Two of the most noble families in Germany were united when Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia married Princess Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg. Drawing on 1,000 years of royal tradition, their wedding – just outside Berlin – on August 27, attracted plenty of interest and was even broadcast live on TV. Dressed in their finery – Sophie, 33, in a silk and tulle gown by Wolfgang Joop and a diamond family tiara, her groom in a morning suit – stepped out of a church in Potsdam in the grounds of Schloss Sanssouci, which, for centuries, was the summer palace of the Prussian monarchs.
Georg's forebears belonged to the Imperial House of Hohenzollern, the ruling dynasty of the German Empire and the kingdom of Prussia. His great-great-grandfather was Kaiser Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor, who was deposed in 1918. Despite all the brouhaha over their ancestral past, the 36-year-old prince and his bride are a thoroughly modern couple. In a few weeks, both of them will be back in their respective offices – he helps academics market their discoveries, while she is a consultant for NGOs.
On Saturday, though, the newlyweds happily acknowledged well-wishers before setting out for a reception in the estate's Orangerie attended by 370 guests. As they left in a midnight blue Landau carriage drawn by six horses, Georg, 36, even gave a cheery wave of his hat. Friends say the couple – who were childhood friend and tied the knot in a civil service officiated by the mayor of Berlin last week – are slightly bemused by all the fuss. One told the Wall Street Journal: "I think there's a certain part of both of them that is getting involved in this – the dramatic aspects of it – reluctantly."
Like many of their blue-blooded peers they decided to use the media attention to good effect. On Friday, they kicked off the celebrations by inviting 700 guests to a concert for the Prussian Foundation. Established in honour of the groom's grandmother Princess Kira, it invites children in need from Berlin to spend holidays at the castle of Hohenzollern.
