Prince Luitpold of Bavaria (b. 1951)

Prince Luitpold of Bavaria (German: Luitpold Prinz von Bayern) (born 14 April 1951) is a member (2nd in succession line to head of house) of the House of Wittelsbach, which reigned as kings of Bavaria until 1918,[1] and a CEO of König Ludwig GmbH & Co. KG Schlossbrauerei Kaltenberg.

Prince Luitpold
Prince Luitpold in July 2012
Born	14 April 1951 Schloß Leutstetten, Leutstetten, Bavaria, West Germany
Spouse	Katrin Beatrix Wiegand ​ ​ (m. 1979)​
Issue	Auguste, Princess Ferdinand of Lippe-Weissenfeld Alice, Princess Lukas of Auersperg Prince Ludwig Prince Heinrich Prince Karl
Full name German: Luitpold Rupprecht Heinrich Prinz von Bayern
House	Wittelsbach
Father	Prince Ludwig of Bavaria
Mother	Princess Irmingard of Bavaria
Religion	Roman Catholic

Early life

Prince Luitpold was born at Schloß Leutstetten near Starnberg, in Bavaria. He is the only surviving child of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (1913–2008) and his wife Princess Irmingard of Bavaria (1923–2010).[1]

Marriage

On 25 June 1979, Prince Luitpold married Katrin Beatrix Wiegand (born 19 September 1951 in Munich), daughter of Gerd Wiegand and his wife Ellen Schumacher.[1] The civil wedding took place at Starnberg and the religious ceremony followed a day later at the Andechs Abbey in Bavaria. Initially the union was considered morganatic, but on 3 March 1999, the marriage was declared to be dynastic.[1] The couple had five children and four grandchildren:[1]

• Princess Auguste Marie Philippa (born 11 October 1979 in Landsberg am Lech), a research zoologist working under the name Auguste M.P. von Bayern who investigates animal cognition as a collaborator of Alex Kacelnik. She married in a civil marriage on 26 December 2009 in Bourail, New Caledonia, Prince Ferdinand of Lippe-Weissenfeld (born 5 September 1976 in Detmold), son of Prince Ferdinand of Lippe-Weissenfeld and Baroness Karoline von Feilitzsch. The religious ceremony took place on 5 June 2010 at Andechs Abbey. They have two sons:
  • Prince Louis-Ferdinand of Lippe-Weissenfeld (born 16 September 2013)
  • Prince Carl-Philipp of Lippe-Weissenfeld (born 22 December 2015 in Starnberg)
• Princess Alice Isabella Maria (born 25 June 1981 in Landsberg am Lech), a cognitive biology researcher and manager of the University of Vienna's Goffin Lab working under the name Alice Auersperg. She married on 29 August 2009, Prince Lukas of Auersperg (born 27 August 1981 in St. Pölten), son of Prince Andreas of Auersperg and Julia Rosemary Griffith. They have two children:
  • Princess Olivia of Auersperg (born 13 April 2013)
  • Prince Ludwig of Auersperg (born 8 April 2015)
• Prince Ludwig Heinrich of Bavaria (born 14 June 1982 in Landsberg am Lech), studied political science and law, following which his uncle Franz, Duke of Bavaria, called him to Nymphenburg Palace to be trained in the former Royal Family's estate management. He also became chairman of Hilfsverein Nymphenburg, a charitable organization founded in 1964 by the royal family and the Bavarian Red Cross, with activities in development aid. He then founded Learning Lions, a schooling project in Kenya,[2] where he presently spends most of the year.
• Prince Heinrich Rudolf of Bavaria (born 23 January 1986 in Landsberg am Lech), married on 22 April 2017 at Andechs Abbey, Henriette Gruse (born 26 December 1982), daughter of Bernd Gruse and Friederike Gruse
• Prince Karl Rupprecht of Bavaria (born 10 March 1987)

Because the current head and heir of the Royal House of Bavaria, Duke Franz and his younger brother Max, have no male offspring, their first cousin (and second cousin in the male line) Luitpold and his son Prince Ludwig are next in line to inherit representation of the House of Bavaria's historically royal legacy.[1]

Business activities

Prince Luitpold is the proprietor and CEO of a brewery located at Kaltenberg Castle (König Ludwig GmbH & Co. KG Schlossbrauerei Kaltenberg) which was founded in 1871, and largely extended by the prince who also purchased Marthabräu brewery at Fürstenfeldbruck in 1980, where his wheat beer is produced.[3] At Kaltenberg he also organizes an annual jousting tournament.

In 2011 he purchased the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory, founded in 1745 by Maximilian III Joseph, Prince-Elector of Bavaria.

Prince Luitpold owns the Bavarian castles of Leutstetten and Kaltenberg, in which he lives with his family.[1]

• 
  Leutstetten Castle
• 
  Kaltenberg Castle

Ancestry

Ancestors of Prince Luitpold of Bavaria (b. 1951)

16. Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria 8. Ludwig III of Bavaria 17. Archduchess Auguste Ferdinande of Austria 4. Prince Franz of Bavaria 18. Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este 9. Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este 19. Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria 2. Prince Ludwig of Bavaria 20. Rudophe, Duke of Croÿ 10. Karl Alfred, Duke of Croÿ 21. Princess Nathalie de Ligne 5. Princess Isabella Antonie of Croÿ 22. Engelbert Auguste, 8th Duke d'Arenberg 11. Princess Ludmilla d'Arenberg 23. Princess Eleonore d'Arenberg 1. Prince Luitpold of Bavaria 24. Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria (= 16) 12. Ludwig III of Bavaria (= 8) 25. Archduchess Auguste Ferdinande of Austria (= 17) 6. Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria 26. Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este (= 18) 13. Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (= 9) 27. Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria (= 19) 3. Princess Irmingard of Bavaria 28. Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg 14. William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg 29. Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau 7. Princess Antonia of Luxembourg 30. Miguel of Portugal 15. Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal 31. Princess Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg

References

1. Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XVI. "Haus Bayern". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp. 3, 6-7,9. ISBN 978-3-7980-0824-3.
2. See the website learninglions.org
3. "Standorte – König Ludwig". koenig-ludwig-brauerei.com. Retrieved 16 May 2018.

1. Die Wittelsbacher. Geschichte unserer Familie. Adalbert, Prinz von Bayern. Prestel Verlag, München, 1979