Figure 1.--The children here are Friedrich Franz of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, his brother Christian Ludwig. They are with their cousins Ernst August of Hannover (their father was Duke of Brunswick) and his brother Georg.

Ernst August was born at Penzing Hall, Vienna, Austria. His father was Ernest Augustus of Hannover, Duke of Cumberland (1845- ) and Thyra Amelia Caroline of Schleswig-Holstein, Princess of Denmark (1853- ) Ernst August was the grandson of George V, the last king of Hanover. Hanover was of course the German principality from which the English king George I came in the 18th century. George V was deposed by Victoria's grandfather, Wilhelm I, and Count Bismarck. in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War. As a result of World War I, Ernst August was deprived of his British titles 1919 and abdicted his right to the throne 1918. I am not sure just when Ernst August met Princess Victoria Louise. HRH Prince Ernst August of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick married HRH Princess Victoria Luise of Prussia, only daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Victoria Louise and Ernst August had five children. They included: Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswig-Lüneburg (1914- ), George William Ernest (1915- ), Frederica Louise Thyra (1917- ), Christian Oscar Ernest (1919- ), and Guelph Henry Ernest (1923- ). Some of the boys would have been of the age to participate in the Hitler Youth. Frederica joined the BDM, I'm not sure why, but she was sent to school in England and then married Prince Paul in Greece. Historians differ as to the Dukes aditude toward the NAZIs. Some claim that he was anti-NAZI. Others suggest that he was an early financial backer. His sons were of military age during World War II. We have few details about them at this time. They were forcibly discharged from the Armed Forces , presumably as a result of the Prinzenerlass (1940). His eldest son Ernst August was arrested by the Gestapo (1944). I'm not sure what the circumstances were. HRH Prince Ernst August of Hanover (yet again) who died in 1987 and his brother HRH Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover. Georg Wilhelm is still living and was married to HRH Princess Sohpie of Greece, who died in ??? . Sophie was the sister of HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. Ernst August died at Marienburg Castle, Hanover in 1953.

Austro Prussian War: Deposed

King George V sided with Austria in the Austro-Prussian War (1866), sometimes called the German Civil War. Prussia not only defeated Hannover decisively, but Kaiser Wilhelm I, and Count Bismarck deposed George Vin the aftermath of the Warcand the reorganization of the German states. As aresult there was no love lost between the Hohenzollerns and the Hannover royal family. After they we dposed from the hannover throne, the reigning head of the family claimed the Duchy of Brunswick in Germany, but the Kaiser and Bismarck blocked this claim. The British loyal line traces itself from George I who wa the king og Hannover. Thus the Duke was also known as the Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale in the British peerage.

Parents

Duke Ernst-August's father was Ernest Augustus of Hannover, Duke of Cumberland (1845- ) and Thyra Amelia Caroline of Schleswig-Holstein, Princess of Denmark (1853- ) Ernst August was the grandson of George V, the last king of Hanover. Hanover was of course the German principality from which the English king George I came in the 18th century.

Childhood

Ernst August was born at Penzing Hall, Vienna, Austria (1887). Prince Ernst August became heir apparent to the dukedom of Cumberland and to the Hanoverian claim upon the deaths of his two elder brothers, George and Christian.

Princess Victoria Louise

Victoria Louise was the Kaiser's youngest child and only daughter. Wilhelm was apparently pleased to have a daughter after six boys. He doughted on her and let her get away with behavior that his boys were never allowed. She also became very good at getting her way. Her oldest brother later wrote, that Vicoria Louise was the only one "... who suceeded in her childhood in winning a earm corner of his heart". As a child she is seen in white dresses with her brothers--even when they are in their military school uniforms. As a young woman she was photographed in a unform herself. Perhaps always seeing her brothers in uniforms, she wanted to wear them herself. She married Ernst August of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1887-1953) in 1913.

Marriage (1913)

Ernest's older brother, Prince George, died in a car accident (1912). Kaiser Wilhelm II sent a message of condolence to the Duke of Cumberland. Response to this gesture, the Duke sent his only surviving son, Ernst, to Berlin to thank the Kaiser personally. It is at this time that Prince Ernst and Princess Victoria Louise met each other and proceeded to fall in love. This was totally unexpected and somewhat complicated because of the ill feeling between the two families. Here Princess Celine, the Crown Prince's wife, appears to have played a very positive role in facilitating the budding romance. The betrothal to Princess Victoria Louise was announced (February 1913). Prince Ernest Augustus took an oath of loyalty to the German Emperor and accepted a commission as a cavalry captain and company commander in the Zieten–Hussars--a Prussian Army regiment in which George V and Ernst August I had been colonels. This essentially ended the rift between the two families. Ernest and Victoria Louise married (May 1913). The marriage was notable because it was the last great gathering of major ruling heads of Europe. (Except for France, almost all of Europe was still goverened by monarchies.) Ernestand Louiise were related to many other European dynasties as a result of descent through Queen Victoria and Christian IX of Denmark. The wedding was only about a year before World war I which resulted in the fall if most European royal families. Kaiser Wilhelm, King George V of Britain, and Tsar Nicholas II attended the wedding in additiin to many other monarchs and aristocrats. Following the wedding, the Duke of Cumberland formally renounced his claims to the duchy of Brunswick in favor of his surviving son (October 1913). The Federal Council voted to allow Prince Ernest Augustus of Cumberland to become the reigning Duke of Brunswick. The new Duke of Brunswick, who received a promotion to colonel in the Zieten–Hussars, formally took possession of his duchy (November 1). It took three decades and the War would cut short his reign. .

World War I

The Duke served in World War I, achieving the rank of major-general. He was forced to abdicate by republican firces (November 8, 1918). The British the following year suspended his dukedom as a result of his service in the German army Thus when his father died (1923), Ernest Augustus did not succeed to his father's former title of Duke of Cumberland. Ernest Augustus would be the head of the House of Hanover over the tumultuous three decaded following the War. He lived on the various family estates.

Children

Victoria Louise and Ernst August had five children. They are of course all grand children of German Kaiser Wilhelm II. They included: Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswig-Lüneburg (1914- ), George William Ernest (1915- ), Frederica Louise Thyra (1917-81) future queen of Greece, Christian Oscar Ernest (1919- ), and Guelph Henry Ernest (1923- ). The Princess clearly liked sailor suits for the boys. The boys except for the youngest Guelph Henry Ernest all wear identical traditional sailor suits. The youngest boy appears to be wearing some kind of ligh-colored short pants knot outfit with a double breasted blouse. The oldest boy has relatively short hair, but certainly not clipped extremely short. The two younger boys have longer cuts. We have very little information about the children at this time. Some of the boys would have been of the age to participate in the Hitler Youth (HJ). We know that Frederika joined the Bund Deutscher Mädel (BDM), the girls' division of the HJ. We are not sure whose idea it was. Presumably some of her brothers did also. They all would have been of military age during World War II. We have no details about them at this time.

The NAZIs and World War II

The relationship between the Duke abd the NAZIs is somewhat murky. The children jouned the Hitler Youth. Frederica joined the BDM. The boys joined the DJ and went on to participate in the HJ. We are not entireky sure why. We note that the children were photographed in their Hitler Youth uniforms and the portrait distributed commercially. At first membership was voluntary. The Duke and Victoria Louise may have seen this as a way of currying favor. Many German aristocrats though the NAZIs offered the possibility of restoring their lost principlities. We have no information on the Duke's politics at this time. Losing a duchy mist noy have endeared him to the Weimr Republic. Nor so we yet have information on Victoria Louise's opinions. We do know that they sent Frederika to school in Englnd, suggesting a less than ringing enforsement of the NAZIs. She subsequently married Prince Paul in Greece before the War. (After the War, the portrait of Frederika and her brothers in HJ uniforms proved embarasing.) Historians differ as to the Dukes aditude toward the NAZIs. Some claim that he was anti-NAZI. Others suggest that he was an early financial backer. We simply do not have have any definitive information at this time. His sons were of military age during World War II. We have few details about them at this time. They were forcibly discharged from the Armed Forces , presumably as a result of the Prinzenerlass (1940). His eldest son Ernst August was arrested by the Gestapo (1944). I'm not sure what the circumstances were.

Final Years

Ernst August died at Marienburg Castle, Hanover in 1953. HRH Prince Ernst August of Hanover died in 1987. His brother HRH Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover. Georg Wilhelm is still living and was married to HRH Princess Sohpie of Greece, who died in ??? . Sophie was the sister of HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

Created: April 29, 2004
Last updated: 3:58 AM 7/30/2008