by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz: The Duchy of Mecklenburg was divided and partitioned a number of times over the centuries.  In 1701, the last division created the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna recognized both Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz as grand duchies. Carl II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz became the first Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

On, February 23, 1918, Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich VI of Mecklenburg-Schwerin died by suicide. The heir presumptive was serving with the Russian military and had made it known that he wished to renounce his rights of succession. Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, served as Regent for the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The regency lasted only nine months, as on November 14, 1918, Friedrich Franz IV was forced to abdicate as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, as well as the Regent of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Today the territory encompassing the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz is in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

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Adolf Friedrich VI was the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He was born on June 17, 1882 in Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, the elder son of Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt.

Adolf Friedrich had three siblings:

• Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1878-1948) – married (1) Count Georges Jamatel, had issue, divorced; (2) Prince Julius Ernst of Lippe, had issue
• Duchess Jutta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1880-1946) – married Danilo, Crown Prince of Montenegro, no issue
• Duke Karl Borwin of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1888-1908) – unmarried, killed in a duel with his brother-in-law Count George Jametel, defending his sister’s honor

At his christening on July 19, 1882, he was given the names Adolf Friedrich Georg Ernst Albert Eduard. He had twelve godparents:

• Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – his paternal grandfather
• Duke Friedrich I of Anhalt – his maternal grandfather
• Prince Eduard of Anhalt – his paternal uncle
• Duchess Ekaterina of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – his paternal great-aunt
• Princess Maria Anna of Prussia – his maternal great-aunt
• Duchess Agnes of Saxe-Altenburg – his maternal great-aunt
• The Duke of Cambridge – his paternal great-uncle
• Duke Ernst I of Saxe-Altenburg – his maternal great-uncle
• The Prince of Wales
• Princess Helena of Schleswig-Holstein
• Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia
• Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Adolf Friedrich was educated privately at home, and tutored for several years by the Protestant theologian Carl Horn.  He then attended the Vitzthum-Gymnasium in Dresden along with his relative, and close friend, Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and in 1902, moved to Munich to study law.

During this time, he was made a Lieutenant in the Prussian Army’s Grand Ducal Mecklenburg Grenadier Regiment No. 89.  However, his active military career did not begin until after he had finished his studies when he joined the Prussian Army’s 1st Uhlan Guards Regiment in Potsdam.  Just two years later, he became Hereditary Grand Duke upon his grandfather’s death and his father’s accession to the grand ducal throne.

In 1911, Adolf Friedrich resigned his army commission and returned to Neustrelitz to prepare for his future role.  He also spent several summers living in the United Kingdom, having developed a strong love for the country, likely influenced by his grandmother, who was born Princess Augusta of Cambridge, and was a granddaughter of King George III of the United Kingdom.  Adolf Friedrich took every opportunity to visit the United Kingdom. He often represented his father and grandfather at official functions, such as the funerals of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, and the coronations of King Edward VII and King George V.

Upon his father’s death in June 1914, he became the reigning Grand Duke as Adolf Friedrich VI. He had little time to adjust to his role as World War I was breaking out in Europe.  He was given a commission as a colonel on the staff of the German 17th Division and served on the Western front through much of the war.  In 1917, he was promoted to Major General.

After years of being linked to various princesses throughout Europe including Viktoria Luise of Prussia, Patricia of Connaught, and Mary, Princess Royal, Adolf Friedrich’s close friend, Princess Daisy of Pless, set out to find him a bride.  Soon it was settled that he would marry Princess Beninga Reuss of Köstritz, and negotiations began.  However, a scandal brewing that needed to be dealt with first.  Years earlier, when based in Potsdam, Adolf Friedrich had a relationship with a woman named Margit Höllrigl.  Allegedly, he had proposed to her so that he could renounce his succession rights in favor of his younger brother.  But his brother had since died, and he attempted to pay off Höllrigl to release him from any obligation of marriage. Höllrigl, however, had other plans.  She claimed to have correspondence that linked Adolf Friedrich to “certain homosexual circles” and threatened to release them to the public unless he gave in to her demands for more money.

With World War I still raging, and the possibility of these letters being made public, Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich VI left his home in Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, on the evening of February 23, 1918, to take his dog for a walk. The following morning, his body was found in a nearby canal with a gunshot wound to his head. He left behind a suicide note which suggested that a woman was attempting to smear his name. However, his close friend Princess Daisy of Pless suggested that he had developed severe depression over the war and the loss of his beloved grandmother.

In his will, he had requested that Duke Christian Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the son of his good friend Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV, become the new Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The heir presumptive Duke Carl Michael of Mecklenburg lived in Russia and had previously indicated that he wished to renounce his rights to the grand ducal throne. However, before the matter could be resolved, Germany became a republic and the various German sovereigns lost their thrones.

Following his funeral, Adolf Friedrich VI was buried on Love Island, a small island off Castle Island in Mirow, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.  Castle Island is the site of the Grand Ducal Palace and the Johanniterkirche, the traditional burial place of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz grand ducal family.

Below are some suicide prevention resources.

In the United States, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. Anyone in the United States can text or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to reach trained counselors who can help them cope with a mental health emergency. National Institute of Mental Health: Suicide Prevention is also a United States resource.

Other countries also have similar resources. Please check the resources below.

• International Association for Suicide Prevention
• Wikipedia: List of international suicide crisis lines

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Mecklenburg-Strelitz Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Grand Duchy of Meckelnburg-Strelitz Index
• Profiles: Grand Dukes and Consorts of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
• Mecklenburg-Strelitz Royal Burial Sites
• Mecklenburg-Strelitz Royal Dates