by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021
Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – a grandson of the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – is the pretender to the former ducal throne, and head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
photo: Frankie Fouganthinderivative work: Surtsicna – This file was derived from: Benedikte of Denmark and Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.jpg:, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26616171
Prince Andreas Michael Friedrich Hans Armin Siegfried Hubertus was born on March 21, 1943 at Schloss Casel in Lower Lusatia. He is the only child of Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his first wife Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth.
Andreas has three half-siblings from father’s second marriage to Denyse Henriette de Muralt, and one half-sibling from his mother’s second marriage to Richard Whitten:
- Marie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1949) – married Gion Schäfter, had issue
- Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1951) – married Friedrich-Ernst of Saxe-Meiningen, had issue
- Adrian of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1955) – married (1) Lea Rinderknecht, had issue; (2) Gertrud Krieg, no issue
- Victoria Whitten (1948)
Following his parents’ divorce in 1946, Andreas moved with his mother to her family home in Austria. There, she met and married her second husband, Richard Whitten, an American military officer stationed in Salzburg. Three years later, the family returned to the United States, settling in New Orleans, where Andreas attended school. Having become heir to the former ducal throne upon his grandfather’s death in 1954, a few years later he began making regular visits to Germany in preparation for his future role as head of the Ducal House. He studied Business Administration at Louisiana State University in the early 1960s, before returning permanently to Germany in 1965. There, he completed two years of military service with the Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion 6 based in Eutin, Schleswig-Holstein. Andreas then began training in the forestry industry, including an apprenticeship with Mueller & Son in Hamburg from 1969-1971. He then worked at a Japanese financial firm, learning how to run a successful business.
On July 31, 1971 in Hamburg, Prince Andreas married Carin Dabelstein, the daughter of Adolf Dabelstein and Irma Callsen. Having received formal approval from his father as Head of the House, the marriage was deemed fully legitimate and dynastic. Andreas and Carin have three children:
- Princess Stephanie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1972) – married Dr. Jan Stahl, no issue
- Hubertus, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1975) – married Kelly Rondesvedt, has issue
- Prince Alexander of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1977) – unmarried
After the birth of their elder son, Andreas and his wife decided to leave Hamburg and move to Coburg. There, he worked to establish a presence within the city and the European community as a whole. He began to reach out to extended family, hoping to heal many of the wounds caused in the past – primarily after his grandfather had sided with Hitler during World War II. He became involved with numerous civic organizations and focused on his work as Administrator of the Coburg Family Foundation.
Callenberg Castle. photo: By Überfranke – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83970018
Following the fall of communism and the reunification of Germany, Prince Andreas began working to re-acquire former family property that had been seized after the war. In 1996 he was able to purchase back over 4,900 acres of forest in Thuringia, and in 2000, the Family Foundation negotiated with the German government and the Free State of Thuringia to acquire an additional 15,000+ and 1,900+ acres, respectively. The family – through the foundation – also own Callenberg Castle in Coburg and Greinburg Castle (link in German) in Grein, Austria.
Having firmly set his roots in Coburg, Andreas served on the Coburg City Council from 1996-2002. During this time, he became the Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha upon his father’s death in January 1998. He continued to serve as Administrator of the Family Foundation until retiring and handing the reins to his son, Hubertus, in January 2012.
Since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2011, the Prince has continued to be as active as possible. He spends much of his time with family and friends, traveling, and visiting his properties in Germany and Austria. He is a first cousin and close friend of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and is the godfather of the King’s younger daughter, Princess Madeleine. Because of this relationship, the Prince is often seen in attendance at Swedish royal family events.
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