Oskar
Prince Oskar morganatically married Countess Ina-Marie von Bassewitz (1888-1973) She was created Countess of Ruppin. She was the daughter of Count Karl von Bassewitz-Levetzow and Countess Margarete von der Schulenburg. They were married in both religious and civil ceremonies on July 31, 1914 at Schloss Bellevue, near Berlin. This was a fateful year for German royalty and the wedding took place just days before World War I began. Oskar commanded the Liegnitz King's grenadiers. The Kaiser had hoped to place Oskar on the Finnish throne. In the aftermath of Revolution in Russia, Finland declared its independence. The Finns voted for a monarchy, but chose Friederich Karl of Hesse but nothing ever came of it. Later on, he joined a far-right veterans group the Stanlhelm. Like many Hohenzollerns, he felt that the rise of right wing poarties like the NAZIs would lead to the reinstatement of the monarchy. His eldest son (of 4 children) would be killed in WW2.
CP William: Wilhelm II's oldest son was born in Potsdam in 1882. He later remembered carefree days at the Marmorpalais. His relationship, never very good, with his father became more formal after he became Kaiser. At age 10, Prince Wilhelm received the rank of Lt. of the 1st Infantry Regiment, in accordance with tradition. When W was 14, another important stage of his life began. Together with his younger brother EF he was sent to the military Academy at Ploen where he would spend 4 yrs.. It was the rule in the Hohenzollern family, that every Prince had to learn a trade. Wilhelm decided to become a lathe operator (a drechsler). 3 days later he began his officer training in Potsdam. As he was 18 & of age, he began active service with his regiment in 1900. He seems to have had a over-blown sense of his own importance & abilities. For example, he thought that he was a talented artist. As a boy he made rather crude drawings which he would present to the members of court. One of the Empresses's ladies-in-waiting wrote, it is a pity "... that our young Princes think so much of everthing they do. They never seem to compare it with what others do, but believe it to be admirable simply because they did it." [Wilhelm II, Van der Kiste, p. 86.] He can be seen sketching later in exile however, so good or not, he enjoyed the activity. He also became a notorious womanizer. He took part in active social life. A regimental comrade, Magnus, Freiherr von Braun, the father of the future rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, said of him "The CP was an open, dependable comrade who cheerfully did his duty. The Ladies liked him because of his charm. He was honorable, tactful and a Grand Seigneur of the first class." On a trip to England he behaved so badly that his father was furious. He had given a confirmation ring given him by Queen Victoria to a female liaison. He spent 2 years at the U of Bonn where he studied civil law and administration. The CP was promoted to Capt on the occasion of his 21st birthday. Around this time, his parents began the hunt for a suitable bride for him. He was currently in a liaison (that continued either platonically or not throughout his marriage) with the singer Geraldine Farrar with whom he was seen in public quite frequently. Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin came to their attention as a possible bride . Willy attended the wedding Cecile’s brother in M-S in 1904. There he met the 17-year-old Cecilie and he was impressed with her looks & personality. Soon, talks were under way for a wedding. Cecilie was the perfect dynastic match for Willy, being. the daughter of GD Friedrich Franz III and GDss Anastasia Michailovna of Russia and the younger sister of Queen Alexandrine of Denmark. Cecilie was fluent in French, as well as German, English, and Russian. The CP was made a major in the army & assigned to train in various ministries (interior, finance, and agriculture) as well as the navy office. One of the tutors assigned to work with him found him likable, but unwilling to work seriously. Despite differences between them, his father did allow him on occasion to deputize for him. The marriage was conducted with great pomp & ceremony in 1905. The couple quickly became "bright young things' in Berlin society. While it was an excellent dynastic match, the marriage unfortunately did not prove to be a happy one. Even before the marriage, Cecilie, expressed displeasure with the time the prince spent with his regimental friends. Problems developed on the honeymoon, when the CP reportedly lonely for his bachelor drinking pals made clear that Cecile was not to interfere with those friends. The couple were, however, blessed with 6 children. One daughter, Alexandrine, appears to have suffered from Down Syndrome
