King Charles III's First Cousin, Prince Max of Baden, Laid to Rest in Salem, Germany

King Charles III of the United Kingdom is privately grieving the death of his two cousins, Prince Maximilian, Margrave of Baden, and ex-King of Greece Constantine II.

But the new British monarch did not attend either funeral service, instead, he sent representatives to attend the event on his behalf. Both Prince Max and Constantine II were heads of their respective royal houses, the Baden and Greek Glucksburg, albeit non-reigning royal houses.

Prince Max of Baden (1933-2022)

Prince Max directly descended from Queen Victoria through her second daughter, Princess Alice. He also directly descended from King Christian IX of Denmark through his two children, King George I of Greece, and Princess Thyra. 

King Constantine II, the last King of Greece, died on January 10, 2023, at the age of 82, in Athens, Greece, and was laid to rest today, January 16, in the Tatoi palace ground where his parents, King Paul I and Queen Frederica, were laid to rest.

Prince Max of Baden 1933-2022

Constantine II's father, King Paul I of Greece, was the first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He also descended from Queen Victoria's eldest child, Princess Vicky. 

While Prince Max, who died on December 29, 2022, at the age of 89, was the son of Prince Philip's older sister, Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark. While his father, Prince Berthold, was the son of Prince Maximilian of Baden and Princess Marie Louise of Hanover (daughter of Ernest Augustus III, Prince of Hanover, and Princess Thyra of Denmark). 

The Princely House of Baden

The Princely House of Baden in Germany ceased to exist, along with other German princely houses, following the defeat of Germany during World War I, but they continue to carry royal titles and courtesy styles.

Prince Max of Baden and his wife, Archduchess Valerie of Austria

Prince Max of Baden and his wife, Archduchess Valerie of Austria

Prince Maximilian, Margrave of Baden, was born Maximilian Andreas Friedrich Gustav Ernst August Bernhard on July 3, 1933. as the son of Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark and Prince Berthold, Margrave of Baden. They were second cousins through King Christian IX of Denmark. 

Prince Berthold died in 1963 while Princess Theodora died in October 1969, just two months before her mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg's death in Buckingham Palace.

Prince Philip grew up in their household. In 1934, after the collapse of their parent's marriage and their mother was institutionalized in Switzerland, Prince Philip's four older sisters, who married German princes, decided that he should be sent to Salem, Germany to continue his high school education.

HRH Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark 1906-1969

Prince Philip spent three years studying at Schloss Salem, an elite private boarding school in Baden, founded by Prince Berthold's family. Prince Philip became close to the school's headmaster, Kurt Hahn, who was of Jewish ancestry.

But when Adolf Hitler began tracking and monitoring Jewish educators in Germany, Kurt Hahn left Salem and moved to Scotland to establish Gordonstoun School. Prince Philip followed his mentor and continued his high school at Gordonstoun.

Prince Max also followed his uncle Philip to Scotland in his high school years to study at Gordonstoun School. In 1966, Prince Max married Archduchess Valerie Hapsburg of Austria, a great granddaughter of Emperor Joseph I of Austria. 

Prince Max's son and heir, Prince Bernhard, was one of the 30 people invited to attend the largely reduced funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in April 2021 in Windsor. The Baden royals were also some of the extended members of the royal family who attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

Archduchess Valerie and her son, Prince Bernhard, and his wife, Princess Stephanie

On December 29, 2022, the House of Baden announced that Prince Maximilian von Baden died at Salem Castle in Germany. 

"Since 1963, Max Margrave of Baden was head of the house and the head of the formerly ruling Grand Ducal Baden Princely House, which from 1112 to 1918, provided the sovereigns in the Baden part of today's federal state of Baden-Württemberg," the statement said.

Some members of the Baden princely house who married into the European royal families were Princess Alexandrine to Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (maternal uncle of Queen Victoria), her younger sister, Princess Cecil to Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia (youngest son of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia), and their niece, Princess Victoria, to the future King Gustaf V of Sweden.

King Philippe of Belgium and Prince Albert II of Monaco

Princess Caroline of Hanover and her son, Pierre Casiraghi

Prince Max was laid to rest on January 13, 2023, ahead of his second cousin, King Constantine II of Greece's funeral on the 16th, at the Salemer Münster inside the Schloss Salem complex. 

Prince Max assumed the title of Margrave of Baden upon his father's (Prince Berthold) death in 1963. He was instrumental in the revitalization of Lake Constance land which led to the flourishing Markgraf von Baden winery.

Lake Constance is one of the most scenic tourist attractions in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, the Princely house of Baden owned large part of this property including the island of Mainau. 

Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia and his wife, Princess Sophie

When Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden, died without a son, he passed the Grand Duchy of Baden to his cousin, Prince Maximilian (father of Prince Berthold), but he bequeathed the Mainau island to his only sister, Queen Victoria of Sweden. 

Hereditary Prince Ernst August of Hanover and his wife Ekaterina. In front: Prince Karl Friedrich and Princess Katharina of Hohenzollern

Mainau island then passed to Queen Victoria's younger son, Prince Wilhelm (his wife was Prince Philip's first cousin, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia), and to his only son, Prince Lennart, who later became Count Lennart Bernadotte of Wisborg.

In 1998, Prince Maximilian handed over the administration of the Margravial Baden Group to his son and heir, Hereditary Prince Bernhard. 

Prince Max of Baden's coffin inside the Salem Cathedral

In 1982, Prince Max founded GermanAid-Baden, a nonprofit dedicated to helping refugees, according to the House of Baden. He was also dedicated to historical preservation, overseeing the extensive renovation of Salem Castle and the cathedral. 

In a statement released by Prince Max's spokesperson, the House of Baden said: "Margrave Max always felt a great responsibility for the common good and was involved in many functions in the state of Baden-Württemberg. He was a member of over 60 clubs and associations. The Margrave was a member of the Synod of the Baden State Church for several legislative periods. The Red Cross was particularly close to his heart." 

Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibylla of Luxembourg

Royal guests at Prince Max's funeral King 

Philippe of the Belgians, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Princess Caroline of Hanover, her son Pierre Casiraghi, Hereditary Prince Ernst August of Hanover and his wife, Princess Ekaterina, Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia and his wife, Princess Sophie, Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg (younger brother of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg) and his wife, Princess Sibylla.

Prince Leopold and Princess Ursula of Bavaria

Prince Hassan and Princess Sumaya of Jordan, Princess Sarvath, Prince Leopold and Princess Ursula of Bavaria, Prince Karl Friedrich of Hohenzollern, Duchess Marie of Wurttemberg and her son, Wilhelm, Duke of Wurttemberg, Prince Alexander and Princess Mahkarmeh of Schaumberg-Lippe.

Duchess Marie of Wurttemberg and her son,Wilhelm, the Duke of Wurttemberg 

Prince Max's cousins Prince Donatus of Hesse and his wife, Princess Floria, Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langeburg, and his wife Princess Saskia. 

It looks like none of the royal cousins from Britain attended the funeral, but according to some press releases, King Charles III authorized his cousins, Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langerberg and Prince Donatus of Hesse to represent him and his siblings at the funeral. The two also attended the funeral of Prince Philip in April 2021 and Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.