# Wilhelm, German Crown Prince

| Wilhelm |
| --- |
| *German Crown Prince Crown Prince of Prussia* |
| Crown Prince Wilhelm in 1913 |
| Head of the House of Hohenzollern Prince of Prussia |
| Tenure | 4 June 1941 – 20 July 1951 |
| Predecessor | Wilhelm II |
| Successor | Louis Ferdinand |
|  |
| Born | (1882-05-06)6 May 1882 Marmorpalais, Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 20 July 1951(1951-07-20) (aged 69) Hechingen, Württemberg-Hohenzollern, West Germany |
| Burial | 26 July 1951 Hohenzollern Castle, Württemberg-Hohenzollern, West Germany |
| Spouse |
Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
​ ​(m. 1905)​ |
| Issue | * Prince Wilhelm
* Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia
* Prince Hubertus
* Prince Friedrich
* Princess Alexandrine
* Princess Cecilie
 |
|

| Full name |
| --- |
| Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst |

 |
| House | Hohenzollern |
| Father | Wilhelm II, German Emperor |
| Mother | Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein |
| Religion | Lutheranism (Prussian United) |

**Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia** (German: *Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst*; 6 May 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the eldest child of the Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and Empress Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. As heir, he was the last crown prince of the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia, until the abolition of the monarchy.

Wilhelm became crown prince at the age of six in 1888, when his grandfather Frederick III died and his father became emperor. He was crown prince for 30 years until the German Revolution. During World War I, he commanded the 5th Army from 1914 to 1916 and was commander of the Army Group German Crown Prince for the remainder of the war. After his return to Germany in 1923, he fought the Weimar Republic and campaigned for the reintroduction of the monarchy in Germany.

After his plans to become president had been blocked by his father, Wilhelm supported Adolf Hitler's rise to power, but when Wilhelm realised that Hitler had no intention of restoring the monarchy, their relationship cooled. Wilhelm became head of the House of Hohenzollern in June 1941 following the death of his father and held the position until his own death in July 1951.

## Honours

German honours

* Kingdom of Prussia:
	+ Knight of the Black Eagle, *6 May 1892*; with Collar
	+ Knight of the Royal Crown Order, 1st Class, *6 May 1892*
	+ Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, *6 May 1892*
	+ Grand Cross of the Red Eagle, with Crown, *12 June 1892*
	+ Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Classes
	+ Pour le Mérite (military), *22 August 1915*; with Oak Leaves, *8 September 1916*
* Hohenzollern: Cross of Honour of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, 1st Class with Swords
* Anhalt:
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of Albert the Bear, with Swords
	+ Friedrich Cross, 1st Class
* Baden:
	+ Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, *1900*
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of Berthold the First, *1900*
* Kingdom of Bavaria:
	+ Knight of St. Hubert, *1900*
	+ Grand Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph
* Duchy of Brunswick:
	+ Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion, *1902*; with Swords
	+ War Merit Cross
* Ernestine duchies:
	+ Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, with Swords
	+ Cross for Merit in War (Saxe-Meiningen)
* Free Hanseatic Cities: Hanseatic Crosses
* Hesse and by Rhine:
	+ Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, *6 May 1900*
	+ General Honor Decoration
* Lippe:
	+ War Honor Cross for Heroic Deeds
	+ War Merit Cross
* Mecklenburg:
	+ Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Ore
	+ Military Merit Cross, 1st Class (Schwerin)
* Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown
* Reuss: War Merit Cross
* Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the White Falcon, *1896*; with Swords
* Kingdom of Saxony:
	+ Knight of the Rue Crown, *1900*
	+ Commander of the Military Order of St. Henry, 1st Class
* Württemberg:
	+ Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, *1899*
	+ Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order

Foreign honours

* Austria-Hungary: Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, *1898*
* Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
* Kingdom of Bulgaria: Grand Cross of St. Alexander
* Qing dynasty: Order of the Double Dragon, Class I Grade II
* Denmark: Knight of the Elephant, *6 May 1900*
* Greece: Grand Cross of the Redeemer
* Kingdom of Italy: Knight of the Annunciation, *13 April 1896*
* Empire of Japan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum, *19 September 1899*
* Monaco: Grand Cross of St. Charles, *15 January 1900*
* Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion
* Norway: Grand Cross of St. Olav, with Collar, *15 December 1906*
* Ottoman Empire:
	+ Order of Distinction
	+ Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class in Diamonds
	+ Order of Glory
* Persia: Order of the Aqdas, 1st Class
* Kingdom of Portugal:
	+ Grand Cross of the Sash of the Two Orders
	+ Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword, with Collar
* Kingdom of Romania:
	+ Collar of the Order of Carol I
	+ Grand Cross of the Crown of Romania
* Kingdom of Serbia: Grand Cross of the White Eagle
* Siam: Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri
* Spain: Knight of the Golden Fleece, *January 1900*
* Sweden: Knight of the Seraphim, *27 July 1888*
* United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland:
	+ Stranger Knight Companion of the Garter, *27 January 1901* (expelled in 1915)
	+ Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain, *June 1904* (expelled in 1915)
* Russian Empire:
	+ Knight of St. Andrew
	+ Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky
	+ Knight of the White Eagle
	+ Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class
	+ Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class

Foreign military appointments
* During a visit to Russia in January 1903 he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Little Russian Dragoon Regiment No. 40.