Figure 1.--Here Prince Wilhelm-Karl is playing with his toy soldiers. He is wearing a traditional short pants button-on sailor suit, a very popular style at the time. Notice the striped blouse. He looks to be about 8-9 years old. The photograph was probably taken about 1930.

As a boy, Wilhelm-Karl like his brothers, wore dresses, a fashion that was becoming less common for boys after World War I in the 1920s. He wears a white dress at about age 4. His dress was different from that of his sister in that it was a "A"-line dress without a waist. His sister also wore a white dress, but it had a definite low waist, presumably with a bow in back. I'm not sure when he was breeched, but he looks to still be wearing dresses at age 4 years. He is pictured on the previous page at about 1927 or 28 wearing a long pants sailor and strap shoes with older sister Princess Herzeleide . He had both long pants and short pants sailor suits. We are not sure what color the strap shoes were, but the look identical to the ones worn by his sister. They do not look black. Many boys who normally wore short pants might have a long pants sailor suit. We are not sure what determined whether he woire long or short ontsxwith hith his sailor suits. Actually the long pants suits were common among royal families. The suit looks to be a button-on style and the pants, at least in the legs are cut quite narrow. This may have been axparty outfit. He wore bangs as a boy, but when he was breeched his hair at the side was cut shorter. Note that his sister wears ringlets and a hair bow.

Created: 2:02 AM 1/16/2012
Last updated: 2:03 AM 1/16/2012