Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

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British Royalty
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Descendants of Victoria & Albert
Great-grandchildren
Alastair of Connaught
Johann Leopold of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
Caroline of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha

Prince Frederick Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Friedrich Josias Carl Eduard Ernst Kyrill Harald) (b. Schloß Callenberg, November 29, 1918 - d. Amstetten, Wurttemberg, January 23, 1998) was the Head of the Ducal Family of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and titular Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1954 to his death.

The Prince was born to Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. However, the Duke was forced to abdicate on November 14, 1918. The third of three sons, he was not expected to succeed as Head. However, the eldest, Hereditary Prince Johann Leopold, married unequally and renounced his rights in 1932, and Prince Hubertus was killed in action in 1943, thus leaving Prince Friedrich Josias as the heir-apparent. He succeeded to the Headship on March 6, 1954.

The Prince married three times:

In Casel on January 25, 1942, Frederick Josias married firstly with the Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth. They had one son:

1. Andreas Michael Arnim Siegfried Friedrich Hans Hubertus (b. Casel, 21 March 1943).

However, this marriage ended in divorce on September 19, 1946.

In San Francisco on February 14, 1948, Frederick Josias married secondly with Denyse Henrietta de Muralt. They had three children:

1. Princess Maria Claudia Sibylla (b. San Francisco, 22 May 1949), married on 17 March 1971 to Gion Schäfer.
2. Princess Beatrice Charlotte (b. Bern, 15 July 1951), married on 12 June 1977 to Prince Frederick of Saxe-Meiningen.
3. Adrian Vinzenz Eduard (b. Coburg, 18 October 1955), married firstly on 20 October 1984 to Lea Rinderknecht; the marriage was morganatic and their two sons were barred from the succession of the duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. This union ended in divorce in 1993. Secondly (and again morganatic), Adrian married on 11 July 1997 to Gertrud Krieg. They had no children.

Frederick Josias and Denyse were divorced as on September 17, 1964.

In Hamburg on 30 October 1964 Frederick Josias married thirdly (and morganatically) with Katrin Bremme. This marriage was childless.

[edit] Ancestry

v • d • e Ancestors of Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

16. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha               8. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha                       17. Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg               4. Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany                             18. Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn               9. Victoria of the United Kingdom                       19. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld               2. Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha                                   20. Georg II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont               10. George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont                       21. Princess Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym               5. Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont                             22. Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau               11. Princess Helene Wilhelmine of Nassau-Weilburg                       23. Princess Pauline of Württemberg               1. Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha                                         24. Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg               12. Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg                       25. Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel               6. Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg                             26. Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe               13. Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe                       27. Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont               3. Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg                                   28. Christian, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg               14. Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein                       29. Countess Lovisa Sophie of Danneskjold-Samsöe               7. Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg                             30. Ernst, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg               15. Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg                       31. Princess Feodora of Leiningen

Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Cadet branch of the House of Wettin Born: 29 November 1918 Died: 23 January 1998
Titles in pretence
Preceded by Carl Eduard	— TITULAR — Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 6 March 1954–23 January 1998	Succeeded by Andreas