Photo Gallery Pomp in Potsdam
The great-great grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II wed over the weekend in the eastern German city of Potsdam. Here, the happy couple, Georg Friedrich Prince of Prussia, 35, and Sophie Princes of Isenburg, 33, share a kiss after tying the knot at the Church of Peace on the grounds of Frederick the Great's famous Sanssouci Palace. Their ceremony included the reading of a personal blessing from Pope Benedict XVI.
Some 700 guests, including members of German and international nobility, were invited to the lavish event, though none were first-tier nobility. Instead, many royal families sent representatives on their behalf.
German fashion designer Wolfgang Joop, shown here arriving to the ceremony on Saturday, was also invited. He designed the bride's gown to go with her diadem, reportedly created in Paris in 1860, and traditionally worn by women in her family on their wedding day.
After the pair said their "I do's," they left the church in an antique midnight blue coach led by six horses. Though they are virtually unknown to all but the most dedicated royal-watchers, if Germany hadn't done away with its monarchy in 1918, they would be the country's imperial couple.
The groom, Georg Friedrich Prince of Prussia, arrived with his mother, Donata Duchess of Oldenburg (left), and his sister, Cornelie-Cecile Princess of Prussia. The event received modest coverage from local Berlin-Brandenburg broadcaster RBB, which featured the festivities for three hours for about 160,000 viewers.
The bride arrived with her father in a Rolls Royce reportedly borrowed from a Swedish friend of the groom's.
Among the noble guests were Alexander, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and his wife, Nadja Anna.
The festivities took place at the Sanssouci palace in Potsdam just outside of Berlin. Pictured here is the Orangerie. The palace was the summer residence during the Hohenzollern dynasty and was built by Frederick the Great.
Guests from Russia included Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia and her son George Mikhailovich.
The state governor of Brandenburg, Matthias Platzeck, and his wife Jeanette Jesorka were also among the prominent guests...
...as were former Greek national football team trainer Otto Rehhagel and his wife Beate.
Hundreds of curious locals and royal watchers came out to observe the event, some even waving the Prussian flag. Meanwhile police redirected a group of protesters into the Potsdam city center. The demonstration wasn't the only hitch in the event, though. One of the six coach horses tripped and fell in front of shocked onlookers during the couple's post-ceremony drive through the palace grounds. Neither the horse or the coach passengers were injured.
