Prince Harald von Hohenzollern of Germany has died at age 63, just days before the birth of his first child.
Harald’s wife, Princess Josefa von Hohenzollern, 51, announced the tragic news on social media.
“Dear fellow citizens of Leonberg, today I am writing with a heavy heart,” she wrote in Germany, alongside several photos of the couple. “My beloved husband, Harald v. Hohenzollern, died completely unexpectedly of a sudden cardiac death. This loss hits me very deep.”
Prince Harald died of cardiac arrest in Namibia, where he was working in the diamond industry. Princess Josefa is currently running for re-election as mayor of Leonberg, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
Prince Harald von Hohenzollern and Princess Josefa von Hohenzollern.
Josefa Von Hohenzollern/Facebook
The aristocratic couple married in September 2024 in Josefa’s hometown of Kollnburg after meeting two years prior, Hello! reports. Their first child is due in July.
“I need time to grieve, say goodbye and be there for our unborn child,” the princess continued in her message. “That’s why I will be stepping back from campaigning and social media in the coming days.”
“I hope for your understanding during this time off and thank you from the bottom of my heart at this point for your condolences and support,” she concluded.
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The House of Hohenzollern is a formal royal German dynasty with members hailing from Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire and Romania.
The royal house was overthrown during the German Revolution that followed World War I, however, two branches still remain in the aristocracy. Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, leads the formerly royal Prussian line, while Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern, is the head of the formerly princely Swabian line.