Here we catch glimpses of the family life of Prince Johannes Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Innsbruck 28 March 1931 – 14 April 2010), Princess Dr. Mathilde of Saxony (Bamberg 17 January 1936 – Sistrans, Austria 18 March 2018), and their only child Prince Johannes Albert (Innsbruck 17 November 1969 – Ortler 21 August 1987). The family were photographed in 1972 by Georg Fruhstorfer at their home in Innsbruck, Austria. The blonde-haired Prince Johannes Albert, the short-lived heir to the Royal Saxon House, was three years-old at the time.
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| Johannes Heinrich, Johannes Albert, and Mathilde. |
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| Mathilde and Johannes Albert. |
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| The princess and her little prince. |
Johannes Heinrich and Mathilde were married civilly at Munich on 15 October 1968 and religiously at Kloster Andechs on 12 November 1968. This was the second marriage of the prince and the first marriage of the princess.
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| Prince Rainer of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. |
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| Prince Johannes Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. |
Prince Johannes Heinrich was the son of Prince Rainer of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his first wife Johanna Károlyi de Károly-Patty. Johannes Heinrich became a successful businessman. In 1957, Johannes Heinrich married Baroness Marie-Gabrielle von Fürstenberg (1921-2007), who was a talented artist. The couple had one child, Princess Felicitas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b.1958). Johannes Heinrich and Marie-Gabrielle divorced in 1968.
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| Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony and Princess Elisabeth-Therese of Thurn and Taxis |
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The Royal Family of Saxony in the 1940s.
Left to right: Margrave Friedrich Christian, Prince Maria Emanuel, Margravine Elisabeth-Therese, Princess Mathilde, and Prince Albert. |
Princess Mathilde was the daughter of Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, eventual Margrave of Meißen, and Princess Elisabeth-Therese of Thurn and Taxis. Princess Mathilde finished her primary studies in Bregenz, Austria, and then went on to receive her doctorate in medicine while studying at university in Munich. Mathilde had four older siblings: Prince Maria Emanuel (1926-2012), Princess Maria Josepha (1928-2018), Princess Maria Anna (1929-2012), and Prince Albert (1934-2012).
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| Mathilde of Saxony and her son Johannes Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
The tragic death of their son Johannes Albert in a mountaineering accident at the age of seventeen threw his parents into deep despair. The strain on their relationship as a result of their only child’s passing was too much to bear. Prince Johannes Heinrich and Princess Mathilde divorced in 1993, but the couple remained close towards the end of their lives.
Prince Johannes Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha died in April 2010. He was survived by his partner Rosemarie Steinhauser and his daughter Princess Felicitas. Princess Mathilde of Saxony passed away in March 2018.
More can be read about their fascinating family and extended relations in The Coburgs of Europe (2013) by Arturo E. Beéche.
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Ancestry of Prince Johannes Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
1. Prince Johannes Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1969-1987)
Parents
2. Prince Johannes Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1931-2010)
m. 1968 (div. 1993)
3. Princess Mathilde of Saxony (1936-2018)
Grandparents
4. Prince Rainer of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1900-~1945)
m. 1930 (div. 1935)
5. Johanna Károlyi de Károly-Patty (1906-1992)
6. Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meißen (1893-1968)
m. 1923
7. Princess Elisabeth-Therese von Thurn und Taxis (1903-1976)
Great-Grandparents
8. Prince August Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1867-1922)
m. 1894
9. Archduchess Carolina of Austria-Tuscany (1869-1945)
10. Heinrich Károlyi de Károly-Patty (b.1868)
m.
11. Paula Gamon
12. King Friedrich August III of Saxony (1865-1932)
m. 1891 (div. 1903)
13. Archduchess Luisa of Austria-Tuscany (1870-1947)
14. Fürst Albrecht von Thurn und Taxis (1867-1952)
m. 1890
15. Archduchess Margarethe of Austria (1870-1955)
