Andreas, the Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Saxony has passed away at the age of 82 yesterday! The Head of the illustrious House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha grew up in the United States, reacquired lost family estates and was a close friend and cousin of the Swedish, Belgian and Bulgarian Royal Families.
The son of Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth, Prince Andreas was born at Schloss Casel, the seat of his maternal family and grew up in New Orleans with his mother and her second husband, returning for regular visits to Germany until his permanent return in 1965, when he completed his military service and then trained as a timber merchant.
I was born 21 March 1943 at Schloss Casel in Lower Lusatia, Germany to Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Viktoria Luise of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . After their divorce in 1946, I was left in the custody of my mother, who moved to her family home “Steinwaendt” in Austria. It was there that she met and married her second husband, Captain Richard Whitten, who was serving in the American army in Salzburg, Austria.
In 1949, the army transferred our new family to the United States, where I spent most of my childhood and teenage life. On 6 March 1954, at the age of 12, my father became head of the house and I became heir apparent to the headship of the ducal house. When I was 16 I began to make regular visits to Germany in preparation for my future role as head of the Ducal House Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. It was during these visits that I was introduced to the old hunting traditions that became my lifelong passion.
As a dual citizen, and of the age when young men serve their country, it was not a difficult choice for me to become a full German citizen. In 1965 I returned to Coburg, and the first thing I did was to enrol in a German language school. Soon after, I joined the Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion 6 based in Eutin, Schleswig-Holstein, where I served from 1966 to 1968.
After serving in the army, I trained at various foresting companies in Germany, notably working as an apprentice timber merchant with Mueller & Son in Hamburg from 1969 to early 1971. That same year, in Hamburg I joined the provisions department of MITSUI & Company, one of the oldest and largest financial empires in Japanese history, and one of the most diversified and comprehensive trading, investment, and service companies in the world. Working for MITSUI taught me how to run a successful business..”
In 1971, Prince Andreas married Carin Dabelstein, with the couple having three children; Princess Stephanie, Prince Hubertus, and Prince Alexander, and remaining married until her passing in 2023, with the Pricness suffering from multiple sclerosis while the Prince has Parkinson’s disease.
Prince Andreas, who became the Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1998, managed the family estates including farms, forests and real estate, and was the owner of Greinburg Castle in Austria and Callenberg Castle in Coburg, which was reacquired after being sold in the aftermath of the Second World War. After the reunification of Germany, Prince Andreas was also able to regain ownership of forest and lands that had been lost.
Prince Andreas was close to his first cousin, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and the godfather of Princess Madeleine, and was also friendly with the Belgian and Bulgarian Royal Families, who both originated from the House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha, but did “lament that the ties with the British Royal family were largely non-existent, as they have shown little interest in closer contacts with Coburg”.
Hereditary Prince Hubertus becomes the Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and the Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, along with Princess Kelly.
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Turquoise Tiara
Duchess of Albany’s Diamond Necklace
Diamond Star
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Diamond Tiara
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Emerald Necklace Tiara
