Prince Adalbert Of Prussia

Prince Adalbert Ferdinand Berengar Viktor of Prussia was born on July 14, 1884, in the Marmorpalais in Potsdam, Province of Brandenburg, Germany. He was the third son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, and Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. His father became Emperor Wilhelm II in 1888, two years after Adalbert's birth. During his childhood, he resided with his family at the New Palace in Potsdam, and attended school with his brothers at the Prinzenhaus in Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, the ancestral region of his mother.

He married Princess Adelheid "Adi" of Saxe-Meiningen on August 3, 1914, in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Princess Adelheid was born on August 16, 1891, and was the daughter of Prince Frederick of Saxe-Meiningen and Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld. The couple had three children, though one died at birth:

1. Princess Victoria Marina of Prussia—born and deceased on September 4, 1915.

2. Princess Victoria Marina of Prussia—born on September 11, 1917, and died on January 21, 1981. She married Kirby Patterson on September 26, 1947, and they had three children:

- Berengar Orin Bernhard Kirby Patterson (1948–2011), married Pamela Knight.

- Marina Adelaide Emily Patterson (1948–2011), married John Engel, with one son, William John Engel.

- Dohna Maria Patterson (born 1954), married Stephen Pearl.

3. Prince Wilhelm Victor of Prussia—born February 15, 1919, and died February 7, 1989. He was married at Donaueschingen on July 20, 1944, to Marie Antoinette, Countess of Hoyos zu Stichsenstein (1920–2004). They had two children.

Adalbert served in the Imperial German Navy, attaining various ranks over his military career. His early naval ranks included Leutnant zur See (Ensign / Acting Sub-Lieutenant), Oberleutnant zur See (Lieutenant, Junior Grade / Sub-Lieutenant) before 1905 through at least 1908, and later ranks included Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant) on the staff of SMS Kaiser in 1914, Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant Commander) commanding SMS Danzig in 1917, and Fregattenkapitän (Commander) commanding SMS Dresden in 1918.

He also held commissions in regiments such as the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards and the Grenadierregiment König Friedrich der Große (3rd East Prussian).

Prince Adalbert received numerous chivalric orders and decorations. He was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle with Chain in Prussia on January 18, 1903. He was also a Knight Grand Cross with Crown of the Order of the Red Eagle, and held various other orders from German duchies and kingdoms, including Mecklenburg, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Baden, Bremen, Hesse, and Oldenburg. He received foreign honors from countries such as Italy, the Netherlands, Austria-Hungary, Portugal, Romania, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Zanzibar, and Imperial Japan.

His military decorations include the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class (1914). He also had Ottoman Empire medals, including the Gold and Silver Imtiyaz Medals and the Gold Liakat Medal.

Prince Adalbert died on September 22, 1948, in La Tour de Peilz, Switzerland, at the age of 64.