Friday, August 8, 2008

Poor Princess Carmo


Hermine and Carmo



August 8, 1935

Princess Caroline of Schoenaich-Carolath -- Carmo to her family -- has apparently fallen in love with her mother's former private secretary, Georg Martin Wunderlich, 31. 

Caroline's mother, Hermine, who is the second wife of Kaiser Wilhelm II, apparently had given permission for a marriage in 1934 but has since changed her mind. Hermine was convinced that the Nazis would be impressed with Caroline marrying a commoner, according to a news account in the Chicago Daily News. 

The Princess, whose full name is Hermine Caroline Wanda Ida Luise Feodora Viktoria Auguste, was born May 9, 1910 at Schloss Saabor.  She is the 3rd of 5 children of Empress Hermine and her first husband, Prince Johann Georg of Schoenaich-Carolath.

But when it became apparent that Nazi officials would not approve of such a marriage, Hermine returned to her "old traditional anti-commoner attitude."

 Princess Caroline was devastated by this change in her mother's attitude. She was in love with Wunderlich -- the son of a German baroness - and she wanted to marry him. She ran away from Doorn in the Netherlands (where the former Kaiser and Kaiserin reside) and fled to Berlin. 

Hermine went after her, and "took up residence" in a palace on the Unter den Linden. She ordered Caroline to "report to her." The young princess, obviously distressed, was crestfallen. She was "seen walking through a park for hours, accompanied only by her small black Scottie, Odo, just like any other girl with a blighted romance." 

Once Caroline was back in her mother's clutches, she was taken to the family Schloss Saabor in Silesia, largely under lock and key. Georg Wunderlich had remained in Frankfurt, as he looked for a job. 

"Radical Nazis" distrusted the aristocracy, which made Wunderlich's employment search more difficult.

 But the young man was ready for "a showdown" with Hermine as he made plans to travel to Saabor. The young couple plan to turn to Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (the Kaiser's eldest son), currently in Switzerland, if Wunderlich is unable to change Hermine's mind. Caroline and Georg believe that Wilhelm "has a real understanding of youth and modern times." Will love triumph for this young couple? Stay tuned.

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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think princess caroline is still alive,isn't she,marlene ?

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

Apparently - she was born in 1910, which makes her 98 years old

Anonymous said...

Do you have a photo of carmo ?

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

not sure. Will check when I get home.

Anonymous said...

thanks for the first part of this

the online gotha still lists Carmo as being alive

maybe this is why the recent biography on Hermine did not mention anything on this episode; it stated however that Carmo and Hermine were very close and she was the one of the first to learn about the second marriage of her mother.

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

The person who does the Online Gotha depends on information on others .. for example, there are numerous new QVDS and information about other QVDs that you won't find in the Online Gotha.

Anonymous said...

for example,paul theroff does not mention that three of king michael of romania's daughters are divorcees.

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

That's because I think my companion volume came out before the divorces were finalized although I do have the exact dates

Anonymous said...

yes you are rigth Marlene; but it is a first port of call when one does not have one's books.

Is he however not up-dated here? is Carmo still alive?

Thanks very much for the seocnd part. Quite bad story. Shed a unpleasant light on the Empress.

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

The last time Schoenaich-Carolath is listed in the Handbuch des Adels is 2004 - and Caroline is listed as alive - but no address of where she is ..