Prince Welf Henry of Hanover


Prince Welf Henry of Hanover was the fourth son of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick and his wife Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein. The prince was known to his family as "Welfi."

Marriage and personal life

Welf Henry married Princess Alexandra Sophie of Ysenburg and Büdingen, daughter of Otto Friedrich III, Prince of Ysenburg and Büdingen in Wächtersbach and his wife Felicitas Anna Eleonore Cecilie, Princess Reuss of Köstritz, on 20 September 1960 at Büdingen, Hesse, Germany, in a civil marriage ceremony, and on the following day in a religious ceremony at the Marienkirche in Büdingen. The couple had no children.
Welf Henry and Alexandra lived in Frankfurt's Niederrad district. Alexandra had served as a city councilwoman representing Niederrad on the Frankfurt City Council since 1980. She was a member of the Christian Democratic Union political party.
Welf Henry died in 1997 after a long illness.

Titles and styles

Welf Henry was a descendant of Victoria of the United Kingdom and Albert, Prince Consort through their eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal, the wife of Frederick III, German Emperor. His sister, Princess Friederike of Hanover married Paul I, King of the Hellenes.
Patrilineal descent, 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 V, 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 Welf Henry of Hanover, 1923–1997