Carl Fürst zu Wied (1961-2015)

Carl Fürst zu Wied died completely unexpectedly in the early hours of Thursday 12 March 2015 in the Marienhaus Klinikum St. Elisabeth in Neuwied after an heart attack. He was only 53 years old. The funeral service will take place in Neuwied on 20 March 2015, followed by the burial at the family cemetery near the Monrepos Castle in Neuwied.

Carl was the 8th Fürst zu Wied. He was born in Neuwied on 27 October 1961 as youngest of the two sons of Friedrich Wilhelm Fürst zu Wied and his first wife Guda Prinzessin zu Waldeck und Pyrmont (* 1939). They were married in 1958 and got divorced in 1967. Both parents remarried. His father had another son and daughter, his mother had two more sons. Friedrich Wilhelm Fürst zu Wied died in Salmon Arm, Canada, on 28 August 2000, aged 69, while visiting the family’s property there. Carl’s elder brother Alexander (* 1960) formally renounced his rights as first born son on 4 October 2000, and is not regarded as having succeeded his father.

Carl married in Birstein on 25 April 1998 Princess Isabelle von Isenburg (* 1973), daughter of Fürst Franz Alexander and his wife Countess Christine von Saurma, Freiin von und zu der Jeltsch. The couple had four children: Maximilian (* Neuwied 10 August 1999), Friedrich Wilhelm (* Neuwied 12 June 2001), Marie Elisabeth (born and died Neuwied 29 March 2003) and Luise (* Neuwied 2 November 2004). Maximilian, only 15 years old, will be the new Fürst. The family lives at the residence castle in Neuwied, Germany, built between 1707 and 1756.

Fürst Carl studied business administration. After the death of his father he led the family property. He managed about 5,500 hectares of forest and was shareholder of a steel company. He was very much involved in the conservation of nature and environmental pollution. Since 2000 he was the president of the Naturpark Rhein-Westerwald. Only early this month he had been chosen as spokesperson for the president of the Naturparke in Rheinland-Pfalz. He also was the patron of the Rheinische SchützenBund. Hunting was his hobby.

An interesting portrait about his work and his love for hunting can be seen here.

The Wied family tree starts with Sifrid I Lord of Runkel, who was mentioned in a document in 1159.. Friedrich von Runkel in 1462 inherited the County of Wied. He was a son of Dietrich IV von Runkel and Countess Anastasia von Isenburg-Wied († 1454), who was the heiress of her father Count Wilhelm II († 1462). The title of “Reichsfürst” (Prince of the Holy Roman Empire) was given to Johann Friedrich Alexander Graf zu Wied on 29 May 1784. Since 1824 the head of the house has the titles Fürst zu Wied, Graf zu Isenburg, Herr zu Runkel und Neuerburg, and is called “Durchlaucht” (Serene Highness).