Georg Friedrich von Preussen and Sophie Prinzessin von Isenburg

[Kalafrana]

In Denmark nothing official is released until the baptism. Perhaps it's the same among Prussian royalty.

Ann

[grandduchessella]

I like the names they chose.

Too bad the upcoming birth of William and Kate's baby far over-shadows this royal birth, as did their wedding.

It's understandable though. The British monarchy still exists--and Diana really boosted its star power--while the German monarchies, and the Empire as a whole, haven't existed for almost 100 years. It apparently garnered quite a bit of coverage in Germany, though and the wedding was covered live on TV. I don't wonder why former ruling families, especially those out of power so long, don't receive more attention. I was more surprised that the wedding of Albert in Monaco didn't receive more US attention given that he's a ruling monarch and his mother was the legendary (American) Grace Kelly. The British couple is really the only one that receives widespread attention at all.

[Eric_Lowe]

I think Albert's wedding lacked romance. It sounds more like a business deal. The current princess is also South African and not American. The magic died with Grace Kelly...

[grandduchessella]

Not to get sidetracked but my point was that it was Grace's son getting married and the press used to carry a LOT of news on the family, even long after Grace's death. I was surprised to see practically no coverage at all given the connections.

[HerrKaiser]

yes, I agree the nearly 100 years of no official monarchy has removed the personalities from general awareness, particularly outside of their home nations.

The aspect that to me is somewhat surprising or a missed-opportunity is the huge popularlity of castles. Tourists travel long and far to see the former castles and palaces and Germany's castle resource is huge and a big draw/destination. An imaginative marketer could have kept the inhabitants going along with the physical structures to add the element of Hollywood and celebrity that so many are addicted to.

That said, it does take a lot of funding and effort to make a former-anyone into a continuing celebrity.

[grandduchessella]

The palaces/castles is an interesting angle. One of the arguments used in favor of the cost of the British monarchy is the tourism dollars that they bring in, particularly in relation to those dwellings. Certainly the Russian monarchy is long-gone but they do a good job of showcasing some of the old palaces. So there's one current monarchy and one long-past (albeit with a more romantic history in the current mind than the Hohenzollerns) who have managed to utilize those as a draw. I wonder why the German government which owns some of the buildings and the various royal families who may own many of the rest don't do a better job publicizing them. When I lived in Germany, many of the old Schloss, etc...were tourist draws but nowhere near the level of a Winter Palace or Windsor Castle--save for Neuschwainstein and King Ludwig's other palaces & castles. There's as much, if not more, history in the German buildings and many contain (or could contain) great works of art. Maybe, apart from the Bavarians, there just isn't the same level of fascination as with the Romanovs and Windsors to entice people?

George Friedrich seems to have a good head for business and a strong financial sense. Kaiser Wilhelm managed to either flee with or negotiate the return of many items, funds and property. A good deal was lost after WW2 but there was still a large fortune and portfolio of holdings. Maybe this young man will attempt to better utilize the family's heritage to preserve what they have (ala the landholders in England whose homes are open for tourists) by trading on the romance and history of the past. With the possible closing of Huis Doorn due to financial considerations, I wonder how much property located there could be brought back to the family in Germany.  I know he had plans to sell Louis Ferdinand & Kyra's home where they raised the children but that was backburnered the last I read an update.

[HerrKaiser]

The palaces/castles is an interesting angle. One of the arguments used in favor of the cost of the British monarchy is the tourism dollars that they bring in, particularly in relation to those dwellings. Certainly the Russian monarchy is long-gone but they do a good job of showcasing some of the old palaces. So there's one current monarchy and one long-past (albeit with a more romantic history in the current mind than the Hohenzollerns) who have managed to utilize those as a draw. I wonder why the German government which owns some of the buildings and the various royal families who may own many of the rest don't do a better job publicizing them. When I lived in Germany, many of the old Schloss, etc...were tourist draws but nowhere near the level of a Winter Palace or Windsor Castle--save for Neuschwainstein and King Ludwig's other palaces & castles. There's as much, if not more, history in the German buildings and many contain (or could contain) great works of art. Maybe, apart from the Bavarians, there just isn't the same level of fascination as with the Romanovs and Windsors to entice people?

George Friedrich seems to have a good head for business and a strong financial sense. Kaiser Wilhelm managed to either flee with or negotiate the return of many items, funds and property. A good deal was lost after WW2 but there was still a large fortune and portfolio of holdings. Maybe this young man will attempt to better utilize the family's heritage to preserve what they have (ala the landholders in England whose homes are open for tourists) by trading on the romance and history of the past. With the possible closing of Huis Doorn due to financial considerations, I wonder how much property located there could be brought back to the family in Germany.  I know he had plans to sell Louis Ferdinand & Kyra's home where they raised the children but that was backburnered the last I read an update.

Truly, there just isn't the same level of fascination with the German (individual and combined) royal families as there is with the Windsors and Romanovs. Hence, the general lack of marketiing--if you don't have a product to sell, why advertise?

The reasons are fairly straightforward--Germany lost both wars; not good for being 'celebrity status'. As such, few would even know the name. The English have a special link to America and remain good box office. The Romanovs have had several movies made about them and extended family, and the marketing of their demise is filled with nearly everything the public devours for entertainment.

The public's appetite for fairy tale stories and histories remains a marketing opportunity, and agree with you GDella, if GF wanted to do so and gathered some public support, they could monetize the royal history. The rebuilding of the Schloss in Berlin may signal some interest in the subject (although mainly archtectural) and be a basis to what could be a decent business.

[Eric_Lowe]

I think they should keep that house as a family museum. Louis Ferdinand worked for Henry Ford and married a Russian Princesses (or Grand Duchess) and opposed Hitler. Good for PR I should say. :-)

[Kalafrana]

It probably doesn't help that the Kaiser appears in folk memory outside Germany as either a buffoon or villain halfway to Hitler.

Regards

Ann

[HerrKaiser]

It probably doesn't help that the Kaiser appears in folk memory outside Germany as either a buffoon or villain halfway to Hitler.

Regards

Ann

Ann, your are comletely correct. 100 years off the throne is one thing, but when it's combined with 100+ years of positioning Wilhelm II as you say, it is nearly impossible to re-brand him or his family's history in a positive way. The Hohenzollerns need the PR firm the Windsors use! Propaganda does work and the Kaiser is unfortunately fully entrenched in a very negative image. Even if how he is positioned were mostly true, it's revealing that after 100 years there is no relaxing of the disdain. Conversely, 100 years after Napoleon's demise, about the time when Wilhelm II was getting in trouble, the villainy of Napoleon had largely been toned down if not forgotten.

[Eric_Lowe]

I think Louis Ferdinand did charmed the Americans and retain good feelings in America. I met quite a few Americans who met him at his old age, most have great stories to tell of his casualness and great charm. :-) 

[HerrKaiser]

I think Louis Ferdinand did charmed the Americans and retain good feelings in America. I met quite a few Americans who met him at his old age, most have great stories to tell of his casualness and great charm. :-) 

He did, yes, but his rank, abscure place in history, limited appeal to captains of industry and upper-end society, and overall anti-German sentiments (particularly against his grandfather) were way too much for his charm to overcome, especially for the long term.

[Eric_Lowe]

I don't think Louis Ferdinand was oppose to Kaiser Wilhelm II. I think they were very best of friends if you read "The Rebel Prince". his appeal increased after books like "From Palace To Bunker" that emphasis his opposition to Nazism. Very different to the Hesse & Coburg families. In fact Kaiser Wilhelm left his will that his funeral is not to be used as a Nazis demonstration. I think the time for rehabilitation has come. As an American, I don't think we bear the Modern House of Hohenzollern any ill will. If Dr. Otto von Hapsburg can become a figure of admiration. I don't see why a Hohenzollern cannot.

[Превед]

It probably doesn't help that the Kaiser appears in folk memory outside Germany as either a buffoon or villain halfway to Hitler.

Ann, your are comletely correct. 100 years off the throne is one thing, but when it's combined with 100+ years of positioning Wilhelm II as you say, it is nearly impossible to re-brand him or his family's history in a positive way. The Hohenzollerns need the PR firm the Windsors use! Propaganda does work and the Kaiser is unfortunately fully entrenched in a very negative image. Even if how he is positioned were mostly true, it's revealing that after 100 years there is no relaxing of the disdain. Conversely, 100 years after Napoleon's demise, about the time when Wilhelm II was getting in trouble, the villainy of Napoleon had largely been toned down if not forgotten.

Remember that alongside the Napoleonic leyenda negra in the allied monarchies (UK, Austria, Russia and Prussia / Germany), there was also a heroic Napoleonic cult in the countries that had tasted freedom thanks to Napoleon's reforms and rearrangement of the European map: Italy, Poland, Norway, Finland? and indeed among all the left-wing and anti-establishment elements of all European nations except the UK. The Polish national anthem even says:

Przejdziem Wisłę, przejdziem Wartę,
Będziem Polakami.
Dał nam przykład Bonaparte,
Jak zwyciężać mamy.
=
We'll cross the Vistula and the Warta,
We shall be Polish.
Bonaparte has given us the example
Of how we should prevail.

It is of course highly ironic and quite evident for even the most arch-Prussian German nationalist that Napoleon (or his shadow), more than anyone else, shaped the German Empire, with its popular sovereignty disguised as mystic union between princes and tribes, universal male suffrage and presidential emperor / imperial president. Hence Prussian Friedrich Wilhelm IV and Wilhelm I's reluctance to accept the imperial title.

What puts Nicholas II in a positive light today is only the regime that followed his, not the side he fought on in WW1. When one considers the obvious links between the real tsars and the red tsars that followed, it is indeed thought-provoking that the same leeway is not granted to the Hohenzollerns with regard to Hitler and Nazism. The reason might be the Germans' own reluctance to identify with and promote the Hohenzollern emperors, as they have been taught (and relieved?) to put parts of the blame for the Third Reich on the Second Reich. (Compare this to the Austrians' obvious celebration of Franz Joseph.) Germans are often surprised that foreigners can have a positive view of the Kaiser simply as a jolly icon of belle-époque Europe.

[Kalafrana]

Interesting point about the Polish national anthem.

When I visited Vienna a few years ago, Franz Josef seemed to occupy much the same position as Queen Victoria does in Britain. As a ruler he made plenty of mistakes, but his lasting popular reputation is as a benign grandfather figure, neither inept like Nicholas II nor an aggressive blusterer (and even proto-Nazi) like the Kaiser.

Ann