Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Saxony (Andreas Michael Friedrich Hans Armin Siegfried Hubertus Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha Herzog von Sachsen; born 21 March 1943) is a German landowner and nobleman who has been the head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha since 1998.
Prince Andreas was born at Schloss Casel in Lower Lusatia to Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and the former Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth. Friedrich Josias was a son of Charles Edward, the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Also, via Charles Edward, Andreas is a first cousin of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (and is the godfather of Carl Gustaf's younger daughter, Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland).
Andreas's parents divorced in 1946. In 1949, he moved to New Orleans in the United States, where he spent his childhood with his mother and her second husband, Richard Whitten.[1]
Prince Andreas became heir apparent to the headship of the ducal house on 6 March 1954, when his father became the head. From the age of 16, Andreas made regular visits to Germany in preparation for his future role as head of the ducal house, permanently returning in 1965. He completed his military service between 1966 and 1968 in the Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion 6 based in Eutin, Schleswig-Holstein.[2] After leaving the army, Andreas trained as a timber merchant in Hamburg from 1969 to 1971.
Prince Andreas succeeded to the headship of the ducal house upon his father's death on 23 January 1998.[3]
In 2006, Prince Andreas created the Ducal Saxe-Coburg and Gotha House Order, which is based on the extinct Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order.
Prince Andreas is the owner of Callenberg Castle in Coburg and Greinburg Castle in Grein, Austria. He manages the family estates including farms, forests and real estate.[4]
In Hamburg civilly on 18 June and religiously on 31 July 1971, Prince Andreas married Carin Dabelstein (b. Hamburg, 16 July 1946, d. Coburg, 11 November 2023),[5] daughter of Adolf Wilhelm Martin Dabelstein, manufacturer and merchant, and wife Irma Maria Margarete Callsen.[6] The marriage, although unequal, is not morganatic, as it was authorized by Andreas's father.
They have three children, who inherit the ducal styles and titles:
