Prince Henry of Prussia (1900–1904)

Prince Henry Victor Louis Frederick of Prussia (German: Heinrich Viktor Ludwig Friedrich; 9 January 1900 – 26 February 1904), was the third son and youngest child of Prince Henry of Prussia and Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine. He was a grandson of Frederick III, German Emperor, through his father and a great-grandson of Queen Victoria. He died at the age of four after his hemophilia exacerbated a head injury.

Prince Henry of Prussia
Prince Henry c. 1903
Born	(1900-01-09)9 January 1900 Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, German Empire
Died	26 February 1904(1904-02-26) (aged 4) Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, German Empire
Burial	29 February 1904 Schloss Hemmelmark, Barkelsby, Schleswig-Holstein, German Empire
Names English: Henry Victor Louis Frederick German: Heinrich Viktor Ludwig Friedrich
House	Hohenzollern
Father	Prince Henry of Prussia
Mother	Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine
Religion	Evangelical Christian

Prince Heinrich with his family in 1900.

Life

Prince Heinrich was born on 9 January 1900, in Kiel. His father was pleased by the birth of yet another son, especially such a handsome one, as the Prince had blonde hair. The newborn Prince immediately received the title Prince of Prussia with the style Royal Highness, and was baptised Heinrich Viktor Ludwig Friedrich in Kiel Castle on 15 March 1900. His older brothers were Prince Waldemar, a namesake of his uncle, and Prince Sigismund, a namesake of his other deceased uncle. Heinrich was named in honour of his father. The Prince was diagnosed with haemophilia as a young child, but, despite this, was a very cheerful and lively boy who liked to play a lot. As Henry grew older he became more aware of his condition.

Death

On 25 February, Princess Irene left Heinrich unsupervised for a few minutes while she went to fetch something. The playful Prince climbed a chair, and then he climbed onto the table. As he heard his mother approaching, he attempted to quickly come down but stumbled while attempting to climb down the chair and fell on the floor headfirst. He started to scream, which immediately attracted the Princess' attention. By the time she reached him, the child was almost unconscious. The doctor said the fall had not been that bad and the child would have survived had he not been a haemophiliac. However, experiencing this condition, it was certain the young Prince would die. He was experiencing a brain haemorrhage. He lingered for a couple of hours, but died the following day, on 26 February. He was four years old.

Aftermath

Prince Heinrich's premature death would later very much affect the Princess, who would withdraw into herself. One of his older brothers, Prince Waldemar, also had haemophilia. He lived up to the age of 56 and was married, without children. The middle sibling, Prince Sigismund, was unaffected by the disease.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Prince Henry of Prussia (1900–1904)

8. William I, German Emperor 4. Frederick III, German Emperor 9. Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 2. Prince Henry of Prussia 10. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 5. Victoria, Princess Royal 11. Victoria of the United Kingdom 1. Prince Henry of Prussia 12. Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine 6. Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine 13. Princess Elisabeth of Prussia 3. Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine 14. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (= 10) 7. Princess Alice of the United Kingdom 15. Victoria of the United Kingdom (= 11)

Notes

Haemophilia in European royalty

Queen Victoria Xx Albert XY Victoria X? Edward VII XY Alice Xx Louis IV XY Alfred XY Helena X? Louise X? Arthur XY Leopold xY Helen XX Beatrice Xx Henry XY Victoria X? Elisabeth X? Irene Xx Henry XY Ernest Louis XY Frederick xY Alix Xx Nicholas II XY Alice Xx Alexander XY Waldemar xY Sigismund XY Henry xY Olga XX? Tatiana XX? Maria Xx? Anastasia XX? Alexei xY May X? Rupert xY Maurice XY Alexander XY Victoria Eugenie Xx Alfonso XIII XY Leopold xY Maurice XY Alfonso xY Jaime XY Beatriz X? Maria Cristina X? Juan XY Gonzalo xY Legend: X – unaffected X chromosome; x – affected X chromosome; Y – Y chromosome; ? - unknown carrier status Source: Aronova-Tiuntseva, Yelena; Herreid, Clyde Freeman (20 September 2003). "Hemophilia: 'The Royal Disease'" (PDF). SciLinks. National Science Teachers Association. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 January 2018.