Luitpold Prinz von Bayern
| Luitpold Prinz von Bayern | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Prince Luitpold in July 2012 | |||||
| Born | 14 April 1951 Schloß Leutstetten, Leutstetten, Bavaria, West Germany | ||||
| Spouse |
Katrin Beatrix Wiegand
(m. 1979) | ||||
| Issue | Prinzessin Auguste Prinzessin Alice Prinz Ludwig Prinz Heinrich Prinz Karl | ||||
| |||||
| House | Wittelsbach | ||||
| Father | Prince Ludwig of Bavaria | ||||
| Mother | Princess Irmingard of Bavaria | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||
Luitpold Rupprecht Heinrich Prinz von Bayern (born 14 April 1951) is a member of the House of Wittelsbach, which reigned as Kings of Bavaria until 1918,[1] and the proprietor and former CEO of the brewery König Ludwig Schlossbrauerei.
He is second in line of succession to the headship of the former ruling dynasty, currently held by his first cousin Franz, Duke of Bavaria, after the latter's likely immediate successor and younger brother Max Emanuel.
Early life
Luitpold was born at Schloß Leutstetten near Starnberg, in Bavaria. He is the only surviving child of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (1913–2008) and his wife Princess Irmingard of Bavaria (1923–2010).[1]
Marriage
On 25 June 1979, Luitpold married Katrin Beatrix Wiegand (born 19 September 1951 in Munich), daughter of Gerd Wiegand (1922 in Cottbus – 1994 in Munich), architect, and first wife Ellen Schumacher.[1][2][3] Initially the union was considered morganatic, but on 3 March 1999, the marriage was declared retroactively to be dynastic on the condition their children contracted dynastic marriages.[1] The couple had five children.[1]
The eldest son is Ludwig Prinz von Bayern (b. 1982), the next heir presumptive to the headship of the House of Wittelsbach after his father. He is involved in development aid in Kenya, where he established the “Learning Lions” project, a campus where up to 250 students live and learn, with the Nymphenburg Aid Association, a family-run aid organization dating back to the 1950s.[4] Ludwig and his wife Sophie Alexandra Evekink (b. 1989) have a son, Rupprecht (b. 2024).[5] Luitpold's eldest daughter Auguste (b. 1979), married to Ferdinand Prince of Lippe-Weissenfeld, is a biologist and conducts research on birds at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence.[6][7] Her next younger sister Alice (b. 1981), married to Lukas (Prince of) Auersperg, also conducts research in the same field for the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna.
Business activities
Luitpold is the proprietor and former CEO of a brewery located at Kaltenberg Castle (König Ludwig GmbH & Co. KG Schlossbrauerei Kaltenberg) which was founded in 1871, and largely extended by him. He also purchased Marthabräu brewery at Fürstenfeldbruck in 1980, where his wheat beer is produced.[8] The breweries are now chaired by employed managers. Luitpold also founded an annual jousting tournament at Kaltenberg, previously managed by his wife. The second son, Heinrich Rudolf (b. 1986), and his wife now run the event sector, including the event catering.
In 2011 he purchased the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory, founded in 1745 by Maximilian III Joseph, Prince-Elector of Bavaria.[9] He converted the cavalier house on the northern roundabouts of Nymphenburg Palace that previously housed the manufactory's administration (production takes place in buildings at the rear), into a luxury holiday home in 2025, available for daily rental, under the name Nymphenburg Palace Royal Residence. It is managed by Kempinski Hotels.[10] A collection of over 1,000 porcelain exhibits, handcrafted products of legendary kind and quality, beginning in 1747, are on display on the first floor of the former court stables houses in the south wing of the palace itself.
Luitpold owns the Bavarian castles of Leutstetten (a district of Starnberg) and Kaltenberg, in which he lives with his family.[1]
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Leutstetten Castle
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Kaltenberg Castle
Ancestry
References
- ^ a b c d e f Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XVI. "Haus Bayern". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp. 3, 6-7,9. ISBN 978-3-7980-0824-3.
- ^ Burke's Royal Families of the World, Europe and Latin America
- ^ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels
- ^ tz.de, 1 March 2025 [1]
- ^ Bild tabloid newspaper, Sept 7, 2025 [2]
- ^ See German article de:Auguste von Bayern (Zoologin)
- ^ Auguste von Bayern : Die Prinzessin und die Rabenvögel, 18 November 2011 in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
- ^ "Standorte – König Ludwig". koenig-ludwig-brauerei.com. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ Süddeutsche Zeitung, 14 June 2014 [3]
- ^ Kempinski Hotels Sign Landmark Agreement to Manage Nymphenburg Palace Royal Residenc, Feb 27, 2025
- Die Wittelsbacher. Geschichte unserer Familie. Adalbert, Prinz von Bayern. Prestel Verlag, München, 1979