Prince Henry Of Prussia

Prince Heinrich of Prussia (German: Albert Wilhelm Heinrich) was born on 14 August 1862 in Berlin and died on 20 April 1929. He was a member of the House of Hohenzollern and a younger brother of Wilhelm II, the German Emperor and King of Prussia. Through his mother, Victoria, Princess Royal, he was a grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

He was the third child and second son among eight children of Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia, later Emperor Frederick III, and Victoria, Princess Royal. His elder brother, Wilhelm II, was born on 27 January 1859, making Heinrich three years his junior. Heinrich was born on the same day as King Frederick William I of Prussia.

He attended gymnasium in Kassel but left in the middle grades in 1877 and subsequently entered the Imperial German Navy cadet program at age 15. His naval education included a two-year voyage around the world (1878–1880), the naval officer examination in October 1880, and attendance at the German naval academy from 1884 to 1886.

He quickly advanced in the navy, achieving command of various vessels and divisions from 1887 onwards. In 1887, he commanded a torpedo boat and the First Torpedo Boat Division. By 1888, he was commanding the Imperial yacht SMY Hohenzollern. His early commands also included the protected cruiser SMS Irene, the coastal defense ship Beowulf, the ironclad Sachsen, and the pre-dreadnought battleship Wörth.

In 1897, Heinrich took command of several naval task forces, including an improvised squadron involved in the effort to solidify Germany’s presence at Kiaochow and Tsingtao in China in 1898. He became the official commander of the East Asia Squadron in 1899, later commanding a capital-ship squadron and, from 1903, the Baltic Sea naval station. From 1906 to 1909, he commanded the High Seas Fleet, and in 1909, he was promoted to Grand Admiral.

During World War I, Heinrich was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Baltic Fleet. Despite limited resources compared to Russia's Baltic Fleet, he succeeded in maintaining the strategic position until the 1917 revolution. Following the end of hostilities with Russia, his active duty concluded, and he exited the navy after the dissolution of the German monarchy.

Heinrich married Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine on 24 May 1888. Irene was his first cousin, and their marriage was attended by Heinrich's parents, Emperor Frederick III and Empress Victoria. They had three children, two of whom, Waldemar and Heinrich, were hemophiliacs, inheriting the disease through their mother from Queen Victoria.

He was known for his interest in modern technology, holding one of Germany’s first pilot’s licenses and demonstrating enthusiasm for motor racing and yachting. He was involved with the Yacht Club of Kiel and was considered a skilled seaman. Heinrich also played a role in the early development of motor sports in Germany; the Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt, established in 1908, was a significant event inspired by him. The Vauxhall Prince Henry automobile model was named in his honor, produced by Vauxhall Motors between 1911 and 1914.

After the German Revolution, Heinrich resided with his family at Hemmelmark near Eckernförde in Schleswig-Holstein. He continued his interests in sailing and motor sports into old age and contributed to popularizing the Prince Henry cap, especially among sailors.

He received numerous honors, including an honorary doctorate from the Technische Hochschule in Charlottenburg (now Technische Universität Berlin) in 1899 and an honorary LL.D. from Harvard University in March 1902. He also received various foreign honors, including honorary ranks and memberships in different countries.

Heinrich died from throat cancer on 20 April 1929 in Hemmelmark. A portrait of him was painted by George Burroughs Torrey.