Princess Herzeleide-Ina-Marie Sophie Charlotte Else of Prussia (25 December 1918 – 22 March 1989) was a member of the deposed House of Hohenzollern. She was the only daughter of Prince Oskar of Prussia (the second youngest son of Emperor Wilhelm II) and his initially morganatic wife, Countess Ina Marie von Bassewitz. She is the mother of Ernst-Johann Biron, Prince of Courland, the current head of the House of Biron.
Countess Herzeleide-Ina-Marie von Ruppin was born in Bristow, Mecklenburg, on 25 December 1918,[1] shortly after the defeat of the German Empire and the collapse of the monarchy. She was consequently given the name Herzeleide, meaning "heart's sorrow". She had three brothers: Oscar, Burchard, and Wilhelm-Karl. Herzeleide and her brothers became Princess/Prince of Prussia on 21 June 1920 when their parents' morganatic marriage was recognised as dynastic by the deposed Emperor Wilhelm II.
In early 1938, Herzeleide was one of three bridesmaids at the wedding of the future King Paul of Greece to Frederica of Hanover, her first cousin.
On 15 August 1938 in Potsdam Garrison Church, Herzeleide married Prince Karl Biron von Courland (born 15 June 1907). Karl was the eldest son and heir of Prince Gustav Biron of Courland and Françoise Lévisse de Montigny, daughter of Marquis de Jaucourt. He was direct descendant of Ernst Johann von Biron who obtained sovereignty of the Baltic Duchy of Courland and Semigallia in the 18th century. Along with the bride and groom's parents, in attendance were former German Crown Prince Wilhelm and Emperor Wilhelm's consort, Empress Hermine. All male guests wore uniforms of the former German army. The couple's honeymoon plans included a visit to Doorn to pay respects to Emperor Wilhelm in exile, the bride's paternal grandfather. Subsequently they took up residence in Munich.[2]
They had three children:[2]
