- Prinzenerlass
"Prinzenerlass" ("the Prince's decree") was the name of a decree issued in 1940 by
Adolf Hitler that prohibited all members of Germany's formerly reigning royal houses from joining or participating in any military operations in theWehrmacht .Until the Nazi seizure of power, and even until the outbreak of
World War II , the members of the former German nobility continued to enjoy the rights they had prior to the abolition of the monarchy in 1918. During the course of the war, however, Hitler changed this position, and a deep mistrust grew, especially after the attempted assassination on his life, in which several members of the former nobility were key participants.In May 1940, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, the grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II, took part in the invasion of France. He was wounded during the fighting in
Valenciennes and died in afield hospital inNivelles on26 May ,1940 . His funeral service was held at the Church of Peace, and he was buried in theHohenzollern family masoleum in theAntique Temple inSanssouci Park . The service drew over 50,000 mourners.de icon cite web| url=http://www.preussen.de/de/geschichte/kronprinz_wilhelm/kinder/wilhelm.html| title=Wilhelm Prinz von Preussen (in German)| publisher=Preussen.de| accessdate=2008-07-12]His death and the ensuing sympathy of the German public toward a member of the former German royal house greatly bothered Hitler, and he began to see the
Hohenzollern s as a threat to his power. Shortly afterwards, the "Prinzenerlass" was issued, and all members of the former German royal houses were relieved from from combat duties.References
*"Queen Victoria's Family: A Century of Photographs.", Charlotte Zeepvat. Sutton Publishing, 2003.
*"Royals and the Reich: The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany", Jonathan Petropoulos. Oxford University Press, 2006.
* [http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=26467 Hitler and German royalty] , Gentlemen's Military Interest Club.
* [http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=26469 KVK to a prince] , Gentlemen's Military Interest Club.
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