Turiya Hanover | |
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Princess Welf Ernst of Hanover | |
Born | 26 November 1948 |
Spouse | Prince Welf of Hanover |
Issue | Princess Saskia of Hanover |
House | Hanover (by marriage) |
Father | Hans-Daniel Christians |
Mother | Ursula Schmidt-Prange |
Hanoverian royal family |
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HRH The Prince Extended royal family
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HRH The Prince
HRH The Princess
Turiya Hanover, aka Wibke, Princess Welf Ernst of Hanover, née van Gunsteren (born 1948, Lübeck), is a German psychotherapist and wife of the late Prince Welf of Hanover of the House of Hanover. She has published some guided meditations.
Wibke was born as daughter of Ursula Schmidt-Prange and Dr. Hans-Daniel Christians, a physician. Her mother then married Harry van Gunsteren and the whole young family took van Gunsteren as surname including the step-daughter Wibke.
In 1969 Wibke married Prince Welf of Hanover, a first cousin of Prince Ernst August of Hanover the current head of the House of Guelf as well as a first cousin of Charles, Prince of Wales the current heir to the throne of the British Commonwealth.
In 1970, they had a child, Princess Saskia of Hanover, currently known as Mrs Saskia Hooper.
In 1973 Wibke started to work as Gestalt therapist. In 1975 she and her husband Welf moved to India, having become sannyasins of Osho and taken the names Vimalkirti ("Spotless splendour") and Wibke Turiya ("Spiritual love"). Along with their five-year-old daughter Tania Saskia they moved to Poona, India to live with Osho.
Welf died at the age of 33 at a clinic in Poona from a cerebral haemorrhage after collapsing during a morning exercise session and becoming paralysed at the ashram.
Although there are claims that they were divorced in 1979 there was no such divorce. They were married until prince Welf died in 1981. Currently Turiya (Wibke) Hanover lives in Byron Bay, Australia.