. They had no children together and he died in 1945 as a prisoner of the Russians. If she ever remarried or had children, it has not been recorded. The date of her death is quite a mystery, but the date of 1959 as sometimes given appears to be incorrect as it leads to an American-born woman.

Ferdinand

Born 5 April 1913 – Died 17 October 1973

Ferdinand married three times but twice to the same woman. In 1938, he married Rose Rauch. They were divorced in 1941 and remarried in 1947 before divorcing again in 1961. He remarried to Baroness Margarethe von Seckendorff in 1963. There were no descendants from either marriage.

Henriette

Born 25 November 1918 – Died 16 March 1972

Henriette made perhaps the grandest match of all. She married her mother’s step-grandson Prince Karl Franz of Prussia in  1940. They went on to have three sons together, of which one died young.

Franz Wilhelm was born on 3 September 1943, and he married Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia (claimant to the headship of the Imperial Family of Russia) in 1976. They had one son together, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, who was born on 13 March 1981, before divorcing in 1985.

Friedrich Christian, the twin of Franz Wilhelm, lived for just three weeks and died on 26 September 1943.

Franz Friedrich was born on 17 October 1944, and he married morganatically married Gudrun Winkler in 1970. They had one daughter named Christine together; she was born in 1968. They were divorced in 1996, and he remarried Susann Genske in 1998.³

Henriette also appears to have had a fourth son with an unknown man – Udo Ernst Prinz von Schoenaich-Carolath-Schilden who was born in 1956.³ He has four children with his wife Jacqueline.⁴

1. See also The Peerage
2. Adelige Frauen als Pionierinnen der Berufsbildung by Ortrud Wörner-Heil p.18
3. Eurohistory
4. Bunte