Latest news with #HouseofHohenzollern
Scottish Sun
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Royal fury over fake German prince who met King Charles after using legal loophole to gain access to high society
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FAKE German prince who has met King Charles has sparked fury among real royals. His Serene Highness Dr Donatus, Prince of Hohenzollern, has spent the past 20 years using his title to access high society in Britain. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Dr Donatus, Prince of Hohenzollern, has spent the past 20 years using his title to access high society in Britain Credit: Dan Charity 4 In a video released by Donatus, in the background there's a framed photo of him and King Charles together Credit: Dan Charity 4 Donatus, circled, at the Royal College of Music with the King But despite his claims to be descended from a royal dynasty, in reality he is a low-born music teacher called Markus Hänsel. It's understood Donatus, 64, paid to be adopted by a minor royal in the House of Hohenzollern at the age of 42, taking advantage of a law loophole in Germany. The real Prince of Hohenzollern, Karl Friedrich, the head of the House of Hohenzollern, blasted the imposter. He told The Sun: 'It makes me angry and frustrated, it leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth. 'Donatus is not my blood, he is not a member of the German royal family, he is simply a non-royal name bearer. 'He certainly cannot use the moniker of Serene Highness.' And European nobility expert Bearn Bilker insisted: 'Donatus is indeed the fake prince.' Donatus is connected to a number of top music organisations and charities alongside King Charles and the Duke of Kent. He became Chairman of the Friends of the English Chamber Orchestra and is also ambassador of The Purcell School for Young Musicians, in Bushey, Herts, Charles is a patron of both. Humiliating moment Harry poses with Z-list German 'fake prince' dubbed King of Trash TV who starred in show Travel Boobs Donatus is a member of the International Board of Governors of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, of which the Duke of Kent is patron, and also Creative Benefactor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. And he's formerly a Principal Supporter of the Royal College of Music in London and founding patron of the Royal College of Music Prince Consort Orchestra. In an online video Donatus talks from his Surrey home about his charity work and in the background there's a framed photo of him and Charles together. He is also seen in a video at the Royal College of Music with the King. Prince Karl, a direct descendant of German emperor Wilhelm I, said he first found out about Donatus' bogus claims more than a decade ago. 4 The real Prince of Hohenzollern, Karl Friedrich Credit: Dan Charity He told The Sun: 'I wrote to Donatus and said I know all the members of my family but I hadn't heard of him. He wrote back and said, 'yes I have been adopted by your aunt Katharina'. 'I then spoke to my aunt and she told me, 'yes well, he offered me such an amount of money I couldn't resist'. She was always short of money. 'There's nothing we as a family can do.' It's understood Donatus was adopted by Katharina Feodora, Princess of Hohenzollern in around 2003. Three years later he married Dr Viola Hallman, heiress of the Theis steel business, who became Dr Viola Christa, Princess of Hohenzollern. They lived in a castle in Haelen, the Netherlands. Viola died of cancer in 2012. We don't like somebody bringing the family name into a bad light Prince Karl Mr Bilker exposed the couple's dodgy royal standing in the Dutch media in 2007. He said: 'Princess Katharina adopted this man. He paid a lot of money. We see such awkward facts only in Germany. 'Donatus claims to be a real prince but that is not the case.' 'Fake prince' Mr Bilker said the name Prince (Prinz) is a name under German law, not a title. He added: 'Donatus is well aware of these facts. Donatus, born in Germany in 1961, used to be a music teacher. After getting a doctorate in Catholic theology in Frankfurt, he later self-published several books under the name Dr Markus von Hänsel-Hohenhausen. He first appeared in the UK in 2007 when he bought a £975,000 annexed section of a manor house on a private estate in Surrey. He drives a Bentley convertible with a personalised number plate, takes his blind dog, Alexis, for country walks and helps out with local music groups. Donatus admits he was adopted by Princess Katharina, but said it was wrong to call him a 'fake prince'. Speaking in the third person in an email he said: 'Donatus has the same legal rank and rights represented in Germany's family law as Karl Friedrich of Hohenzollern, who does not have the authority to speak on behalf of all the members of the family,' He also says he 'financially supports' his 'mother'. Prince Karl said he is seeking legal advice and insisted: 'We don't like somebody bringing the family name into a bad light. 'It's obvious he doesn't know me and the history of the Swabian branch of the Hohenzollerns. He's an uninformed man. 'He is not a member of the royal house of Hohenzollern.'
The Irish Sun
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Royal fury over fake German prince who met King Charles after using legal loophole to gain access to high society
A FAKE German prince who has met King Charles has sparked fury among real royals. His Serene Highness Dr Donatus, Prince of Hohenzollern, has spent the past 20 years using his title to access high society in Britain. 4 Dr Donatus, Prince of Hohenzollern, has spent the past 20 years using his title to access high society in Britain Credit: Dan Charity 4 In a video released by Donatus, in the background there's a framed photo of him and King Charles together Credit: Dan Charity 4 Donatus, circled, at the Royal College of Music with the King But despite his claims to be descended from a royal dynasty, in reality he is a low-born music teacher called Markus Hänsel. It's understood Donatus, 64, paid to be adopted by a minor royal in the House of Hohenzollern at the age of 42, taking advantage of a law loophole in The real Prince of Hohenzollern, Karl Friedrich, the head of the House of Hohenzollern, blasted the imposter. He told The Sun: 'It makes me angry and frustrated, it leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth. READ MORE ON ROYALS 'Donatus is not my blood, he is not a member of the German royal family, he is simply a non-royal name bearer. 'He certainly cannot use the moniker of Serene Highness.' And European nobility expert Bearn Bilker insisted: 'Donatus is indeed the fake prince.' Donatus is connected to a number of top music organisations and charities alongside King Charles and the Duke of Kent. Most read in Royals He became Chairman of the Friends of the English Chamber Orchestra and is also ambassador of The Purcell School for Young Musicians, in Bushey, Herts, Charles is a patron of both. Humiliating moment Harry poses with Z-list German 'fake prince' dubbed King of Trash TV who starred in show Travel Boobs Donatus is a member of the International Board of Governors of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, of which the Duke of Kent is patron, and also Creative Benefactor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. And he's formerly a Principal Supporter of the Royal College of Music in London and founding patron of the Royal College of Music Prince Consort Orchestra. In an online video Donatus talks from his Surrey home about his charity work and in the background there's a framed photo of him and Charles together. He is also seen in a video at the Royal College of Music with the King. Prince Karl, a direct descendant of German emperor Wilhelm I, said he first found out about Donatus' bogus claims more than a decade ago. 4 The real Prince of Hohenzollern, Karl Friedrich Credit: Dan Charity He told The Sun: 'I wrote to Donatus and said I know all the members of my family but I hadn't heard of him. He wrote back and said, 'yes I have been adopted by your aunt Katharina'. 'I then spoke to my aunt and she told me, 'yes well, he offered me such an amount of money I couldn't resist'. She was always short of money. 'There's nothing we as a family can do.' It's understood Donatus was adopted by Katharina Feodora, Princess of Hohenzollern in around 2003. Three years later he married Dr Viola Hallman, heiress of the Theis steel business, who became Dr Viola Christa, Princess of Hohenzollern. They lived in a castle in Haelen, the Netherlands. Viola died of cancer in 2012. We don't like somebody bringing the family name into a bad light Prince Karl Mr Bilker exposed the couple's dodgy royal standing in the Dutch media in 2007. He said: 'Princess Katharina adopted this man. He paid a lot of money. We see such awkward facts only in 'Donatus claims to be a real prince but that is not the case.' 'Fake prince' Mr Bilker said the name Prince (Prinz) is a name under German law, not a title. He added: 'Donatus is well aware of these facts. Donatus, born in After getting a doctorate in Catholic theology in Frankfurt, he later self-published several books under the name Dr Markus von Hänsel-Hohenhausen. He first appeared in the UK in 2007 when he bought a £975,000 annexed section of a manor house on a private estate in Surrey. He drives a Bentley convertible with a personalised number plate, takes his blind dog, Alexis, for country walks and helps out with local music groups. Donatus admits he was adopted by Princess Katharina, but said it was wrong to call him a 'fake prince'. Speaking in the third person in an email he said: 'Donatus has the same legal rank and rights represented in Germany's family law as Karl Friedrich of Hohenzollern, who does not have the authority to speak on behalf of all the members of the family,' He also says he 'financially supports' his 'mother'. Prince Karl said he is seeking legal advice and insisted: 'We don't like somebody bringing the family name into a bad light. 'It's obvious he doesn't know me and the history of the Swabian branch of the Hohenzollerns. He's an uninformed man. 'He is not a member of the royal house of Hohenzollern.'
New European
20-05-2025
- General
- New European
Germansplaining: The House of Hohenzollern, a dynasty fit for a Netflix drama
This near-century-long dispute could be a Netflix series featuring imperial palaces, royal corpses, Spanish snuff, a Prussian prince, the Nazis and commies, and a few plot twists. Some conflicts last for ever. One has just been wrapped up after only 99 years: German authorities and the noble House of Hohenzollern have buried the hatchet, though not in each other, which is progress. Previously on Hohenzollern Unrestored: from the 18th century, the dynasty supplied Prussia with monarchs, and from 1871 it also provided the new Reich with a few Kaisers. That all came to a screeching halt when the Weimar Republic was declared, and Wilhelm II flounced off into exile in the Netherlands. Family assets were confiscated. A 1926 law settled who got what, but legal ambiguities remained. They wrangled through the Third Reich, then through the GDR, and even persisted in reunified Germany, long after Prussia itself had been officially dissolved by the allies in 1947. Prussia, which had made up two-thirds of German territory before the war, remained a historical problem area. At last, this month the federal culture secretary and Prinz Georg Friedrich von Preussen, great-great-grandson of the last emperor Wilhelm II, announced an agreement. The saga, it seems, has a finale. Georg Friedrich had inherited the legal headache in 1994, aged just 18, when he became head of the once-royal house. By that point, the family had spent decades trying to claw back property and compensation. They even asked the GDR for the right to reside in Potsdam's Cecilienhof Palace (as if the Berlin Wall was just a garden fence). And communist-in-chief Erich Honecker offered 'His Imperial Highness' a proper burial for the Prussian kings Frederick William I and his son, Frederick II 'The Great', at Schloss Sanssouci. The royal coffins had been taken from Potsdam in 1943, stored in a potash mine in Thuringia, then transferred to Marburg in Hesse (West Germany) and finally to Hechingen near Stuttgart, to the ancestral castle of the Hohenzollern. For the corpses, considering the bumpy journey, RIP must have stood for 'rest in one piece'. In the end, it was chancellor Helmut Kohl (and not Honecker) who attended the final burial of 'Old Fritz', aka Friedrich II, on the terrace of Sanssouci Palace. The public authorities refused to pay compensation for Hohenzollern palaces expropriated under Soviet rule – as this is legally denied to anyone who 'significantly aided and abetted' the Nazis. And, well, Kaiser Wilhelm II's oldest son, another Wilhelm, wasn't exactly resistance material. To bolster their claim, the Hohenzollern family commissioned an expert report from Cambridge historian Christopher Clark. According to Clark, Wilhelm Jr had expressed admiration for Hitler and the Nazis. The ex-crown prince was, however, too insignificant to have 'significantly supported' them. 'As if!', thought the Bundesrepublik, and provided two counter-experts. Both added incriminating facts to Clark's list, emphasizing Wilhelm's enthusiasm for Italian fascism and his PR for the regime. A fourth historian – Team Prussia again – came up with the creative twist that supporting the Nazis may have just been a ruse to restore the monarchy. A draw. And in 2023, the Hohenzollern finally dropped the lawsuits and returned to negotiations, focusing on movable goods – 27,000 of them, to be precise – including memorabilia, furniture, textiles, paintings, library and archive collections, some of considerable value and historical significance. Most have been in public museums in Berlin and Brandenburg. And thanks to the new deal, the majority will stay there. Highlights include a Lucas Cranach the Elder portrait of Joachim I of Brandenburg, baroque ivory furniture and the table service for the Breslau City Palace, acquired by Frederick II in 1750. A newly created non-profit, Hohenzollern Art Foundation, will oversee the collection. The family gets three board seats, but the public sector has a majority say. Some disputed pieces are returned to Hohenzollern property, however, including seven tabatiers – fancy tobacco tins Frederick the Great used for Spanish snuff. One of them, legend has it, saved his life in the seven years' war by deflecting an enemy bullet. Two tabatiers will remain in museums on permanent loan, but the other five may soon appear at auctions. So if you've got a few million pounds lying around and a taste for fancy antiques, you're in luck.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany ends 100-year legal dispute over imperial art treasures
Thousands of cultural treasures from Germany's former Hohenzollern imperial family will remain on permanent display in museums in Berlin and Brandenburg, the country's new Culture Commssioner Wolfram Weimer announced on Monday. After a dispute lasting almost 100 years, the descendants of the last German emperor have reached a landmark agreement with the federal government and with states of Berlin and Brandenburg, he added. "This agreement is a tremendous success for Germany as a cultural location and for the art-loving public," Weimer said in Berlin. "For a hundred years, there has been ongoing uncertainty about objects that are central to the art and collection history of Prussia and thus to German history as a whole." The treasures include a portrait of Elector Joachim I of Brandenburg by painter Lucas Cranach the Elder and a table service for the Breslau City Palace acquired by Emperor Frederick II in 1750. According to the Tagesspiegel newspaper, the agreement covers a total of 27,000 items. Ownership rights and claims have been disputed since 1926. With the proclamation of the Weimar Republic and the abdication of Emperor Wilhelm II, the monarchy in Germany came to an end in 1918. The Hohenzollern family's assets were confiscated. In 1926, a contract was signed between the then state of Prussia and the Hohenzollerns to settle who owned what. Nevertheless, ambiguity over ownership and restitution claims persisted for decades. The House of Hohenzollern – currently headed by Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, great-great-grandson of the last German emperor, Wilhelm II – had asserted claims to thousands of works of art that are now in museums. The prince had been negotiating with federal and state authorities since 2014, seeking the return of thousands of artworks and financial compensation for expropriated palaces and property. Litigation stalled talks for several years, but in 2023, the lawsuits were resloved, clearing the way for fresh negotiations in autumn 2024. The objects will remain physically housed in their current locations, including the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG), the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), and the German Historical Museum (DHM) in Berlin. Public access to the artworks will continue.
