Prince Welf Ernst of Hanover


Prince Welf Ernst of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the eldest son of Prince George William of Hanover and his wife Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Welf was a first cousin of Charles, Prince of Wales. The prince used the name Welf Prinz von Hannover.

Personal life

Born in Lower Saxony at the Hanover family seat of Schloss Marienburg, Welf was raised in Munich. In 1969 the prince married Wibke van Gunsteren. Welf and his wife became disciples of Osho, taking the names Vimalkirti and Wibke Prem Turiya. In 1975 Welf and Wibke along with their five-year-old daughter Tania Saskia, moved to Poona, India to live in Osho's ashram.
Welf died at the age of 33 at a clinic in Poona from a cerebral haemorrhage after collapsing during a morning karate practice session and becoming paralyzed.

Marriage and issue

Welf married Wibke Christians, daughter of Dr Hans Daniel Christians and Ursula Schmidt-Prange, on 23 May 1969 in a civil ceremony. They were married two days later in a religious ceremony at Essen-Bredeney in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Although many genealogical sources record the opposite, Welf Ernst and Wibke were not divorced in 1979, but lived together up to his death. They had one daughter:
, descent from father to son, is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that the historically accurate royal house of monarchs of the House of Hanover was the House of Lucca.
This is the descent of the primary male heir. For the complete expanded family tree, see List of members of the House of Hanover.
  1. Oberto I, 912 - 975
  2. Oberto Obizzo, 940 - 1017
  3. Albert Azzo I, Margrave of Milan, 970 - 1029
  4. Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan, d. 1097
  5. Welf I, Duke of Bavaria, 1037–1101
  6. Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria, 1074–1126
  7. Henry X, Duke of Bavaria, 1108–1139
  8. Henry the Lion, 1129–1195
  9. William of Winchester, Lord of Lunenburg, 1184–1213
  10. Otto I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1204–1252
  11. Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1236–1279
  12. Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1268–1318
  13. Magnus the Pious, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1304–1369
  14. Magnus II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1328–1373
  15. Bernard I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1362–1434
  16. Frederick II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1408–1478
  17. Otto IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1439–1471
  18. Heinrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1468–1532
  19. Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1497–1546
  20. William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1535–1592
  21. George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1582–1641
  22. Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover, 1629–1698
  23. George I of Great Britain, 1660–1727
  24. George II of Great Britain, 1683–1760
  25. Frederick, Prince of Wales, 1707–1751
  26. George III of the United Kingdom, 1738–1820
  27. Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, 1771–1851
  28. George V of Hanover, 1819–1878
  29. Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, 1845–1923
  30. Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick, 1887–1953
  31. Prince George William of Hanover, 1915–2006
  32. Prince Welf Ernst of Hanover, b. 1947