Prince Wolfgang of Hesse

Prince Wolfgang of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) (Wolfgang Moritz; 6 November 1896 – 12 July 1989) was the designated Hereditary Prince of the monarchy of Finland (with the irredentist pretension to Estonia), and as such, already called the Crown Prince of Finland officially until 14 December 1918, and also afterwards by some monarchists.

Prince Wolfgang
Crown Prince of Finland
Prince of Hesse
Born(1896-11-06)6 November 1896
Castle Rumpenheim, Offenbach am Main, German Empire
Died12 July 1989(1989-07-12) (aged 92)
Frankfurt, West Germany
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1924; died 1944)​
Full name
Wolfgang Moritz
HouseHesse-Kassel
FatherPrince Frederick Charles of Hesse
MotherPrincess Margaret of Prussia

Wolfgang was born at Castle Rumpenheim, Offenbach am Main. He was the second-born of a pair of twins, the fourth child and son born to Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse (1868–1940) and Princess Margaret of Prussia (1872–1954). His maternal uncle was the German Emperor William II. Wolfgang's father Frederick Charles of Hesse was elected King of Finland on 9 October 1918, to replace his first cousin once removed, the deposed Russian emperor, Nicholas II, who was titled Grand Duke of Finland. However, Frederick Charles renounced the throne on 14 December 1918, and the title was never actually held by the family.

Wolfgang would have been his father's heir as King of Finland instead of his elder twin Prince Philipp of Hesse (1896–1980), who was the next heir of the rights over the defunct Electorate of Hesse, but apparently because Wolfgang was with his parents in 1918 and ready to travel to Finland (where a wedding to a Finnish lady was reportedly being prepared for the coming Crown Prince). Philipp was on active service and incommunicado at the time.

Wolfgang married on 17 September 1924 Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden (1902–1944), daughter of Prince Maximilian of Baden and Princess Marie Louise of Hanover; they had no children.

Wolfgang adopted his nephew, Prince Karl Adolf of Hesse (born 1937), elder son of his younger brother Christoph who was killed in action in 1943.

At the time of his death in Frankfurt at the age of 92, Wolfgang was the last surviving descendant of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom who had been born in her lifetime. Victoria died in 1901 when Wolfgang was four years old.

Ancestry

References
    • Sjöström (2013) "Suomen kuningas" kuoli. Suomen Kuvalehti 22/2013 page 17.
    Prince Wolfgang of Hesse
    Born: 6 November 1896 Died: 12 July 1989
    Titles in pretence
    Preceded by
    Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse    		 — TITULAR —
    King of Finland
    28 May 1940 – 12 July 1989
    Reason for succession failure:
    Kingdom never established    		 Succeeded by
    Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse or Prince Heinrich of Hesse
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