Born in
Berlin, Prince Henry was the third child and second son of eight children born to Crown Prince Frederick William (later Emperor
Frederick III), and
Victoria, Princess Royal (later Empress Victoria and in widowhood Empress Frederick), eldest daughter of the British
Queen Victoria. Henry was three years younger than his brother, the future
Emperor William II (born 27 January 1859). He was born on the same day as King Frederick William I "Soldier-King" of Prussia.
After attending the
gymnasium in
Kassel, which he left in the middle grades in 1877, the 15-year-old Henry entered the Imperial Navy cadet program. His naval education included a two-year voyage around the world (1878 to 1880), the naval officer examination (Seeoffizierhauptprüfung) in October 1880, and attending the German naval academy (1884 to 1886).
From 1897, Prince Henry commanded several naval task forces; these included an improvised squadron that took part with the
East Asia Squadron in consolidating and securing the German hold on the region of
Kiaochow and the port of
Tsingtao in 1898. The prince's success was more of the diplomatic than the military variety; he became the first European potentate ever to be received at the Chinese imperial court. In 1899 he became officially the commander of the East Asia Squadron, later of a capital-ship squadron and in 1903 commander of the Baltic Sea naval station. From 1906 to 1909, Henry was commander of the
High Seas Fleet. In 1909, he was promoted to Grand Admiral.[citation needed]
World War I
At the beginning of
World War I, Prince Henry was named as Commander-in-Chief of the Baltic Fleet. Although the means provided to him were far inferior to
Russia's
Baltic Fleet, he succeeded, until the 1917 Revolution, in putting
Russian naval forces far on the defensive and hindered them from making attacks on the German coast. After the end of hostilities with Russia, his mission was ended, and Prince Henry simply left active duty. With the war's end and the dissolution of the monarchy in Germany, Prince Henry left the navy.
Family
On 24 May 1888, Henry married
Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, his first cousin. His dying father, German Emperor
Frederick III and his mother Empress Victoria were in attendance. The marriage produced three children:
Their sons Waldemar and Heinrich were both
hemophiliacs, a disease which they inherited through Irene from the maternal grandmother of both of their parents,
Queen Victoria, who was a
carrier.
Henry received one of the first pilot's licenses in Germany, and was judged a spirited and excellent seaman. He was dedicated to modern technology and was able to understand quickly the practical value of technical innovations. A
yachting enthusiast, Prince Henry became one of the first members of the
Yacht Club of Kiel, established by a group of naval officers in 1887, and quickly became the club's patron.
Henry was interested in motor cars as well and supposedly invented a windshield wiper[1] and, according to other sources, the car horn.
In his honor, the Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt (Prince Heinrich Tour) was established in 1908, like the earlier
Kaiserpreis a precursor to the
German Grand Prix. Henry and his brother William gave patronage to the
Kaiserlicher Automobilclub (Imperial Automobile Club). From 1911 to 1914 the British car makers
Vauxhall Motors produced a model, the C-10, which was called the "
Vauxhall Prince Henry" in his honour after initially being built for participation in the 1911 race.
After the
German Revolution, Henry lived with his family in
Hemmelmark near
Eckernförde, in
Schleswig-Holstein. He continued with motor sports and sailing and even in old age was a very successful participant in regattas. He popularized the
Prince Henry cap, which is still worn, especially by older sailors.
In 1899, Henry received an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Engineering honoris causa) from the
Technical University of Berlin. Also in foreign countries he received numerous similar honors, including an honorary doctorate (
LL.D.) from
Harvard University in March 1902, during his visit to the United States.[2]
Prince Henry died of
throat cancer on 20 April 1929 in Hemmelmark.[3]
Admiral, 13 September 1901;[4] Commanding Admiral, Baltic Sea Naval Command, 1903–1906, Commander, High Seas Fleet, 1906–1909
Großadmiral, 4 September 1909; Inspector General of the Imperial Navy, 1909–1918; Commander-in-Chief, Baltic Fleet, 1914–1918
Regimental commissions and honorary ranks
German
1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß (Royal Prussian 1st Regiment of Foot Guards) – Leutnant (Second Lieutenant) through Generaloberst im Range eines Generalfeldmarschalls (Colonel-General in the Rank of Field Marshal), 1871 - 1918[5]
Kgl. Sächs. 2. Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen Nr. 101 (Royal Saxon 2nd Grenadier Regiment)
Kgl. Bayerisches Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 8 (Royal Bavarian 8th Artillery Regiment) – Generaloberst im Range eines Generalfeldmarschalls and Chef (Colonel in Chief)[6]
Fußilier-Regiment “Prinz Heinrich von Preußen” (Brandenburgisches) Nr 35 (The Brandenburg Fusilier Regiment) - Generaloberst im Range eines Generalfeldmarschalls and Chef (Colonel in Chief)[7]
^"untitled". The Day Book. Chicago. June 13, 1914. p. 10. Retrieved August 20, 2014. Admiral Prince Henry of Prussia, brother of the kaiser, has invented and patented an electrical device for cleaning windows of automobiles in rainy or frosty weather. The device is set in operation by the pressing of a button.
^
ab"Latest intelligence - Prince Henry in America". The Times. No. 36709. London. 7 March 1902. p. 3.
^"Died". Time. 29 April 1929. Archived from
the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^"Prince Henry in America". The Times. No. 36701. London. 26 February 1902. p. 5.
^"Latest intelligence - Prince Henry in America". The Times. No. 36712. London. 11 March 1902. p. 5.
Further reading
Harald Eschenburg. Prinz Heinrich von Preußen - Der Großadmiral im Schatten des Kaisers. Heide, 1989,
ISBN3-8042-0456-2. [Translation of title: Prince Heinrich of Prussia - The Grand Admiral in the Shadow of the Emperor.]