Princess Pauline of Württemberg (1877–1965)

Princess Pauline
Princess of Wied
Born (1877-12-19)19 December 1877
Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg
Died 7 May 1965(1965-05-07) (aged 87)
Ludwigsburg, West Germany
Spouse William Frederick, Prince of Wied
Issue Prince Hermann
Prince Dietrich
Full name
Pauline Olga Helene Emma
House Württemberg
Father William II of Württemberg
Mother Princess Marie of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Princess Pauline of Württemberg (German: Prinzessin Pauline Olga Helene Emma von Württemberg; 19 December 1877 – 7 May 1965) was the elder daughter of William II of Württemberg and wife of William Frederick, Prince of Wied (elder brother of William, Prince of Albania). She was the last Princess of Württemberg, as well as the last senior member of the House of Württemberg. She was for many years the regional director of the German Red Cross, in several western Germany regions.

Early life

Pauline was born at Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg the first child of King William II of Württemberg (1848–1921) by his first wife Princess Marie of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1857–1882) daughter of George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Princess Helena of Nassau.

She was a first cousin of:

World War II

Princess indicted for helping the Nazis, March 3, 1948

Princess Pauline of Württemberg was indicted by a United States Military Government court for "having concealed two prominent Nazis since October 1945." The 70-year-old princess admitted "having deliberately provided a haven for Frau Gertrud Scholtz-Klink" and her husband, former Maj. General August Heissmayer of the SS. The Princess, according to the New York Times report, acknowledged knowing that Frau Scholtz-Klink was "known as the chief of all Nazi women's organizations," but she denied that she had been aware of Heissmayer's SS position. Princess Pauline and her nurse, who was also indicted, were released "on her personal bail." She will be tried in Ludwigsburg on March 23. She informed the United States interrogator that she was for many years the director of the German Red Cross for the Rhineland, Hesse, Nassau and Westphalia, and had met Frau Scholtz-Klinik, "during the Nazi regime in their respective capacities as leaders of important organizations."

Frau Scholtz-Klink and her husband were interviewed at a police station in Tübingen by the French, and they "readily admitted that they sought the sanctuary of Princess Pauline's home on their arrival in this area in 1945." They said that Princess Pauline had told them "a German should not refuse to give them shelter." Princess Pauline made arrangements for the couple "to live quietly in the village of Bebenhausen" where they were found last Saturday by "French, United States and German authorities." Frau Scholtz-Klink told the authorities that she did not know whether "Adolf Hitler was alive or dead," but "as long as he lives in the hearts of his followers, he cannot die."

Marriage and family

Princess Pauline married on 29 October 1898 in Stuttgart to William Frederick, Prince of Wied (1872–1945), son of William, Prince of Wied and the spectacularly wealthy Princess Marie of the Netherlands.[1]

They had two children:

  • Prince Hermann of Wied (18 August 1899 – 5 November 1941), married Countess Marie Antonia of Stolberg-Wernigerode, had issue, including Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Wied.
  • Prince Dietrich of Wied (30 October 1901 – 8 June 1976), married Countess Antoinette Julia Grote, had issue.

Titles and styles

  • 19 December 1877 – 29 October 1898: Her Royal Highness Princess Pauline of Württemberg
  • 29 October 1898 – 22 October 1907: Her Royal Highness Princess William Frederick of Wied
  • 22 October 1907 – 18 June 1945: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wied
  • 18 June 1945 – 7 May 1965: Her Royal Highness The Dowager Princess of Wied

Ancestry

Notes and sources

  1. ↑ C. Arnold McNaughton, The Book of Kings: A Royal Genealogy, in 3 volumes (London, U.K.: Garnstone Press, 1973), volume 1, page 226. Hereinafter cited as The Book of Kings
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