Prince Henry Victor Louis Frederick of Prussia (german: Heinrich Viktor Ludwig Friedrich; 9 January 1900 – 26 February 1904), was the

haemophiliac Haemophilia, or hemophilia (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a longer time after an injury, easy bruising, ...

third son and youngest child of Prince Henry of Prussia and

Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine Princess Irene Luise Marie Anne of Hesse and by Rhine (11 July 1866 – 11 November 1953) was the third child and third daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. Her maternal grandparents wer ...

, and thus a grandson of Frederick III, German Emperor, on his father's side and a great-grandson of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

through both his mother and father. He died aged four.

Life

Prince Heinrich was born on 9 January 1900, in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

. His father was pleased by the birth of yet another son, especially such a handsome one, as the Prince had blonde hair. The newborn Prince immediately received the title Prince of Prussia with the style ''

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it t ...

'', and was baptised ''Heinrich Viktor Ludwig Friedrich'' in Kiel Castle on 15 March 1900. His older brothers were Prince Waldemar, a namesake of his

uncle An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an uncle is an aunt, and the reciprocal rela ...

, and Prince Sigismund, a namesake of his other deceased

. Heinrich was named in honour of his father. The Prince was diagnosed with

haemophilia Haemophilia, or hemophilia (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a longer time after an injury, easy bruising, ...

as a young child, but, despite this, was a very cheerful and lively boy who liked to play a lot. As Henry grew older he became more aware of his condition.

Death

On 25 February, Princess Irene left Heinrich unsupervised for a few minutes while she went to fetch something. The playful Prince climbed a chair, and then he climbed onto the table. As he heard his mother approaching, he attempted to quickly come down but stumbled while attempting to climb down the chair and fell on the floor headfirst. He started to scream, which immediately attracted the Princess' attention. By the time she reached him, the child was almost unconscious. The doctor said the fall had not been that bad and the child would have survived had he not been a

c. However, experiencing this condition, it was certain the young Prince would die. He was experiencing a

brain haemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

. He lingered for a couple of hours, but died the following day, on 26 February. He was four years old.

Aftermath

Prince Heinrich's premature death would later very much affect the

Princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subs ...

, who would withdraw into herself. One of his older brothers, Prince Waldemar, also had

. He lived up to the age of 56 and was married, without children. The middle sibling, Prince Sigismund, was unaffected by the disease.

Ancestry

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heinrich of Prussia, Prince 1900 births 1904 deaths German children Haemophilia in European royalty House of Hohenzollern Deaths from blood disease Royalty and nobility who died as children