Prince Gustav and Carina Axelsson, Current Events Part 2: Aug 2009 - June 2022

[Somebody]

If Germany, as it should have, repudiated the Nazis, then this will should be Null and Void. It is the essence of bigotry and racism. How any German Court, today would uphold this is beyond me. Why have they not tried?

To whom is your last question directed? If I am informed correctly, the will was challenged but so far unsuccessfully, leading to (among other things) Gustav not marrying his long-term girlfriend to secure his inheritance as head of the family and all that that entails/includes.

 

[Al_bina]

There must be a serious legal reason for the will in question to remain valid.

 

[Nice Nofret]

There must be a serious legal reason for the will in question to remain valid.

No: it's the other way round! There must be legal reasons for a will NOT to remain valid.

 

[Kataryn]

According to German law, you can do with what is yours as you want. After WWI all "House Laws" became void and the estate which was held in trust before and inherited according to the house laws went to the person who actually was the owner of the trust at that moment and he could do with it as he wanted. A lot of the noble families gathered and made up new rules under the new laws - eg. the Wettins of Saxony. Others didn't and the Head of the House kept the estate as his personal belongings. So when the grandfather of prince Gustav made his will, he was legally the owner of his whole estate and could put it in trust for his grandson, to be released once his stipulations were fulfilled. There were a lot of Nazis who in the war tried to make sure their Nazi-ideas would survive and and even some of those who realised that a new world without Nazi rules would begin soon would take thjeir life and take their children with them, like Magda Goebbels did, even though she knew that her very rich son from her first marriage lived securely in Switzerland and had pleaded with her to send his half-siblings to him. But she preferred to have them murdered by her doctor so they "never had to live in a society that is not ruled by Nazism".

I guess the late Prince was one of them with that "Aryan"-stipulation. But be it as it is, it is completely legal to ask a potential heir to be married according to your wishes. For he cannot force you, he can just decide that you don't get the money. Thus such a stipulation is not considered unethically but within your rights as the owner of your estate.

So Prince Richard only was the manager of the estate which he held in trust for his son. Gustav did not become heir as he never married. Now the question is: as the manager died, who should be the next manager? Gustav? Obviously that is what the majority of the family seem to think, as only one member of the family went to court about that, probably to have himself installed as manager. Now the court will have to decide if the will is still valid (Gustav could after all marry the right wife) and who should be the new manager or if it is void, then the estate would probably divided between all children of the late grandfather and Richard's share would go to Gustav and his sisters. So a lot of potential decisions would be unfortunate for Gustav but interesting for the other family members. I wouldn't wonder if Gustav got married to a trustworthy cousin who fulfills the stipulation and get divorced after he got ownership of his inheritance. I think there is a princess of S-W-B who did the same for the Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, but gave him an heir before they divorced.

 

[Marc23]

There must be a serious legal reason for the will in question to remain valid.

Well, the problem is that you can't challenge someone's private will just because you don't like the stipulations of the will, if the stipulations are not against the law, do not involve a crime or not written by an insane person.

If you, for example, wish to leave your private inheritance to any of your nephews who is settled in England and is married to an Englishwoman, can anyone challenge your will just because of the this condition? In your last will, you are free to be subjective as you wish, because it's your last wish and you are free to do anything with your possessions as you like. Of course, if the will is not against the law and doesn't involve any crime.

If any court decides otherwise, it would open Pandora's box.

 

[Stefan]

. I think there is a princess of S-W-B who did the same for the Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, but gave him an heir before they divorced.

Yes the then Hereditarsy Prince Alexander zu Schaumburg-Lippe married Princess Marie Louise (Lily) zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. Thy had a son and she became famous as a designer. But after all what is known and which both have told in Interviews it was a love marriage. She left him after a few years for another man from which she is now also divorced.

 

[Somebody]

Well, the problem is that you can't challenge someone's private will just because you don't like the stipulations of the will, if the stipulations are not against the law, do not involve a crime or not written by an insane person.

If you, for example, wish to leave your private inheritance to any of your nephews who is settled in England and is married to an Englishwoman, can anyone challenge your will just because of the this condition? In your last will, you are free to be subjective as you wish, because it's your last wish and you are free to do anything with your possessions as you like. Of course, if the will is not against the law and doesn't involve any crime.

If any court decides otherwise, it would open Pandora's box.

However, in the above case. If no nephew met that requirement, your inheritance still would need to be divided. Moreover, most countries also have rules that private wills have to adhere to. You can do a lot but not everything flies.

Apparently, even in Germany it is not against the law to require your grandson to marry someone of Aryan descent. You would hope that those kind of nazi requirements could be challenged and found void. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. And it is also disturbing that this requirement only applied to Gustav, that also seems unfair and raises questions about the lawfulness.

So Prince Richard only was the manager of the estate which he held in trust for his son. Gustav did not become heir as he never married. Now the question is: as the manager died, who should be the next manager? Gustav? Obviously that is what the majority of the family seem to think, as only one member of the family went to court about that, probably to have himself installed as manager. Now the court will have to decide if the will is still valid (Gustav could after all marry the right wife) and who should be the new manager or if it is void, then the estate would probably divided between all children of the late grandfather and Richard's share would go to Gustav and his sisters. So a lot of potential decisions would be unfortunate for Gustav but interesting for the other family members. I wouldn't wonder if Gustav got married to a trustworthy cousin who fulfills the stipulation and get divorced after he got ownership of his inheritance. I think there is a princess of S-W-B who did the same for the Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, but gave him an heir before they divorced.

I for one am glad that Gustav doesn't marry someone he doesn't intend to spend the rest of his life with. It would be completely unfair to Carina and would be a great misuse of the institution of marriage. Had he wanted to do so, he would have done it a long time ago.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

However, in the above case. If no nephew met that requirement, your inheritance still would need to be divided. Moreover, most countries also have rules that private wills have to adhere to. You can do a lot but not everything flies.

Apparently, even in Germany it is not against the law to require your grandson to marry someone of Aryan descent. You would hope that those kind of nazi requirements could be challenged and found void. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. And it is also disturbing that this requirement only applied to Gustav, that also seems unfair and raises questions about the lawfulness.

It is not only the Aryan descent, it seems there boxes:

- nobleman's daughter
- protestant
- "Aryan" (means: of North-European descent)

When Carina is not protestant, she can convert and one box is ticked.
But the two other boxes remain open.

 

[Marc23]

However, in the above case. If no nephew met that requirement, your inheritance still would need to be divided. Moreover, most countries also have rules that private wills have to adhere to. You can do a lot but not everything flies.

Apparently, even in Germany it is not against the law to require your grandson to marry someone of Aryan descent. You would hope that those kind of nazi requirements could be challenged and found void. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. And it is also disturbing that this requirement only applied to Gustav, that also seems unfair and raises questions about the lawfulness.

Well, the will does require Gustav to marry German noble girl, but only if he wants the private money of his grandfather. Otherwise, he is free to marry whomever he wants, if he wants, but not with this money.

In any case, if Gustav's love is genuine, he could have married Carina already. It's very sad that MONEY is preventing people to get married, have a family and be happy.

 

[Stefan]

Well, the will does require Gustav to marry German noble girl, but only if he wants the private money of his grandfather. Otherwise, he is free to marry whomever he wants, if he wants, but not with this money.

.

And actually he was once engaged to a non-noble catholic french woman

 

[Marc23]

And actually he was once engaged to a non-noble catholic french woman

Yes, to Elviré Paste de Rochefort.

I read in some articles that money was again the issue. They were engaged, but in the end, her father wasn't satisfied with the sum she would get in case of divorce, or something like that and nothing came of it.

Here is her ancestry:

Ancestry of Elvire Pasté de Rochefort

Although her father wasn't really noble(adopted the noble sounding surname), her mother, Helene Rodochanachi, descended from some of the most prominent phanariote noble families, which we can see in her ancestry chart, such as:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mavrocordatos_family

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rallis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlastos

Rodocanachi family Coat of Arms

 

[Somebody]

Well, the will does require Gustav to marry German noble girl, but only if he wants the private money of his grandfather. Otherwise, he is free to marry whomever he wants, if he wants, but not with this money.

In any case, if Gustav's love is genuine, he could have married Carina already. It's very sad that MONEY is preventing people to get married, have a family and be happy.

To me the most absurd part is that this requirement only applies to Gustav. Anyone else in the family can do as they please and still be a beneficiary of this estate but Gustav cannot.

And in addition, had Gustav married against his grandfather's directions, not only he but also his parents would loose everything they had, felt responsibility for and based their entire lives on based on the traditions and history they wanted to uphold.

And are you really suggesting Gustav's love for Carina is not genuine? While I would have liked them to get married, it's something different to disqualify their love because they make a different choice in complicated circumstances (and apparently with the full support of his family).

 

[Marc23]

It is not only the Aryan descent, it seems there boxes:

- nobleman's daughter
- protestant
- "Aryan" (means: of North-European descent)

When Carina is not protestant, she can convert and one box is ticked.
But the two other boxes remain open.

How strange is that Gustav's (grandfather of Prince Gustav who left the testament) own wife Margareta was of mixed French, German, Swedish and Scottish ancestry.

 

[Stefan]

Yes, to Elviré Paste de Rochefort.

I read in some articles that money was again the issue. They were engaged, but in the end, her father wasn't satisfied with the sum she would get in case of divorce, or something like that and nothing came of it.

I know. But she had not fullfilled all the reuirements from the Testament eveen if she was seen as a some minor noble because of her mother. She still was catholic and not protestant. So it seems that for her would agreed to loose his inheritance. But if i remember riggt the Testament Issue only became later public.

 

[Marc23]

And are you really suggesting Gustav's love for Carina is not genuine? While I would have liked them to get married, it's something different to disqualify their love because they make a different choice in complicated circumstances (and apparently with the full support of his family).

I agree that the circumstances are difficult, but here you chose between having a lot of money and having a wife and family of your own.

It's up to the person to decide which is more important.

I know. But she had not fullfilled all the reuirements from the Testament eveen if she was seen as a some minor noble because of her mother. She still was catholic and not protestant. So it seems that for her would agreed to loose his inheritance. But if i remember riggt the Testament Issue only became later public.

Yes, I agree with you. But it's not the case now with Carina. But, if they are still happy this way

 

[Somebody]

I agree that the circumstances are difficult, but here you chose between having a lot of money and having a wife and family of your own.

It's up to the person to decide which is more important.

I do think that it was not just loosing out on 'money' for himself but had far larger implications not just for Gustav but also for his family members (parents in particular).

And maybe Gustav and Carina already figured that they wouldn't/couldn't have children, so that might also have played into the decision - and as we've been able to decipher from the way Carina has been treated by the family (including being lend tiaras), she is considered his unofficial spouse.

 

[Marc23]

I do think that it was not just loosing out on 'money' for himself but had far larger implications not just for Gustav but also for his family members (parents in particular).

And maybe Gustav and Carina already figured that they wouldn't/couldn't have children, so that might also have played into the decision - and as we've been able to decipher from the way Carina has been treated by the family (including being lend tiaras), she is considered his unofficial spouse.

Well, if Gustav was already once ready to get married in 2001, that means that he and his parents already settled the situation, why not again.

 

[Somebody]

Well, if Gustav was already once ready to get married in 2001, that means that he and his parents already settled the situation, why not again.

We are not privy to all the information. If you are, please share. Maybe at that point they expected to win the lawsuit and he would be able to marry without loosing the inheritance. Some suggest it didn't work out because the bride's family weren't happy about the financial arrangements... So, it's been an issue before.

It could be that Gustav was done with all the trouble that came about after his engagement and preferred the stability of a non-formalized relationship? Or it could have been Carina who preferred not to marry; she might have suggested the current arrangement in which she is/feels more free to pursue her own dreams next to being in a relationship with Gustav.

Again, for me it is hard to imagine why they chose as they did - but it seems the two have been happy for over a decade in the current arrangement, it has been accepted by those closest to them. All in all, I assume a lot of thought went into it; and I just feel for him to have this burden of being the (future) head of the family with the expectations that come with it in his case including the stipulations of an outdated will.

 

[Marc23]

We are not privy to all the information.

Their engagement was officially announced by Danish Royal Court.

"Engagement is announced at the Danish Royal Court 16 August 2000 between Mlle Elvire Pasté de Rochefort, b. Paris 13 March 1968 and HSH Hereditary Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, b. Frankfurt am Main 12 January 1969, son of HSH Richard, Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg by his wife HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark."

The wedding was planned to take place at Paris on 12 May 2001, but was postponed. The couple later decided to go separate ways, cf. a communiquw published on 16 July 2001 (http://www.berlingske.dk/artikel:aid=109294, in Danish).

 

[Muhler]

Here is a BT article from the announcement of the engagement being broken:
https://www.bt.dk/nyheder/elvire-gustav-og-jeg-er-gaaet-fra-hinanden

In the article Elvira de Rochefort is quoted for saying:
Vi går fra hinanden, og jeg vil helst ikke tale om det. Hele affæren skal køles ned så meget som muligt. Der kommer en fælles meddelelse
"We are splitting up and I'd rather not talk about it. The whole affair needs to be cooled down as much as possible. There will be a common announcement."

Jeg er ked af det her, men vil gerne holde så lav en profil som muligt. Alt det, der er skrevet i ugebladene, er helt forkert.
"I'm sad about this but (I'd) like to keep as low profile as possibe. Everything that has been written in the weeklies is totally wrong."

Q: Mener du oplysningerne om en ægteskabskontrakt på 40 millioner?
Do you mean the informations about marriage-settlement/contract/agreement for 40 million?

Ja. I høj grad. Det er den anden vej fra, at problemer og økonomiske krav kommer. Vi har ikke krævet noget.
"Yes. Very much so. It's from the other side that problems and economic demands come. We haven't demanded anything."

Q: Handler kærlighed også om penge?
Is love also about money?

Ja, åbenbart. Der har været så mange problemer, at det nok er bedst at stoppe forholdet.
"Yes, apparently. There have been so many problems that it is probably better to stop the relationship."

ADDED:

According to another BT article, https://www.bt.dk/nyheder/richards-krav-var-uspiselige
Herve Paste de Rochefort says that it was Prince Gustav's parents who requested the marriage being postponed. He denies having demanded a large sum for his daughter in case of a divorce.

Det har jeg aldrig sagt noget om. Jeg kan ikke forstå, at Billed-Bladet citerer mig herfor. Hverken jeg eller min datter har forlangt noget af Wittgenstein-Berleburg-familien. Min datter er i stand til at forsørge sig selv. Det har hun gjort hidtil, og det vil hun blive ved med at gøre. Lige som også hendes familie kan klare sig selv!
"I have never said that. I can't understand that Billed Bladet quotes me for saying so. Neither I nor my daughter have demanded anything from the Wittgenstein-Berleburg family. My daughter is capable of providing for herself. She has done that so far and she will continue doing that. Just as her family con provide for itself!"

Jeg kan kun sige, at jeg og min familie ikke kan acceptere Wittgenstein-Berleburg-familiens betingelser. Familiens juridiske rådgiver har nok formuleret kontrakten på en forkert måde. Den er i hvert fald ikke acceptabel for os.
"I can only say that I and my family cannot accept the conditions of the Wittgenstein-Berleburg family. The legal councilor of the family has probably worded the contract in a wrong way. It is certainly not acceptable to us."

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

How strange is that Gustav's (grandfather of Prince Gustav who left the testament) own wife Margareta was of mixed French, German, Swedish and Scottish ancestry.

French, German, Swedish and Scottish is pretty a North European mix. After all half of France is more North than the South of Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

 

[COUNTESS]

It is not only the Aryan descent, it seems there boxes:

- nobleman's daughter
- protestant
- "Aryan" (means: of North-European descent)

When Carina is not protestant, she can convert and one box is ticked.
But the two other boxes remain open.

Aryan is a racist term used by Nazis. It doesn't mean Northern European decent. And you cannot convert. Jews who were either Catholic or Protestant by mean of conversion or birth, still were not Aryan. Nor were mixed race people, black people or Asians. Aryan is a made up designation.

 

[Marc23]

French, German, Swedish and Scottish is pretty a North European mix. After all half of France is more North than the South of Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

As Countess said, it's a term which can be used in both ways. For example, you thought of one, Countess thinks of the other.

It is very difficult for any court to officially determine in what way it was thought of if you say that word just like that in general, like the late Fürst Gustav did, without breaking any law, as somebody can inter-prate that aryan means this, not this etc. as it can have a lot of meanings for each group of people, just like it has for you two. Also, it is his personal will and by German law he can leave his personal fortune to anyone he wants and stipulate anything if it doesn't brake the law, which he didn't, so that's here the problem for Prince Gustav.

Here is a BT article from the announcement of the engagement being broken:
https://www.bt.dk/nyheder/elvire-gustav-og-jeg-er-gaaet-fra-hinanden

In the article Elvira de Rochefort is quoted for saying:
Vi går fra hinanden, og jeg vil helst ikke tale om det. Hele affæren skal køles ned så meget som muligt. Der kommer en fælles meddelelse
"We are splitting up and I'd rather not talk about it. The whole affair needs to be cooled down as much as possible. There will be a common announcement."

Jeg er ked af det her, men vil gerne holde så lav en profil som muligt. Alt det, der er skrevet i ugebladene, er helt forkert.
"I'm sad about this but (I'd) like to keep as low profile as possibe. Everything that has been written in the weeklies is totally wrong."

Q: Mener du oplysningerne om en ægteskabskontrakt på 40 millioner?
Do you mean the informations about marriage-settlement/contract/agreement for 40 million?

Ja. I høj grad. Det er den anden vej fra, at problemer og økonomiske krav kommer. Vi har ikke krævet noget.
"Yes. Very much so. It's from the other side that problems and economic demands come. We haven't demanded anything."

Q: Handler kærlighed også om penge?
Is love also about money?

Ja, åbenbart. Der har været så mange problemer, at det nok er bedst at stoppe forholdet.
"Yes, apparently. There have been so many problems that it is probably better to stop the relationship."

ADDED:

According to another BT article, https://www.bt.dk/nyheder/richards-krav-var-uspiselige
Herve Paste de Rochefort says that it was Prince Gustav's parents who requested the marriage being postponed. He denies having demanded a large sum for his daughter in case of a divorce.

Det har jeg aldrig sagt noget om. Jeg kan ikke forstå, at Billed-Bladet citerer mig herfor. Hverken jeg eller min datter har forlangt noget af Wittgenstein-Berleburg-familien. Min datter er i stand til at forsørge sig selv. Det har hun gjort hidtil, og det vil hun blive ved med at gøre. Lige som også hendes familie kan klare sig selv!
"I have never said that. I can't understand that Billed Bladet quotes me for saying so. Neither I nor my daughter have demanded anything from the Wittgenstein-Berleburg family. My daughter is capable of providing for herself. She has done that so far and she will continue doing that. Just as her family con provide for itself!"

Jeg kan kun sige, at jeg og min familie ikke kan acceptere Wittgenstein-Berleburg-familiens betingelser. Familiens juridiske rådgiver har nok formuleret kontrakten på en forkert måde. Den er i hvert fald ikke acceptabel for os.
"I can only say that I and my family cannot accept the conditions of the Wittgenstein-Berleburg family. The legal councilor of the family has probably worded the contract in a wrong way. It is certainly not acceptable to us."

Thank you very much for this article.

 

[Muhler]

Aryan is a racist term used by Nazis. It doesn't mean Northern European decent. And you cannot convert. Jews who were either Catholic or Protestant by mean of conversion or birth, still were not Aryan. Nor were mixed race people, black people or Asians. Aryan is a made up designation.

Exactly. That's why I don't understand that the Aryan clause of this will hasn't been dismissed out of hand.
The whole term is erroneous and doesn't mean the same today as it did back in the 1930's.
As far as I understand Aryans stem from Northern India and the most pure Aryans today live in Afghanistan!
Finding a Protestant Afghan of noble family may be a little problematic!

The will might just as well say: Of Merovingian birth, or Roman - it doesn't make sense anymore.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Aryan is a racist term used by Nazis. It doesn't mean Northern European decent. And you cannot convert. Jews who were either Catholic or Protestant by mean of conversion or birth, still were not Aryan. Nor were mixed race people, black people or Asians. Aryan is a made up designation.

Yes, you can convert. When we look it up in the Duden, we do not read anything about religion as a definition in Arisch: "Angehöriger einer angeblich geistig, politisch und kulturell überlegenen nordischen Menschengruppe".

(Members of a supposedly spiritual, political and cultural superior Nordic group of people).

When -for an example- Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz or Stéphanie de Lannoy would convert to Protestantism, they would have ticked all boxes for Prince Gustav's grandfather. Mette-Marit Tjessem-Høiby would have not ticked all three boxes (she is no nobleman's daughter). Like Mette-Marit, Carina stumbles over the requirement that the head of the House has to marry a nobleman's daughter. She is not. Then the other boxes are of no importance at all (she is Aryan and Protestant, no problem).


With other words: even if the "Aryan" requirement collapses, stil Carina does not meet another requirement.

 

[Somebody]

Their engagement was officially announced by Danish Royal Court.

"Engagement is announced at the Danish Royal Court 16 August 2000 between Mlle Elvire Pasté de Rochefort, b. Paris 13 March 1968 and HSH Hereditary Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, b. Frankfurt am Main 12 January 1969, son of HSH Richard, Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg by his wife HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark."

The wedding was planned to take place at Paris on 12 May 2001, but was postponed. The couple later decided to go separate ways, cf. a communiquw published on 16 July 2001 (http://www.berlingske.dk/artikel:aid=109294, in Danish).

How does this respond to my observation that we are not privy to ALL information?

How does the above for example answer questions such as:
What were Gustav's expectations regarding the inheritance if he married Elvira? What conditions were included in the contract that the bride's family didn't agree on? What was most important for Elvira and her family? What were the lessons learned from this experience? Did Gustav and Carina contemplate marriage? If so, when? If so, why did the two of them decide not to? What is their current understanding about the inheritance? Did they at some point start negotiations about a marriage contract (outside of the media's eye)?

So, I stand by: we are not privy to all information.

 

[Marc23]

How does this respond to my observation that we are not privy to ALL information?

How does the above for example answer questions such as:
What were Gustav's expectations regarding the inheritance if he married Elvira? What conditions were included in the contract that the bride's family didn't agree on? What was most important for Elvira and her family? What were the lessons learned from this experience? Did Gustav and Carina contemplate marriage? If so, when? If so, why did the two of them decide not to? What is their current understanding about the inheritance? Did they at some point start negotiations about a marriage contract (outside of the media's eye)?

So, I stand by: we are not privy to all information.

True, we don't know the exact details, as the stories of both sides are not the same, but that doesn't change the fact that he was already engaged, which means he was ready to be married, as the Danish Royal Court announced. These will stipulations exist at least 75 years already and in all those years haven't changed, so that's why I said that if he was ready to be married once with the consequences, he can do it again, if he want's to, of course.

I am sure he still won't be "poor" and will have the means to live. Somebody said that he designated his nephew, Count Richard von Pfeil und Klein-Elguth as his heir, but that is most probably the heir to his personal fortune, but the chairman trust fund position of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg family will probably go to the nearest male-line relation, after him.

 

[Kataryn]

Who knows what it was that ended the engagement of prince Gustav and his French Fiancée - there is so much depending on the actual wording of that infamous will. As the Danish court was involved it could have been that queen Margarethe was to "ennoble" the bride or her father, but she didn't want to convert. But obviously the family thought they could work around the will or even fulfill the stipulations with this marriage. But it didn't happen, Richard died and now a court of law has to decide because the potential heirs obviously could not decide in unisono what should happen. That's how I interpret what the lawyer was saying last year. According to what Bunte-magazine wrote last year, Ludwig Ferdinand hopes to be named as new manager of the estate instead of Gustav, for they allegedly wrote that some of Ludwig's daughters is going to move into Berleburg Castle after Gustav moved out. That's the reason why Gustav's lawyer spoke up after all. And he could have a chance because he has the experience to do the job and do it good for the sake of the estate (and the people who work there and are dependant on the princely house). That's the only explanation I have for the question why he should be interested in the estate and even if the will was declared void, he wouldn't be one of the recipients of parts of the estate, because his father was a brother of the 5th Prince and if someone dies without a will, only his children have a right to the estate, but not a nephew.
So the only thing that makes sense is that he wants to become manager of the trust left by his uncle und become custodian of Berleburg. Everything else simply makes no sense. And honestly I can't see why any court should do that as long as there is still the chance that Gustav fulfills the stipulations one day. Stranger things have happened.

Here's the only a bit more in-depth report I could find: https://www.wp.de/staedte/wittgenst...m-das-erbe-von-prinz-richard-id214989751.html

Here's another article with a bit more quotes from the lawyer:
Siegener Zeitung :: LOKALES :: Familienstreit ums Erbe entbrannt

 

[eya]

Carina , the Valentine Day and the new boots!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt4GStrHOxT/

Carina signed her new book in Dorset today!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuCZEtCHSqH/

Carina celebrates the World Book Day today visit the Roedean School.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ButucWDHaU-/

Carina today the International Women's Day was in London and take part at the panel about the day

https://www.instagram.com/p/Buw8BbNHZwu/

 

[iceflower]

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Carina shared a photo of last "Sunday's dog walk" - beautiful landscape!


** Photo **