George Victor (14 January 1831 – 12 May 1893) was the 3rd sovereign Prince of the German state of Waldeck and Pyrmont.
He was born in Bad Arolsen, the son of George II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, and Princess Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym. He succeeded as prince originally under the guardianship of his mother in 1845 following the death of his father.
He died of pneumonia in Marienbad, Bohemia, in 1893 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Friedrich.
Contents
Family
George Victor was first married on 26 September 1853 in Wiesbaden to Princess Helena of Nassau, daughter of William, Duke of Nassau. They had seven children:
Princess Sophie (27 July 1854 – 5 August 1869); died of tuberculosis at 15.
Princess Pauline (19 October 1855 – 3 July 1925), who married Alexis, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt.
Princess Marie (23 May 1857 – 30 April 1882), who married Prince William, later King William II of Württemberg.
Princess Emma (2 August 1858 – 20 March 1934), who married King William III of the Netherlands. Via this marriage, George Victor is an ancestor to the Dutch royal family.
Princess Helen (17 February 1861 – 1 September 1922), who married British Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. Amongst her children was Charles Edward, last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Via this marriage, George Victor is an ancestor to the Swedish royal family.
Prince Friedrich (20 January 1865 – 26 May 1946), the last reigning prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont; married Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe.
Princess Elisabeth (6 September 1873 – 23 November 1961), who married Alexander, Prince of Erbach-Schönberg.
His second marriage took place in Luisenlund on 29 April 1891 to Princess Louise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. From this marriage, he had one son:
Prince Wolrad (26 June 1892 – 17 October 1914), who was killed in action shortly after the outbreak of World War I.
Orders and decorations
Ascanian duchies: Grand Cross of the Order of Albert the Bear, 30 November 1848
Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the House and Merit Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown, 12 August 1845
Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, August 1852
Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Grand Ducal Hessian Order of Ludwig, 3 April 1853
Nassau: Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, April 1859
Kingdom of Prussia:
Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle, 1 February 1868
Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, 5 December 1878
Sweden-Norway:
Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav, 5 September 1861
Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim, 8 October 1872
Württemberg: Grand Cross of the Order of the Württemberg Crown, 1872
Baden: Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1874
United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross (civil division) of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, 1882