Armgard von Cramm
Baroness Armgard of Sierstorpff-Cramm, known as Armgard von Cramm (; 18 December 188327 April 1971) was the mother of Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Prince consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. Early life. Armgard was born at Bad Driburg, Kingdom of Prussia (now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), fourth child and daughter of Baron Aschwin of Sierstorpff-Cramm (1846–1909), and his wife, Baroness Hedwig of Sierstorpff-Driburg (1848–1900). By birth she belonged to the ancient family von Cramm. Marriages. Armgard married on 24 October 1905 at Hanover to Count Bodo von (1881–1909), an officer in the  8th Hussars in Paderborn, son of Count Erich von (1849-1898) and his wife, Therese von (1846-1917). They divorced in 1908 and had no children. Armgard married secondly 4 March 1909 at Oelber, Brunswick to Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1872–1934), a younger son of Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld, regent (1897–1904) of the Principality of Lippe, and his wife, Countess Karoline of Wartensleben. The marriage was then considered morganatic. Thus, Armgard was created "Countess of Biesterfeld" () on 8 February 1909. They had two sons: On 24 February 1916 she was made "Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld" () with the  style "Serene Highness" by her brother in law, Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe, and this title was extended to her two sons in order to produce a new branch of the Lippe family. World War II. After the death of her husband in 1934, Armgard moved in with her sons and managed an estate in Wojnowo, Lubusz Voivodeship, Province of Brandenburg (now Wojnowo, Poland), together with her new partner Alexis Pantchoulidzew. Alexis accompanied Armgard to the wedding of Bernhard to Princess Juliana. During World War II Armgard and Alexis were observed by the local "Gestapo". Her apolitical past and the  service that the monarchist and anti-Stalinist Colonel Pantchoulidzew later rendered in the war to the German Reich Railway, would have shielded her from Nazi authorities. The SS demanded in September 1944 in Recke, one of Armgard's properties, "Schloss Woynowo Walde" for military purposes. Armgard and Alexis gave an account of the withdrawal in 1945 of the "Wehrmacht" behind the Oder-line on their estate at Neumark. Various writers, W.Klinkenberg a.o. have accused Armgard of sexual promiscuity, intrigue, conspiracy, and – as with her son Aschwin – of Nazi sympathies. In March 2004, her son Bernhard tried to rectify this image  with an open letter to "The Times". Life in the Netherlands. She lived from early 1952 with her partner Alexis Pantchoulidzew in House Warmelo at Diepenheim. Alexis went on to be the Netherlands' sole representative at the 1956 Summer Olympics, competing in dressage. Alexis Pantchoulidzew died in 1968. Armgard died on 27 April 1971 in House Warmelo in Diepenheim at the age of 87. Further reading. . Zur Lippe-Biesterfeld- Prof. mr. E.J.H.Schrage