During the rise of Nazi Germany, several European aristocrats and princesses found themselves entangled with Adolf Hitler's regime. Some supported Nazi ideology openly, while others aligned themselves through marriage or social connections. These "Nazi princesses" were symbols of glamour and privilege, yet their lives were forever altered by their proximity to the horrors of the Third Reich. After World War II, they faced a stark reckoning—social disgrace, legal consequences, and, for many, a complete loss of status and wealth.
1. The Hohenzollern Family and Its Princesses
The Hohenzollerns, the former ruling family of Germany, had members who were initially sympathetic to the Nazi regime. Hitler courted the family, hoping to use their influence, and some Hohenzollerns believed supporting him might restore the monarchy.
Cecilie, Crown Princess of Germany: Married to the son of the last Kaiser, Cecilie lived in splendor before the war. However, her husband, Crown Prince Wilhelm, briefly supported Hitler, tarnishing the family's reputation. After the war, the Hohenzollerns were stripped of their remaining estates, and Cecilie lived out her days in relative obscurity, far from her former royal status.
2. Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark
Princess Sophie, sister of Prince Philip (the Duke of Edinburgh), married Prince Christoph of Hesse, an SS officer and ardent Nazi. Her connection to the regime, through both her husband and her family's ties to German aristocracy, placed her under scrutiny after the war.
After her husband’s death in 1943, Sophie distanced herself from Nazism. She relocated to Italy and later remarried, but her association with the Third Reich followed her for the rest of her life, tarnishing her reputation among European royal circles.
3. Princess Mafalda of Savoy
An exception among the "Nazi princesses," Princess Mafalda of Italy tragically opposed Hitler. Daughter of King Victor Emmanuel III, she was married to Prince Philipp of Hesse, a Nazi sympathizer. However, Mafalda’s efforts to aid victims of the regime and her open opposition to Hitler led to her arrest.
She was imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp, where she endured horrific treatment. Mafalda died in 1944 after being gravely injured in an air raid. Her story remains a haunting example of the regime’s cruelty, even toward royalty.
4. The Tarnished Legacy of the Coburg and Gotha Lineage
The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha had members who openly supported the Nazi regime. Duke Carl Eduard, the head of the house, was a committed Nazi and close ally of Hitler.
Princess Sibylla of Sweden, Carl Eduard’s daughter, married into the Swedish royal family. Although Sibylla herself was not politically active, her family’s Nazi ties led to suspicion and scandal after the war. Her son, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, worked to repair the family’s reputation in later years.
5. The Loss of Wealth and Status
Many princesses from noble families aligned with Nazism were stripped of their wealth and privileges after the war. Their estates were confiscated by the Allies, and their titles became meaningless in a world seeking justice for Nazi atrocities.
Some fled to neutral countries, trying to start new lives, while others lived in relative anonymity, burdened by their tarnished names. The glamorous lives they once led, marked by opulence and influence, were replaced by the grim reality of postwar Europe.
6. Social Stigma and Historical Reckoning
For many of these women, the greatest punishment came not from legal tribunals but from public disgrace. The allure of royalty was no longer enough to shield them from criticism or ostracism.
Efforts to downplay or justify their connections to the Third Reich were often met with skepticism by historians and the public alike. Many spent the rest of their lives in isolation, attempting to erase their associations with one of history’s darkest chapters.