Eitel Friedrich | |
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Prince of Prussia | |
Prince Eitel Friedrich as captain of the First Regiment of Foot Guards, Potsdam
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Born |
Marmorpalais, Potsdam, Prussia |
7 July 1883
Died | 8 December 1942 Potsdam, Brandenburg |
(aged 59)
Burial | Antique Temple, Potsdam, Germany |
Spouse | Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg |
House | Hohenzollern |
Father | Wilhelm II, German Emperor |
Mother | Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein |
Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia (Wilhelm Eitel Friedrich Christian Karl; 7 July 1883 – 8 December 1942) was the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He was born and died in Potsdam, Germany.
On 27 February 1906, Prince Eitel married Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg (2 February 1879 Oldenburg – 29 March 1964 Westerstede) in Berlin. They were divorced on 20 October 1926 and had no children.
Raised at the cadet corps of Plön Castle, Prince Eitel was in the front line from the beginning of World War I and was wounded at Bapaume, where he commanded the Prussian First Foot Guards. He temporarily relinquished command to Count Hans von Blumenthal, but returned to duty before the end of the year. The following year, he was transferred to the Eastern Front. During the summer of 1915, he was out in a field in Russia when he had a chance encounter with Manfred von Richthofen, who had just crashed with his superior officer, Count Holck. The two men were hiding in a nearby tree line from what they thought was the advancing Russian army and who turned out to be the grenadiers, guardsmen, and officers of Prince Eitel.
After the war, he was engaged in monarchist circles and the Stahlhelm paramilitary organization. In 1921, the Berlin criminal court found him guilty of the fraudulent transfer of 300,000 Marks and sentenced him to a fine of 5000 Marks.
From 1907 to 1926, he was Master of the Knights (Herrenmeister) of the Order of St. John (Johanniterorden). He received the Pour le Mérite order in 1915. His body is buried at the Antique Temple in Sanssouci Park.