Husband of Danish Princess Benedikte dies aged 82

Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg passes away suddenly at his castle in Germany

Lucie Rychla

Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, the husband of the queen’s sister Princess Benedikte, died suddenly at his home at Berleburg Castle in central Germany yesterday evening.

He was 82 years old.

“It is with great sadness that I, on behalf of her royal highness Princess Benedikte, must announce that his highness Prince Richard has died,” stated Tommy Paulsen, the private secretary of Princess Benedikte.

Princess Benedikte was not home as she had been visiting Denmark for a few days. She returned to their home residence in Germany this morning.

Prince Richard was previously treated for prostate and skin cancer, but the exact cause of his death was not announced.

He was the eldest son of Swedish Princess Margareta and German Prince Gustav Albrecht, who served as an army officer during World War II and died on the Eastern Front.

Benedikte and Richard got married in 1968 and had three children together: Prince Gustav, Princess Alexandra and Princess Nathalie.

Next year, the couple would have celebrated their 50th anniversary.

TOP STORIES

  • A country famous for lots of rain, Denmark craves for tears from the sky

    A country famous for lots of rain, Denmark craves for tears from the sky

    Two years ago, Denmark had a very dry Spring. This year, Farmers are reliving the trauma of 2023. While tourists and sun-starved Danes enjoy the sunny weather, farmers are nervously scouting for rain

  • “Ready to spend even more than 4% of the GPD” says Minister of Defense

    “Ready to spend even more than 4% of the GPD” says Minister of Defense

    At the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2025, Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen stated that Denmark is willing to spend more on defense. During a conference, he said the country is ready to surpass the original target set by the European Union

  • ReDI school wins Danish Diversity Award for empowering marginalized women in tech

    ReDI school wins Danish Diversity Award for empowering marginalized women in tech

    A non-profit tech school in Denmark is recognized for helping migrant women secure jobs aligned with their qualifications through digital training and networking.

  • Danish bravery in the Nanjing Massacre

    Danish bravery in the Nanjing Massacre

    Bernhard Sindberg was a Dane who saved thousands of Chinese during the Nanjing Massacre, one of the darkest episodes of the 20th century. He is often compared to Oskar Schindler. A book has told his story, and a statue in Aarhus commemorates him—yet few people know about his remarkable actions. The Copenhagen Post spoke with Sindberg’s niece, who still remembers her uncle well, to shed light on this seldom-told and incredible story

  • More Danes are uncomfortable with English replacing Danish in daily life

    More Danes are uncomfortable with English replacing Danish in daily life

    A survey from NORSTAT, commissioned by Sune Steffen Hansen and published exclusively by The Copenhagen Post, shows that around 40% of the population is uncomfortable with English replacing Danish in their daily lives. While this is not a problem for the younger generation, half of the people in older generations have an issue with it

  • Be a green tourist – get free access to Copenhagen’s attractions

    Be a green tourist – get free access to Copenhagen’s attractions

    CopenPay is back. Last year’s attempt to get guests to take a sustainable approach when visiting Copenhagen’s attractions will be back in 2025, on an even bigger scale. 90 attractions are participating across Copenhagen and running throughout the summer

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs