Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
| Friedrich Josias | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Duke of Saxony |
|
 |
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| Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | |
| Predecessor | Charles Edward |
| Successor | Andreas |
| Born | 29 November 1918 |
| Died | 23 January 1998 (aged 79) |
| Spouse |
Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth (m. 1942–46) Denyse Henrietta de Muralt (m. 1948–64) Katrin Bremme (m. 1964–98) |
| Issue |
Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Princess Claudia, Mrs. Schäfer Beatrice Charlotte, Princess Friedrich of Saxe-Meiningen Prince Adrian |
| House | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
| Father | Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
| Mother | Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg |
Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Friedrich Josias Carl Eduard Ernst Kyrill Harald; Callenberg Castle, 29 November 1918 – Amstetten, Austria, 23 January 1998) was the Head of the Ducal Family of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and titular Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1954 until his death.
The Prince was born to Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Charles Edward was forced to abdicate on 14 November 1918.
In 1938, the Prince entered the Wehrmacht and participated in the occupation of Czechoslovakia, Poland and France. In 1941, he fought in Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. He fell seriously ill in the winter of 1941. After his recovery, he fought as Oberleutnant in the Caucasus. In 1944, he was an Ordonnanzoffizier under Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel on the French coast. He was stationed in June 1944 in Denmark under General von Hanneken, where he was captured by the British in May 1945 but released in autumn 1945.
The third of three sons, Prince Friedrich Josias was not expected to succeed as Head of the Ducal Family. However, his eldest brother, Hereditary Prince Johann Leopold, married unequally and renounced his rights in 1932, and Prince Hubertus was killed in action in 1943, thus leaving Prince Friedrich Josias as the heir-apparent. He succeeded to the Headship on the death of his father on 6 March 1954.
The Prince married three times:
In Kassel on 25 January 1942, Friedrich Josias married his first cousin Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth (13 March 1921 – 1 March 2003). They had one son:
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