Prince Heinrich of Hesse-Kassel

Prince Heinrich Wilhelm Konstantin Viktor Franz of Hesse-Kassel (30 October 1927 – 18 November 1999), known as Enrico d'Assia, was the second child of Prince Philipp of Hesse and Princess Mafalda of Savoy. Heinrich became an artist, set designer, and memoirist after World War II.

Prince Heinrich
Heinrich of Hesse-Kassel in the 1950s
Born(1927-10-30)30 October 1927
Rome, Kingdom of Italy
Died18 November 1999(1999-11-18) (aged 72)
Frankfurt, Germany
Names
Henry William Constantine Victor Francis
HouseHesse-Kassel
FatherPrince Philipp of Hesse
MotherPrincess Mafalda of Savoy

Life

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Prince Heinrich was born in Rome, Italy, as the second son of Prince Philipp of Hesse and Princess Mafalda of Savoy, daughter of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.[1][2]

During the Second World War, Heinrich's father, an important former aristocratic Nazi party member, was arrested by the Gestapo. His mother was detained and imprisoned in Buchenwald concentration camp, where she was killed by Allies' bombardments in 1944. Heinrich and his siblings (Moritz, Otto and Elisabeth) were given sanctuary in the Vatican under the care of their Aunt and Uncle Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine and Margaret Campbell Geddes who adopted them.[3] After the War they were reunited with their father in Germany.

Heinrich was an artist and set designer, active mainly in Italy under the name Enrico d'Assia. He published a volume of memoirs, notably Der Kristallene Lüster (1994). He died in Frankfurt, unmarried.

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ Enrico d’Assia’s Pugorama paintings by Nick Waters[permanent dead link]. dogworld.co.uk. 10 November 2011
  2. ^ Heinrich Wilhelm Konstantin Viktor Franz Prinz von Hessen-Kassel. thepeerage.com
  3. ^ Jenni (2015-03-04). "The Princess in the Concentration Camp: Mafalda of Savoy". Jenni Wiltz. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
Prince Heinrich of Hesse-Kassel
Born: 30 October 1927 Died: 18 November 1999
Titles in pretence
Preceded by — TITULAR —
King of Finland
12 July 1989 – 18 November 1999
Reason for succession failure:
Kingdom never established
Succeeded by