The House of Württemberg mourns the loss of Carl Duke of Württemberg, who died in the early hours of Tuesday, June 7, in Ravensburg at the age of 86. He “died surrounded by his family after a long illness,” a statement said. He is survived by his wife, Diane Duchess of Württemberg, five children, 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He also leaves behind two sisters of his once six siblings.
The Duke of Württemberg family has lived in Hinterstoder since 1875. The Duke of Württemberg forestry and hunting operations stretch from the Schiederweiher pond to the Spitzmauer (2446 m) and the Großer Priel (2515 metres), for which Duke Carl helped finance the huge red summit cross in 2008.
Strongly rooted in the Stodertal
Since 2006, Duke Carl has been an honorary citizen of the municipality of Hinterstoder and since 2016 he has been awarded the Golden Medal of Honor of the State of Upper Austria. Although he rarely appeared in public, he was considered to be deeply rooted in the Stoder Valley and a patron of the region.
Last year he vehemently opposed the plans for a luxury camping site on the site of the burnt down Peham villa near the Polsterlucke. In an open letter he let it be known at the time that he wanted to exhaust the statutory legal remedies in order to prevent “this project, which is harmful to the Stoder Valley”. “The Schiederweiher was not voted the most beautiful place in Austria by chance, but because I looked after it like the apple of my eye,” says the duke himself.
From the archive:
Grandson becomes successor
He was born on August 1, 1936 in Friedrichshafen. He was the son of Duke Philipp of Württemberg and Duchess Rosa, née Archduchess of Austria. After graduating from high school in Riedlingen, he studied law at the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen and in 1959 joined the Court Chamber of the House of Württemberg, the private asset management of the house.
In July 1960 he married Princess Diane of France, daughter of Count Henri de Paris. The couple had six children: Duke Friedrich (1961-2018), Duchess Mathilde, Princess von Waldburg-Zeil (*1962), Duke Eberhard (*1963), Duke Philipp (*1964), Duke Michael (*1965) and Duchess Eleonore Fleur , Countess Goëss (*1977). From 1975 he was head of the House of Württemberg. Successor as head of the house is now grandson Duke Wilhelm (*1994).
Source: Nachrichten
