CastleDrama

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Palais Edinburgh

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Palais Edinburgh? You would be excused for thinking that you need to travel somewhere in the United Kingdom, particularly Scotland, to find a palace with such a name. However, this little gem is actually to be found in Germany - or Coburg, to be more specific. Coburg, of course, is well connected to the British royal family due to a couple of 19th century marriages, most famously that of Queen Victoria and Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. It is also through one of their sons that this little palace received its name though its origins go back a little bit further. It was Baron Karl August of Wangenheim who built the palace between 1845 and 1846 facing the ducal residence Schloss Ehrenburg. The Baron of Wangenheim, however, could only enjoy his new residence, at the time known as Palais Wangenheim or (Wangenheimsches Palais), for a handful of years as he passed in 1850.  In 1865, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Victoria and Albert and heir to his childless uncle Duk…
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Leiningen/Prussia Wedding in Amorbach: The Guests (Part 1)

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On Saturday, Hereditary Prince Ferdinand of Leiningen and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia celebrated their religious wedding in the German city of Amorbach. As is the case when two royals get hitched, there were loads of royals and nobles in attendance. So without further ado, here's my first of - I'm sure - many, many posts of the wedding guests.  Prince Christian and Prince Philipp of Prussia, twin sons of Prince Adalbert.  On the left: Prince Christian-Ludwig of Prussia, son of Prince Christian-Sigismund.  Countess Marie of Limburg-Stirum.  Count Michael of Hochberg.  Prince Andreas and Princess Louise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. From left to right: (Probably) Princess Olga of Hanover, Prince Otto of Hanover, Prince Heinrich of Hanover, Princess Thyra of Hanover, Countess Marie of Hochberg (née Princess of Hanover), Princess Theresa of Leiningen and Princess Cecilia of Leiningen.  Another shot of the group.  Prince Otto of Hanover and Princess Theresa of Leiningen.  Prince…
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CastleTalk: The Curious Case of the Thurn und Taxis Inheritance

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The death of Richard Fürst zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg earlier this week saw a surge in interest in my take on the (in)famous will of inheritance looming over the family. One point about the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg inheritance that many seem to find especially curious is the fact that the late Prince Richard never actually owned his family's fortune but that it was instead passed from his father - who went missing during World War 2 - to a yet unborn grandson - who was born in 1969 - (or anyone else, really, who would inherit after Prince Richard). The German nobility, however, isn't short of interesting inheritance constructions - case in point: The Thurn und Taxis inheritance.
The Thurn und Taxis family isn't just famous for their fabulous wealth, estimated at around $ 2.5 billion today - even though Princess Gloria of Thurn und Taxis says it less than a billion - but also for their lifestyle to go along with it. In fact, Princess Gloria of Thurn und Taxis may si…
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