| Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt | |
|---|---|
At the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin |
|
| Born | 1943 Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany[1] |
| Residence | Bel Air, Los Angeles, California |
| Other names | Robert Lichtenberg[1] |
| Citizenship | Germany; United States[1] |
| Occupation | Socialite |
| Known for | marriage to Zsa Zsa Gabor |
| Spouse | Zsa Zsa Gabor (August 14, 1986–present) |
Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt (born 1943)[2] is a German-born socialite best known as Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband from her latest and longest-lasting marriage. He was born Robert Hans Lichtenberg;[3] and in 1980, he became the adult adopted son of Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt.[1][3]
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Prinz von Anhalt was born as Hans Robert Lichtenberg (other sources state Hans-Georg Lichtenberg) in Bad Kreuznach, Germany.[1] He was one of 5 children at home, and his grandmother also lived with them. His father was the chief of police in Frankfurt.[1]
In 1980, he was adopted as an adult by Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt (1898–1983), daughter-in-law of German Emperor Wilhelm II.[1]
"Prinz von Anhalt" is his surname, rather than a title, as per German laws regarding the country's former nobility.[1] Marie Auguste's first husband was Prince Joachim of Prussia, the youngest son of German Emperor Wilhelm II. Prince Joachim committed suicide in 1920 after four years of marriage. She subsequently (in 1926) wed Johannes-Michael Freiherr von Loën, whom she divorced in 1935.[4]
Some reports state that Prinz von Anhalt, a former masseur,[5] has claimed to be a friend of Princess Marie Auguste's only child, Prince Karl Franz of Prussia (1916–1975), and that the grieving mother adopted him out of kindness and "gave" him the name Prince Frederic von Anhalt, Duke of Saxony. However, British press reports indicate that Princess Marie Auguste was bankrupt and the adoption was apparently a business transaction. The transaction was said to be masterminded by Hans Hermann Weyer, a former window dresser who became an honorary consul of Bolivia in Luxembourg,[6] known for selling certificates of nobility, doctoral degrees from invented colleges and universities, and other decorations in Germany throughout the 1960s.[7][8]
Although Princess Marie-Auguste adopted Frédéric, the rest of the ducal family of Anhalt (the House of Ascania) has never recognized him as being part of their lineage. The House of Ascania's family website states that the adoption laws of Germany allow adult adoptions with almost no conditions, and that the website itself lists only people who actually descend from the House of Ascania. Frédéric is not listed on the website.[9]
When asked about the title in his name in 2010, Prinz von Anhalt said that he was a family friend and had played soccer for a long time with the son of Princess Marie-Auguste, and that she agreed to adopt him. He also said: "It doesn't mean anything, it’s just a name. After 1918 in Germany, royalty didn't exist any longer."[1]
In 1986, Prinz von Anhalt married Zsa Zsa Gabor, who is 26 years older than he is. The couple are still married, making it Gabor's longest marriage. "We didn't marry for love", he later said. "It was a friendship, but when you're with someone over a certain time you fall in love." The marriage is legally Gabor's eighth, her marriage to Felipe de Alba having been annulled because she was still married to Michael O'Hara when she married de Alba. On February 9, 2007, von Anhalt stated that he had a decade-long affair with Anna Nicole Smith and could potentially be the father of her infant girl,However later in March it was determined that Frederic von Anhalt was not the father of the baby, Smith's ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead was the biological father. .[10]
Together with his wife Zsa Zsa Gabor, Prinz von Anhalt has adopted several men. Among them are: Marcus Prinz von Anhalt (formerly known as Marcus Eberhardt), who refers to himself as "Prince Germany";[11] Oliver Prinz von Anhalt (formerly known as Oliver Bendig); Michael Prinz von Anhalt (formerly known as Michael Killer).[12] Following their adoption, these men are entitled to use the last name of "Prinz von Anhalt". German newspapers have speculated that Frédéric is effectively selling the name, which would be a criminal offence in Germany and render the adoptions, which were made under German law, invalid.
On July 25, 2007, Prinz von Anhalt was allegedly approached by three women he described as attractive while sitting in his Rolls-Royce in Southern California. They asked him to pose for pictures with them, at which point one of the women robbed him at gunpoint, taking his car keys, jewelry, wallet, driver's license and all his clothes. According to Prinz von Anhalt, his assailants bound him and placed him in handcuffs, yet he managed to call the authorities on a cellular phone. Los Angeles police found him completely naked approximately one hour later. No handcuffs were found at the scene. The culprits apparently drove away in a Chrysler convertible.[13]
Zsa Zsa Gabor's daughter, Francesca Hilton, has alleged that Prinz von Anhalt has compromised her mother's dignity, security, and health for attention and profit. Hilton claims that Prinz von Anhalt prohibits Gabor from having visitors, including her own daughter.[14]
Hilton claims that he has fostered a "circus atmosphere" surrounding her mother's health,[15] his plans to have her body preserved with plastic for public display, and claims that Gabor wants to mother a child at the age of 94, which she described as "just weird."[16] Worried about her mother's health, home, and fortune, Hilton is reportedly considering legal action against von Anhalt.[17]
Relations between Hilton and Prinz von Anhalt have been sour for nearly a decade. In 2005, he sued Hilton alleging that she attempted to defraud her mother, Gabor. Zsa Zsa Gabor refused to sign the papers in the suit against her daughter and the court dismissed it.[18]
On February 16, 2010, Prinz von Anhalt announced his candidacy for Governor of California, as an independent candidate.[19] He withdrew his candidacy on August 2, 2010, citing his wife's health issues.[20]
On September 21, 2011 von Anhalt was hospitalized after being hit by a car in Beverly Hills.[21]
On December 22, 2010 von Anhalt was rushed to the hospital after gluing his eye shut with nail glue.[22]
On October 20, 2010 von Anhalt was taken to the hospital after swallowing a bee, which then stung him in the throat.[23]