Christian became heir to the headship of the Grand Ducal family on 3 April 1970 when his grandfather
Hereditary Grand Duke Nikolaus died. Under the monarchy the Grand Duke and the Hereditary Grand Duke and their wives were entitled to the style Royal Highness, the other members of the House of Oldenburg to the style Highness. First as heir to the headship of the House and now head of the House Christian bears this style.[1] According to his father's obituary issued by the family his ancestral titles (however not all part of his official German surname) are: HRH The Duke of Oldenburg, Heir in
Norway, Duke of
Schleswig,
Holstein,
Stormarn,
Dithmarschen and
Oldenburg,
Prince of Lübeck and
Birkenfeld, Lord of
Jever and
Knyphausen.
The ancestral home of the House of Oldenburg is
Oldenburg castle, nowadays a museum owned by the state. Present seats of the Duke of Oldenburg are
Rastede Palace near Oldenburg and Güldenstein Manor,
Harmsdorf, in Schleswig-Holstein.
Eutin Castle in Schleswig-Holstein is a museum owned by a family foundation set up by his father.
Christian married on 26 September 1987 at
Pronstorf Countess Caroline zu
Rantzau (b. 1962), daughter of Count Christian Karl zu
Rantzau (1924-2002) and his wife
Heloise von Lettow-Vorbeck (b. 1923).[1] They have four children:[1]
Duke Alexander Paul Hans-Caspar Andreas Daniel Carl Philippe of Oldenburg (born 17 March 1990 in
Lübeck)
Duke Philipp Konstantin Wittekind Raimund Clemens Hans-Heinrich of Oldenburg (born 28 December 1991 in
Lübeck)
Duke Anton Friedrich Ludwig Jan Vincent of Oldenburg (born 9 January 1993 in
Lübeck)
Duchess Katharina Bibiane Edwina Isabell of Oldenburg (born 20 February 1997 in
Lübeck)
14. Friedrich Carl, Princely Count of Castell-Castell
29. Countess Emma of Solms-Rödelheim-Assenheim
7. Countess Margarete of Castell-Castell
30. Count Konstantin of Stolberg-Wernigerode
15. Countess Gertrud of Stolberg-Wernigerode
31. Countess Antonia of Stolberg-Wernigerode
Notes
^Regarding personal names: Herzog was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Duke. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. The feminine form is Herzogin.
References
^
abcdGenealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser [Genealogical Handbook of the Nobility, Princely Houses] (in German). Vol. XVII. Oldenburg: C.A. Starke Verlag. 2004. pp. 61–63.
ISBN9783798008335.
^McIntosh, David. The Grand Dukes of Oldenburg. Rosvall Royal Books, 2007, Elanders, Sweden. pp. 14, 67, 71–72.
ISBN91-975671-3-2.