Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse
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Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse (Georg Donatus Wilhelm Nikolaus Eduard Heinrich Karl, 8 November 1906- 16 November 1937) was the first child of Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse and Eleonore of Solms-Braunfels.
[edit] Marriage and Children
On 2 February 1931 at Darmstadt Georg married Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. They had three children:
- His Grand Ducal Highness Prince Ludwig Ernst Andreas (born 25 October 1931)
- His Grand Ducal Highness Prince Alexander Georg Karl Heinrich (born 14 April 1933)
- Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Johanna Marina Eleonore (born 20 September 1936)
- They also had a child that was stillborn in an air crash (see below).
On May 1, 1937 Cecilie and her husband both joined the Nazi Party. [1]
[edit] Death
In October 1937, Georg Donatus' father, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse died. A few weeks after the funeral, Ernst Ludwig's younger son, Prince Ludwig was due to be married to Margaret Geddes. On 16 November 1937, Georg Donatus, Cecilie, their two young sons, Georg's mother Grand Duchess Eleonore, the children's nurse, a family friend, a pilot and two crewmen, left Darmstadt for the United Kingdom, where Prince Ludwig was due to be married. The aeroplane hit a factory chimney near Ostend and crashed into flames, killing all those on board. Cecilie was heavily pregnant with her fourth child at the time of the crash, and the remains of the fetus were found in the wreckage, indicating that Cecilie had gone into labour. The only survivor of the family was Johanna; she was not on the plane at the time. Johanna was adopted by Prince Ludwig and Princess Margaret, however, she died in 1939 from meningitis.
[edit] Titles
- His Royal Highness The Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
Georg Donatus never acceded to the grand ducal throne as it had been abolished at the end of the First World War. Titles became surnames after that point and it was rare for the head of a royal, grand ducal or ducal family to change his title upon accession as head of a house.
| House of Hesse-Darmstadt Born: 1906; Died: 1937 |
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| Titles in pretence | ||
| Preceded by: Ernst Ludwig |
* NOT REIGNING * Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (1937-1937) * Reason for Succession Failure: * Grand Dukedom abolished in 1918 |
Succeeded by: Louis |
