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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

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Monday, August 29, 2011

Royal wedding fever - Imperial German style


Off on honeymoon: Crowds line the streets to catch a glimpse of the prince and princess after their ceremony

The Hohenzollern dynasty makes a come back for the weekend


On the lighter side, I am always a sucker for a royal wedding.

Hundreds - not thousands - lined the streets and until they tied the knot the happy couple weren't exactly household names.

But, while it wasn't on a par with William and Kate's big day, this is the closest Germany comes to a royal wedding.

When Prince Georg Friedrich Ferdinand of Prussia married Princess Sophie of Isenburg it was like their country had stepped back in time reports the UK Mail.

Prince Georg is the great-great-grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who ruled his country until the monarchy was abolished in 1918.

And while their family's role may now be long-defunct, this 'royal' wedding has rekindled interest in them among Germans.

Great, great Grandad Kaiser Wilhelm II

The couple -  who both work as consultants in Berlin - were married in a church in Potsdam, outside the capital, the former seat of the prince's family.

After Saturday's ceremony, they traveled by horse-drawn carriage to Sanssouci Palace for a dinner and ball.

Several hundred onlookers lined the streets outside of the church to see them, despite the couple's attempts to keep it low-key.

The 33-year-old bride wore a dress designed by Wolfgang Joop, and a diamond tiara belonging to her family.  The 35-year-old groom was dressed in a top hat and tails.

Yesterday's event was broadcast live on local public TV, sparking protest from members of the former communist Left party, and was splashed across the pages of newspapers and glossy magazines.

Prince Georg and Princess Sophie also held a civil ceremony on Friday.

From 1871, the Kings of Prussia also served as German Emperors, with Wilhelm II being the last. He abdicated in 1918, following World War I, and the German monarchy was dismantled.

Descendants of German royal families still carry their titles, although they have no meaning and are legally considered part of their names.

Until now Germans little interest in their own aristocrats, but many ardently follow the royal houses of their European neighbors - including Britain's.

Just married: The couple in a horse-drawn carriage in front of Potsdam's Sanssouci Palace

Earlier this summer the couple made an appearance at the royal wedding of
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene in Monaco.

The prince was born on June 10, 1976 in Bremen just one year after his parents' wedding, which was also a big media event. The princess, born on March 7, 1978 in Frankfurt, comes from a royal dynasty that traces its roots back to the year 963.

Imperial Germany under the Hohenzollern dynasty.


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