Figure 1.--Prince Wilhelm is seen here in the Russian blouse outfits that all the princes wore. They were often dressed in identical outfits as younger boys as this was one of them. The post card is not dated, but Prince Wilhelm looks to be about 7 years old which would make it about 1914. Notice the embroidered trim here, done in white. On other outfits it was done with colors. Had his grandfather pursued different policies, this boy would have ruled Germany rather than Adolf Hitler.

HBRC has relatively little infornmation on how Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, the eldest son of the Crown Prince, was dressed as a boy. We have little written information on how the children of Crown Prince Frederich Wilhelm were dressed, but a variety of available images provide quite a bit of information. Their mother clearly like to dress them in identical outfits, despite the differences in their age. They were outfitted in dresses as babies, but it looks like the boys were breeched at a fairly early age. I'm not sure about the Prince Wilhelm, but photographs of his younger brothers show them wearing short pants by about 3 years of age. While we have only limitecd images at this time, photographs presumably exist that will eventually allow us to more fully sketch out what he wore as a boy.

Headwear

We have limoted information about headwear. Many of the photographs of Prince Wilhelm ans his brothers show them without caps and hats. A few images do show them with headwear. The most common is sailor caps. As younger bous they also wore wide brimmed sailor hats, but not as commonly as caps. During the winter we have seen them wearing kbit stockubng caps.

Dresses

We do know that as a younger boy, the prince wore dresses. Some images of the prince at about 1-year of age show him wearing frilly dresses that could have easily been wore by girls. He appears to have worn dressess until he was about 3 years of age. It looks like the boys were breeched at a fairly early age. I'm not sure about the Prince Wilhelm, but photographs of his younger brothers show them wearing short pants by about 3 years of age. It is likely, however, that the same was true of Wilhelm.

Fauntleroy Suits

Some images show his younger brothers wearing Fauntleloy suits. Presumably Prince Wihlelm wore similar suits at that age.

Sailor Suits

Some images also show his younger brothers wearing kneepants sailor suits with long stockings. Princess Cecilie also seems to have liked sailor outfits. Several of the outfits the childrem wore has sailor styling. One outfit with a Russian styled tunic was worn with short pants. The boys also wore sailor suits with traditional styling. Again these boys were often dressed alike in these sailor suits.

Uniforms

One image taken in 1907 shows Wilhelm at about 1 year of age wearing a military uniform just like his father. Throughout his life he would wore formal military uniforms for state and other special occasions. As he was second in line of succession to his grandfather Laiser Wilhelm II, this was particular;y important. I'm not sure what material this was.

Russian Blouse Tunic Suit

Several of the available photographs show the boys wearing identical satin short pants outfits, with matching blouse and short pants. We see the young princes dressed in these outfits more than any other garment. The blouse has an open square cut neck without a collar. It is worn with a matching belt and knee-length shorts. With this outfit the boys wear three-quarter length socks and white strap shoes with little boys. Their mother must have liked this outfit because several pictures show the boys wearing it at different ages. It is rather like a tunic suit, but much shorter. Note that they are alyays worn with a belt outside, a belt which appears to have no purpose, They appear to have been made in several fabrics, including a satin or silky material. We wonder if the decussion to relaeas so many portraits of the princes in these informal play outfits was not a political decission made to display an image the royal family in a more appraochable manner.

Winter Outfits

It of course can get quite cold in Germany. Thus there were a number of cold weather outfits for the boys to wear in the snow or while skating. As with their other outfits, Prince Wilhelm and his brothers wore identical outfits. These outfits normally include knitted stocking caps with poms.

Cadet Uniform

Wilhelm may not have attended a military school as a teenager. World War ended before he was a teenager. As a future Kaiser, he would have entered a military academy. After his grandfather and father abdicated, I'm not sure if Wilhelm attended a military academyb after the War.

Identical Styles

Their mother, Princess Cecilie, liked to dress all of the princes in identical styles. This included both play clothes and formal outfits. I am not sure what Prince Wilhelm and the other boys thought about this.

Clothing of Crown Prince Frederich Wilhem's Children

Thus more information on the clothes worn by Prince Wilhelm is available on the general page devoted to the clothing of Crown Prince Frederich Wilhem's children.

Created: June 25, 2001
Last updated: February 15, 2003