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Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse

Georg Donatus
Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse
GeorgdonatusHD.jpg
Born (1906-11-08)8 November 1906
Darmstadt, Germany
Died 16 November 1937(1937-11-16) (aged 31)
Ostend, Belgium
Burial Rosenhöhe, Darmstadt
Spouse Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark
Issue Prince Ludwig
Prince Alexander
Princess Johanna
Stillborn son
Full name
German: Georg Donatus Wilhelm Nikolaus Eduard Heinrich Karl
English: George Donatus William Nicholas Edward Henry Charles
House Hesse-Darmstadt
Father Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse
Mother Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich
Full name
German: Georg Donatus Wilhelm Nikolaus Eduard Heinrich Karl
English: George Donatus William Nicholas Edward Henry Charles

Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse (Georg Donatus Wilhelm Nikolaus Eduard Heinrich Karl, 8 November 1906 – 16 November 1937) was the first child of Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse and his second wife, Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich.

On 2 February 1931 at Darmstadt Georg, a great-grandson of Queen Victoria, married his first cousin once-removed, Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg (and thus a sister of Prince Philip), a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. They had four children:

In October 1937, Georg Donatus' father, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse died. A few weeks after the funeral, his younger brother, Prince Louis was due to be married to the Hon. Margaret Geddes, daughter of Lord Geddes. On 16 November 1937, Georg Donatus, Cecilie, their two young sons, Georg's mother Grand Duchess Eleonore, the children's nurse, a family friend, a pilot and two crewmen, flew from Darmstadt bound for the United Kingdom, where Prince Louis was due to be married. The airplane hit a factory chimney near Ostend and crashed into flames, killing all those on board. Cecilie was heavily pregnant with her fourth child at the time of the crash, and the remains of the newborn baby were found in the wreckage, indicating that Cecilie had gone into labour during the flight; the Belgian inquiry into the crash suggested that the pilot was attempting to land in Ostend despite the poor weather conditions because of the birth.


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