Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover

Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover (Ludwig Rudolph Georg Wilhelm Philipp Friedrich Wolrad Maximilian Prinz von Hannover; 21 November 1955 – 29 November 1988)[1] was a member of the House of Hanover and a music producer.

Prince Ludwig Rudolph
Born(1955-11-21)21 November 1955
Hanover, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Died29 November 1988(1988-11-29) (aged 33)
Gmunden, Upper Austria, Austria
Burial2 December 1988
Grunau im Almtal, Austria
Spouse
IssuePrince Otto Heinrich
Full name
German: Ludwig Rudolph Georg Wilhelm Philipp Friedrich Wolrad Maximilian[1]
HouseHanover
FatherErnst August, Prince of Hanover
MotherPrincess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Early life and career

Ludwig Rudolph was born in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, the third child and second son of Ernst August, Prince of Hanover, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick (1914–1987) and his wife Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1925–1980).[1] Ludwig Rudolph was a great-great-great-great-grandson of George III of the United Kingdom and a great-grandson of Wilhelm II, German Emperor.[2]

Ludwig Rudolph had trained to become a music producer in Los Angeles and London.[3][4]

Marriage and death

Having obtained the consent of Elizabeth II by Order in Council on 15 September 1987 pursuant to the Royal Marriages Act 1772,[5] Ludwig Rudolph, a Lutheran, married the Roman Catholic Countess Isabella Maria von Thurn und Valsassina-Como-Vercelli (born 1962 in Gmunden, Upper Austria), a former fashion model[6] at her father's ancestral Austrian estate, Castle Bleiburg, Carinthia on 4 October 1987. She was the daughter of Count Ariprand von Thurn und Valsassina-Como-Vercelli (1925-1996), whose family, a branch of the Della Torre dynasty, ruled Milan in the 13th century, and his wife, née Princess Maria von Auersperg (born 1929).[1] Ludwig Rudolph and Isabelle had one son:

  • Prince Otto Heinrich Ariprand George Johannes Ernst August Vinzenz Egmont Franz of Hanover (born 13 February 1988)[1]

In the early hours of 29 November 1988, after the couple had entertained guests at their home, Königinvilla (The Queen's Villa) in Gmunden, a house left to them by Ludwig's brother Ernst August, the prince went to the bedroom where his wife had retired before midnight, and found Isabelle sprawled fully dressed across their bed. The efforts of her husband and friends to revive her proved futile. As authorities later removed her body and investigated the scene, discovering syringes, cocaine and heroin, Ludwig Rudolph, who had been investigated previously on suspicion of illegal drug purchases, placed a call to his elder brother, Ernst August, in London, imploring him to take care of the couple's 10-month-old son.[6][7] Then he slipped away. Several hours later Ludwig Rudolph was found near his family's hunting lodge several miles away, on Lake Traun. He was in his car with the motor running. He had the muzzle of a rifle in his mouth and was dead of a gunshot wound.[6][8]

The case was closed without further investigation. Ludwig Rudolph and Isabelle were interred on 2 December 1988 at Grünau im Almtal, Austria, having been married less than 14 months.[6] Custody of their infant son Otto Heinrich was awarded, contrary to the expressed wishes of Ludwig Rudolph, to the child's maternal grandparents. He grew up at their castle, Schloss Bleiburg, in Austria,[7] and then studied art at Braunschweig University of Art in Brunswick (Braunschweig). He lives with his maternal grandmother in Salzburg.

Ancestry
Patrilineal descent

By patrilineal descent, the royal dynasty of Hanover was the House of Este, from which descended the branch of the House of Welf), and Ludwig Rudolph's ancestors, verified at least as far back as Oberto I.

  1. Richbald of Lucca, 700–761
  2. Boniface I, Count of Lucca, 725–785
  3. Boniface II, Count of Lucca, d. 823
  4. Boniface III, Count of Lucca, d. 842
  5. Adalbert I, Margrave of Tuscany, d. 891
  6. Adalbert II, Margrave of Tuscany, d. 915
  7. Gui de Lucca, d, 929
  8. Adalbert III, Margrave of Tuscany, d. 955
  9. Oberto I, 912–975
  10. Oberto Obizzo, 940–1017
  11. Albert Azzo I, Margrave of Milan, 970–1029
  12. Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan, d. 1097
  13. Welf I, Duke of Bavaria, 1037–1101
  14. Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria, 1074–1126
  15. Henry X, Duke of Bavaria, 1108–1139
  16. Henry the Lion, 1129–1195
  17. William of Winchester, Lord of Lunenburg, 1184–1213
  18. Otto I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1204–1252
  19. Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1236–1279
  20. Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1268–1318
  21. Magnus the Pious, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1304–1369
  22. Magnus II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1328–1373
  23. Bernard I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1362–1434
  24. Frederick II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1408–1478
  25. Otto V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1439–1471
  26. Heinrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1468–1532
  27. Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1497–1546
  28. William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1535–1592
  29. George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1582–1641
  30. Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover, 1629–1698
  31. George I of Great Britain, 1660–1727
  32. George II of Great Britain, 1683–1760
  33. Frederick, Prince of Wales, 1707–1751
  34. George III of the United Kingdom, 1738–1820
  35. Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, 1771–1851
  36. George V of Hanover, 1819–1878
  37. Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, 1845–1923
  38. Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, 1887–1953
  39. Ernest Augustus, Prince of Hanover, 1914–1987
  40. Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover, b. 1955

References
  1. 'Haus Hannover', in: Gothaisches genealogisches Handbuch 1. Deutsches Adelsarchiv, 2015, p. 133.
  2. Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, pp. 289-290, 300. ISBN 0220662223
  3. "Ludwig Rudolph (1955-1988) Prinz von Hannover, Herzog zu Braunschweig - Lüneburg". Welfen.de. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  4. In GGH (2015) he is only mentioned as a banker and she as a secretary.
  5. The London Gazette, No. 51069, 23 September 1987. Retrieved 8 May 2012
  6. Montgomery Brower and Franz Spelman (9 January 1989). "Death Turns Out the Lights at a Noble Couple's Last Soiree". People Weekly. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  7. Eilers, Marlene. Queen Victoria's Daughters. Rosvall Royal Books, Falkoping, Sweden, 1997. P.173, note 41. ISBN 91-630-5964-9
  8. Reuters (31 December 1988). "German Prince Kills Himself After Wife Dies of Overdose". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
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