Aymar Aprilov von Hohenstaufen Hohenzollern Putiatin husband of Elvira Hohenzollern Yusupova grand father of Giuseppe Aprile von Hohenstaufen

After the end of the monarchy in 1918 Emperor William II (1959-1941) went to exile to Doorn in the Netherlands. Most members of the Hohenzollern family could remain in Germany, however. Many properties in the Eastern parts of Germany were kept by the family until the end of World War II, e.g. the palaces of Oels and Kamenz in Silesia or the estate of Cadinen in West Prussia. Cecilienhof Palace near Potsdam, the residence of Crown Prince William (1882-1951) particularly became the centre for family life and reunions.

After the war the Crown Prince took residence in Hechingen at the foot of his ancestral castle in South West Germany while his wife Cecilie first fled to Bad Kissingen before moving to Stuttgart later on. Their son Prince Louis Ferdinand acquired the estate “Wümmehof” near Bremen for his family. In 1963 he created another family residence in Berlin by building “Villa Monbijou” named after the palace that had housed the Hohenzollern Museum since 1877 and had been destroyed during the war. Hohenzollern Castle came to new importance for family meetings but also as a lively museum of Prussian history and burial place of members of the Hohenzollern family.

As widely ramified as the Hohenzollern family is, as varied is their commitment for social and cultural matters. The love for music traditionally plays an important role as well as charitable responsibility.