Wittekind, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Wittekind, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (born March 9, 1936) has been since 1967 the head of the House of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

He was born in Arolsen the son of Hereditary Prince Josias of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his wife Duchess Altburg of Oldenburg (1903-2001). Heinrich Himmler was his godfather. Wittekind who has served in the German Armed Forces and held the rank Lieutenant Colonel succeeded as head of the house of Waldeck and Pyrmont on the death of his father on 30 November 1967.cite book |title=Royals and the Reich: The Princes Von Hessen in Nazi Germany |last=Petropoulos |first=Jonathan |year=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=265, 266 |isbn=0195161335 ]

On 9 August 2001 he received the Bundesverdienstkreuz from Roland Koch the Minister-President of Hesse. [cite news |first= |last= |title= Aufgeschlossen für Wald, Kultur, Sport und Tradition|url=http://www.wlz-fz.de/altarchiv/art18619,402897 |publisher=Waldeckische Landeszeitung |date=2001-08-09 |accessdate=2008-03-21 ]

Wittekind is married to Countess Cecilie of Goëß-Saurau (b. 1956) and they have three sons.
*Prince Carl-Anton (b. 1991)
*Prince Josias (b. 1993)
*Prince Johannes (b. 1993)

Notes