William, Prince of Hohenzollern (7 March 1864 in Schloss Benrath, near Düsseldorf – 22 October 1927 in Sigmaringen) was the eldest son of Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern and Infanta Antónia of Portugal. William was an older brother of Ferdinand of Romania. His first cousins included (among others) Carlos I of Portugal, Albert I of Belgium, Frederick Augustus III of Saxony, and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony. Between 1880 and 1886, William was heir presumptive to the Romanian throne. On 20 December 1886, he renounced his rights to the throne in favour of his brother Ferdinand.

Family

On 27 June 1889, William married Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Her parents were Prince Louis, Count of Trani and Mathilde Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria. Louis was the eldest son of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria. Mathilde was the fourth daughter of Maximilian, Duke in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. William and Maria Teresa had three children: William succeeded his father as Prince of Hohenzollern on 8 June 1905. Maria Teresa died on 1 May 1909. On 20 January 1915, Wilhelm married secondly Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria. She was a daughter of Ludwig III of Bavaria and Maria Theresia of Austria-Este. There were no children from this marriage. William's title was effectively abolished with the collapse of the German Empire. He continued to use his princely surname, which was permitted by the constitution.

Romanian succession

On 22 November 1880, William's father, Prince Leopold, renounced his rights to the succession of the principality of Romania in favour of his sons. Having become familiar with the situation there, the 22-year-old William renounced all rights to the succession of the kingdom (since 1881) of Romania by a letter in French dated on 20 December 1886. In 1914, upon the death of king Carol I of Romania, William's next brother Ferdinand became king.

Honours and awards

• Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen: Cross of Honour of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, 1st Class with Swords • undefined: • * Knight of the Black Eagle, with Collar • * Grand Cross of the Red Eagle • * Grand Commander of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern • * Iron Cross (1914), 1st Class • * Military Honor Medal • * Red Cross Medal, 1st Class • Anhalt: • * Grand Cross of Albert the Bear, 1887 • * Friedrich Cross • Baden: • * Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1884 • * Knight of the Order of Berthold the First, with Golden Collar, 1884 • * Grand Cross of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order • undefined: • * Knight of St. Hubert, 1905 • * Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order, with Swords • Brunswick: • * Grand Cross of Henry the Lion • * War Service Cross • Ernestine duchies: • * Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, 1887; with Swords, 1914 • * Duke Ernst Medal with Crown (Altenburg) • * Cross for Merit in War (Meiningen) • Hesse and by Rhine: • * Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 12 July 1906 • * Medal of Bravery • Mecklenburg: • * Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Ore • * Gold Military Merit Cross (Schwerin) • * Cross for Distinction in War, 1st Class (Strelitz) • Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Collar and Crown • Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the White Falcon • undefined: Knight of the Rue Crown • Württemberg: Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1906; with Swords • Kingdom of Romania: • * Collar of the Order of Carol I • * Grand Cross of the Star of Romania • * Grand Cross of the Crown of Romania • * Decoration of Bene Merenti of the Royal House • Austria-Hungary: • * Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Leopold, 1900 • * Grand Cross of St. Stephen, 1905 • * Knight of the Golden Fleece, 1907 • 🇧🇪 Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold • Principality of Bulgaria: Grand Cross of St. Alexander • 🇬🇷 Kingdom of Greece: Grand Cross of the Redeemer • Kingdom of Italy: Knight of the Annunciation, 28 October 1913 • * Two Sicilian Royal Family: Grand Cross of St. Ferdinand and Merit • Holy See: Grand Cross of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem • Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion • Ottoman Empire: Order of the Medjidie, 1st Class • Kingdom of Portugal: • * Grand Cross of the Sash of the Two Orders • * Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword, with Collar • Russian Empire: Knight of St. Andrew • undefined: • * Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, with Collar, 1907 • * Grand Cross of Military Merit • undefined: Grand Cordon of the Order of Glory

Ancestry