Royal Guests and Relatives from around Europe joined the Prince and Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg for the Christening of Prince Gustav Albrecht zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg at Schloss Berleburg on August 26th. The Prince and Princess, who got married last year, had been unable to marry for decades due to the stipulations of his grandfather’s will, and welcomed Prince Gustav Albrecht through a surrogate mother in May.
Prince Gustav Albrecht zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was baptized in the Chapel of Schloss Berleburg, the family seat of the Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. The Prince’s six godparents are:
Prince Christian of Denmark (son of a first cousin of the Prince)
Princess Theodora of Greece (a first cousin of the Prince)
Hereditary Prince Franz-Albrecht zu Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Spielberg
Hereditary Prince Carl-Anton zu Waldeck und Pyrmont
Ellen Hillingsø
Arabella Gaggero
Prince Gustav Albrecht’s grandmother, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, was among the attendees as well as Crown Prince Frederik (a first cousin of the Prince) and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and also the baby Prince’s aunts, Princess Alexandra with Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille and Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.
The Prince and Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, who got married last year, had been unable to marry for decades due to the stipulations of his grandfather’s will, and welcomed Prince Gustav Albrecht through a surrogate mother in May.
Embed from Getty Images
The Christening of Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in 1969
What were the stipulations on the prince’s grandfather’s Will that he could not get married for decades? Seems so sad and unfortunate.
My understanding is that the Grandfather, who was of German descent + in favour of Nazi-German, was a fervent believe in what constituted an “acceptable race” of human kind. He believed in the Aryan race being a superior race of persons. He stipulated in the Will that in order to rightfully inherit the Castle/Palace (the largest land dwelling in Germany) the rightful Heir to the property must marry a woman who is “Aryan, Noble, Protestant”. The Grandfather’s own son, married “appropriately” as Princess Benetike was/is Caucasian, Noble, Protestant-being the younger sister of Queen Margarethe of Denmark. Their eldest son, P.Gustav, fell in love with an American Author, Carina, who was on mixed race- Spanish-Mexican + I think Indian(I can’t remember the exact hereditarian races), a woman of Catholic faith, not of Nobility. In order to inherit what was by birth, rightfully his, if he married Carina, his inheritance could be contested from various members of the extended family. In 2017 after Gustav’s father died, a distant Uncle contested the Will, seeking to inherit the land + Castle as his own by rights of meeting the stipulations in the Will. So Gustav + Carina, who had lived together for the past 17 years, stopped being seen together in public whilst he presented his case to the High Courts. Thankfully the stipulations in the Will were overturned + acknowledged as being highly unethical, inappropriate as it stated there is no such one “race” that is superior in any way to another. It stipulated the alleged Aryan race does not exist. Finally Gustav could marry his true love. After all those years, falling pregnant together, carrying the baby, was not possible so a surrogate mother was allowed + welcomed. The baby is genetically of both Gustav + Carina, Carina simply couldn’t carry a baby safely herself. Now they are a happily married couple who are now a happy little family of three. Love won in the end.