Prince Waldemar Of Prussia

Prince Waldemar of Prussia, born Joachim Friedrich Ernst Waldemar on 10 February 1868, was the sixth child and youngest son of the German Crown Prince and Crown Princess, later crowned as Emperor Frederick III and Empress Victoria. He was a grandson of William I, German Emperor, and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

He was raised in Berlin and was noted for his lively and cheerful disposition. Prince Waldemar was described as boisterous, high-spirited, and possessing a sensible, honest nature. He demonstrated a quick capacity for learning, and his mother enjoyed teaching him. His personality was characterized by a sense of humor, love for animals, and enthusiasm for sports. An anecdote from his childhood recounts him releasing his pet crocodile in his grandmother Queen Victoria's study during a visit, which caused her visible shock. The Princess Royal, his grandmother, expressed her affection for Waldemar, stating that she would be unhappy when he left for school, as he was her "very own boy." She appeared to have a particular fondness for him over his older brothers Wilhelm and Heinrich.

Prince Waldemar's life was brief. Less than four months after the deaths of his maternal aunt, Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, and his cousin, Marie, he contracted diphtheria. He succumbed to the illness and died in Berlin on 27 March 1879, at the age of 11. His remains were interred in the royal mausoleum attached to the Friedenskirche in Potsdam, near the main altar, alongside his elder brother, Prince Sigismund of Prussia. His parents were later buried nearby, within the same mausoleum, underneath the central dome.

His lineage places him within the House of Hohenzollern, the royal family of Prussia, with direct ancestry linking him to the German emperors and the British royal family through the marriage of his grandparents. Specific details on his ancestry include his grandfather, Wilhelm I, and his grandmother, Queen Victoria.

There are archived portraits of Prince Waldemar available at the National Portrait Gallery in London, which document his brief life and place within European royal history.

References for further information include Richard Hough's book "Advice to a Grand-daughter. Letters from Queen Victoria to Princess Victoria of Hesse," published in 1975.