Death of Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

Prince Richard, seen with his wife Princess Benedikte, has died

(photo credit Holger Motzkau 2010, Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons (cc-by-sa-3.0) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, husband of Princess Benedikte of Denmark and brother in law of Queen Margrethe II, has died. He was 82 years old. Prince Richard passed away at Berleburg Castle on the evening of March 13th 2017.

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Richard Casimir Karl August Robert Konstantin was born on October 29th 1934 in Giessen in Germany, the elder son of Prince Gustav Adolf of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and his wife, Margareta Fouche d'Otrante. His father was a member of the German army during World War Two and declared missing in 1944. Richard was raised in Sweden by his maternal family.

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His royal romance with the second daughter of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark propelled him into the spotlight and he wed Princess Benedikte at Fredensborg Palace Church on February 3rd 1968. The couple went on to have three children together, Gustav, Alexandra and Natalie.  Following the birth of his son, Gustav, in 1969, Richard's father was declared legally dead and he became the 5th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.

Prince Richard's death was announced in a short statement on the Danish Royal website this morning. He passed away suddenly and the cause of his death hasn't been announced. The statement said that Princess Benedikte was now back at Berleburg Castle after a short stay in Denmark.

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Prince Richard was a relatively low profile member of Europe's royal scene but was often glimpsed at weddings and christenings.  His title of Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg now passed to his son, Gustav. He leaves a widow, three children and four grandchildren.