The House of Hohenzollern are in mourning.
Prince Harald von Hohenzollern of Germany has died of cardiac arrest in South Africa, his wife Princess Josefa von Hohenzollern—who is expecting their first child in July—confirmed on social media. He was 63.
“Dear fellow citizens of Leonberg, today I am writing with a heavy heart,” Josefa, 51, announced in her June 25 Instagram post, which features several photos of the couple. “My beloved husband, Harald v. Hohenzollern, died completely unexpectedly of a sudden cardiac death. This loss hits me very deep.”
Prince Harald suffered the fatal condition while in Namibia, where he worked in the diamond industry, Hello! reports. Meanwhile, Princess Josefa is currently running for re-election as mayor of Leonberg, a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
According to the outlet, the royal couple got married in her hometown of Kollnburg last September after two years of dating.
“I need time to grieve, say goodbye and be there for our unborn child,” she continued in her statement. “That’s why I will be stepping back from campaigning and social media in the coming days. I hope for your understanding during this time off and thank you from the bottom of my heart at this point for your condolences and support.”
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As for Prince Harald’s title, the House of Hohenzollern is a formal royal German dynasty with members hailing from Brandenburg, Hohenzollern, Prussia, the German Empire and Romania.
The country’s monarchy was originally abolished in 1918, as a result of the German Revolution that followed World War I. While the royal house is no longer officially recognized by Germany, two lines of Hohenzollern aristocracy still exist today. Georg Friedrich, who’s the Prince of Prussia, leads the Prussian line. Meanwhile, Karl Friedrich, the Prince of Hohenzollern, is the head of the Swabian line.
