Prince Wolfgang of Hesse

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Prince Wolfgang Maurice of Hesse (6 November 1896, castle Rumpenheim - 12 July 1989), was the designated Hereditary Prince of the monarchy of Finland, and as such, already called the Crown Prince of Finland officially until 14 December 1918, and also afterwards by some monarchists.

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 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.

Wolfgang would have been his father's heir as King of Finland instead of his elder twin Prince Philip of Hesse (1896–1980), apparently because Wolfgang was with his parents in 1918 and ready to travel to Finland (where rumoredly a wedding to a Finnish lady already was in the preparation for the coming Crown Prince). Philip was in the military and incommunicado at the time.

Wolfgang married on September 17, 1924 Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden (1902-44), daughter of Prince Maximilian of Baden and Princess Marie Louise of Hanover, but they were childless. When the Prince died, his nephew Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse succeeded him in the claims to the throne of Finland.

He had adopted an orphan nephew of his, Prince Charles Adolf of Hesse (born 1937), due to his younger brother Christoph having been killed 1943 in World War II.

His ancestry, representing that of the designated Finnish Royal Family, is available at his ahnentafel.

At the time of his death at the age of 92, Wolfgang was the only surviving great-grandchild of Queen Victoria who had been born in her lifetime. The Queen died in 1901 and Wolfgang had been born in 1896.

House of Hesse Born: July 12 1896; Died: July 12 1989
Titles in pretence
Preceded by Frederick Charles of Hesse	* NOT REIGNING * King of Finland (1940–1989)	Succeeded by Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse