Royal Deaths from Airplane Accidents

compiled by Susan Flantzer

This does not purport to be a complete list. All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.

Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

  • Born: February 23, 1883 in Stadthagen, Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
  • Last reigning Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, abdicated 1918
  • Parents: Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Marie Anne of Saxe-Altenburg
  • Married: Ellen von Bischoff-Korthaus in 1920, who also died in the accident
  • Died: March 26, 1936, aged 53, in Zumpango, Mexico
  • Buried: Family mausoleum in the park of Schloss Bückeburg in Bückeburg, Germany
  • Wikipedia: Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, his wife, eight other passengers, and four crew members were killed when their plane developed engine trouble and crashed between the volcanoes Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl as they were flying from Mexico City, Mexico to Guatemala City, Guatemala.

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The Grand Ducal Family of Hesse and by Rhine

Hereditary Grand Duke Georg Donatus, Prince Ludwig, Hereditary Grand Duchess Cecilie, Prince Alexander; Credit – Personal Collection of Scott Mehl

Hereditary Grand Duke Georg Donatus of Hesse and by Rhine

  • Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine abolished in 1918
  • Born: November 8, 1906 in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
  • Parents: Ernst Ludwig, last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich
  • Married: Princess Cecile of Greece and Denmark in 1931
  • Died: November 16, 1937, aged 31, in Ostend, Belgium
  • Buried: Rosenhöhe Park Cemetery in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany
  • Unofficial Royalty: Hereditary Grand Duke Georg Donatus of Hesse and by Rhine

Princess Cecilie of Greece, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine

  • Born: October 25, 1931 in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany
  • Parents: Hereditary Grand Duke Georg Donatus of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Cecilie of Greece
  • Died: November 16, 1937, aged 6, in Ostend, Belgium
  • Buried: Rosenhöhe Park Cemetery in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany
  • Wikipedia: Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine

Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine

  • Born: April 14, 1933 in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany
  • Parents: Hereditary Grand Duke Georg Donatus of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Cecilie of Greece
  • Died: November 16, 1937, aged 4, in Ostend, Belgium
  • Buried: Rosenhöhe Park Cemetery in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany
  • Wikipedia: Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine

Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, Dowager Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

The family was flying to London for the wedding of Georg Donatus’ younger brother Prince Ludwig and Margaret Geddes, scheduled for November 20, 1937. Traveling with the family were the children’s nurse and Baron Joachim Riedesel zu Eisenbach, the groom’s best man. Georg Donatus and Cecilie’s youngest child Johanna had remained in Darmstadt. Less than two years later, Johanna contracted meningitis and died.

The plane was scheduled to stop in Brussels, Belgium, however, the weather did not allow for a safe landing and the pilot continued on to Ostend, Belgium, with the intent of landing there. Unfortunately, the weather was just as bad, with almost no visibility. While attempting to land, the plane clipped a chimney on a factory near the airport. The plane was torn apart and crashed. The seven passengers, the pilot, and three crew members were all killed.

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Prince George, Duke of Kent

  • Born: December 20, 1902 at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England
  • Parents: King George V of the United Kingdom and Princess Victoria Mary of Teck
  • Married: Princess Marina of Greece in 1934
  • Died: August 25, 1942, aged 39 in Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland
  • Buried: St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, following his wife’s death in 1968, he was buried with her at the Royal Burial Grounds at Frogmore in Windsor, England
  • Unofficial Royalty: Prince George, Duke of Kent

Just six weeks after the birth of his youngest child, George boarded a Royal Air Force flying boat patrol bomber in Scotland, headed for Iceland. Sadly, the plane crashed due to an error of navigation into a hillside near Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland, killing all on board except for one person. There is much speculation as to the nature of this trip. While officially it was a standard visit to troops in Iceland, there are allegations and suggestions that it was some sort of “secret mission”. The Duke of Kent’s body was found with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist, full of 100 kroner notes.

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Prince Christoph of Hesse

  • Born: May 14, 1901 in Frankfurt am Main, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Hesse, Germany
  • Parents: Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse and Princess Margarete of Prussia
  • Married: Princess Sophie of Greece in 1930
  • Died: October 7, 1943, aged 42 in the Apennine Mountains near Forlì, Italy
  • Buried: German military cemetery near Forlì, Italy
  • Wikipedia: Prince Christoph of Hesse

During World War II, Christoph served in the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) Research Office and then joined the Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Squadron) 53 in 1942. Christoph and his co-pilot Wilhelm Gsteu took off from an airfield near Rome, Italy, Their destination was Mannheim, Germany. They crashed in the Apennine Mountains near Forlì, Italy. The plane was completely destroyed and the two bodies were not found until two days later. The exact cause of the plane crash remains unclear.

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Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten

  • Born: April 22, 1906 at Stockholm Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
  • Parents: King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught
  • Married: Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1932
  • Died: January 26, 1947, aged 40, at Kastrup Airfield in Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Buried: Royal Cemetery at Haga Park in Solna, Sweden
  • Unofficial Royalty: Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten

Gustaf Adolf would have become King of Sweden had he not died in a commercial airplane crash at the Kastrup Airport in Kastrup, Denmark, near Copenhagen. He was returning from a hunting trip and a visit to Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. The plane had landed at Kastrup for a routine stop before continuing to Stockholm. After taking off, the plane climbed to an altitude of only 150 feet, stalled, and plummeted nose-first to the ground, where it exploded upon impact. All 22 people aboard the plane were killed. Also killed in the accident were the prince’s aide, Count Albert Stenbock, Danish actress Gerda Neumann, and American opera singer Grace Moore.

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Archduchess Maria Ileana of Austria, Baroness von Kottulin

Maria Ileana and her husband who also died; Credit – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/223843043965671481/?lp=true  

  • Born: December 18, 1933 in Mödling, Austria
  • Parents: Archduke Anton of Austria and Princess Ileana of Romania
  • Married: Count Jaroslaw Kottulinsky, Baron von Kottulin in 1957, who also died
  • Died: January 11, 1959, aged 26, at the Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport in Brazil

Maria Ileana was a granddaughter of King Ferdinand of Romania and Princess Marie of Edinburgh (a granddaughter of Queen Victoria). Twenty-nine passengers and seven crew members were killed when the Lufthansa airplane crashed and burned in a rainstorm while approaching the airport. Only the co-pilot and two flight attendants survived.

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Prince William of Gloucester

  • Born: December 18, 1941 in Hadley Common, Barnet, Hertfordshire, England
  • Parents: Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott
  • Died: August 28, 1972, aged 30, in Halfpenny Green, Staffordshire, England
  • Buried: Royal Burial Grounds at Frogmore in Windsor, England
  • Unofficial Royalty: Prince William of Gloucester

Prince William was a licensed pilot, owned several airplanes, and enjoyed competing in air shows. On August 28, 1972, William planned on competing at the Goodyear International Air Trophy at Halfpenny Green, near Wolverhampton, England. Express and Star photographer Ray Bradbury, an eyewitness, described what happened: “I saw Prince William’s Piper, number 66, and another Piper, number 69, take off. Number 69 appeared to get airborne before the prince. Then it seemed he was in some sort of trouble. He banked to port. It looked as though the Prince might have been troubled by the other aircraft which was making a turn but at a higher altitude. His port wing seemed to hit the trees and he disappeared from view. Then there was an explosion.”

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