From 1854 to 1863 he worked as a diplomat (Legationsrat) in the
Prussian embassy in
Paris. Then he was sent as
Prussian royal ambassador to
Kassel, and later to
Munich. On 5 February 1868 he was posted as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the
North German Confederation to the Russian court at
St. Petersburg by
William I, who was still King of Prussia at that time. On 26 April 1871 he was designated the first ambassador of the
German Empire by William, who had been crowned Emperor a few months earlier.
From 1873 to 1876 he served Emperor William I as adjutant general, and was eventually promoted to
General of the Cavalry.[1] In 1876 he married
Princess Marie Alexandrine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. In that same year, the prince became a member of the
Prussian House of Lords. In 1877, he was the first imperial ambassador to
Constantinople, where he opened the magnificent Embassy building, which he was allowed to set up to his own taste. Just one year later he went as German ambassador to
Vienna; this was his last foreign assignment.
In 1894, he retired to his castle in
Trzebiechów (
German: Trebschen).
married secondly in 1929 (divorced 1935)
Allene Tew (1876–1955)
Johanna (1882–1883)
Sophie Renate (1884–1968)
married in 1909 Prince Heinrich XXXIV Reuss (1887–1956)
Heinrich XXXV (1887–1936). He married firstly, Princess Marie of
Saxe-Altenburg (1888–1947) on 20 April 1911 in Altenburg. They had one daughter before divorcing in 1921. He married secondly in 1921 (divorced 1923)
Princess Marie Adelaide of Lippe (1895–1993)
Marie Helene Reuss of Köstritz (b. 23 February 1912,
Silesia - d. 1 August 1933,
Korfantow)
Commander's Cross of the Royal
House Order of Hohenzollern, with Swords, 1866; Grand Commander's Cross with Swords on Ring, 1878; with Star, 11 June 1879[2]