The young man looking sharp in his crisp military uniform is Prince Joachim Franz Humbert of Prussia (1890-1920). He was the sixth child of Wilhelm II, the German Emperor. His mother was Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. In 1916, officials in Ireland gave thought to giving the throne to Prince Joachim with the idea that Ireland would be safer a German King if Germany were to win World War I. Prince Joachim was also considered as a possible candidate to the Georgian throne after its independence following the Russian Revolution of 1917. The Prince held the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards. He held over thirty honors awarded by several nations. His awards included the Iron Cross from Germany. In 1916, Joachim married Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt (1898-1983). The couple had one son, Prince Karl Franz Josef Wilhelm Friedrich Eduard Paul (1916-1975). They may have had only one child, but they used enough first names to cover six more sons. I suppose that is a liberty reserved for royalty. Joachim became a commoner when his father abdicated the thrown. He became very depressed and committed suicide by gunshot in 1920. He was only 29 years old at the time of is death. It is believed that he had significant financial woes that added to his depression. Prior to his death, he divorced his wife, which likely led to further mood problems. This real photo postcard was published by “NPG” (Neue Photographische Gesellschaft) as part of a series (no.4954). The company was a leading bromide photo printing company for many years. The photographer was Ernst Sandau (1880-1918). He was born in Sweden and died in Germany. Some believe that he may have been killed in World War I. Sandau operated a studio in Berlin, Germany and was active between 1912 and 1918. His son, Ernst Jr., was also a photographer. This postcard is in very good condition (see scans).
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