Heinrich XIII, Prince of Reuss — as he calls himself — is a conspiracy-loving aristocrat who wants to bring back the monarchy to Germany.
Cops say the 71-year-old is behind the bizarre far-right plot to overthrow the German government in a coup.
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On Wednesday, German investigators arrested 25 people belonging to a terrorist network called the “Reichsbürger” or “Citizens of the Reich.” Members reject the modern German state and have called for a return to a monarchy which was torpedoed by Germany’s defeat in the First World War.
Heinrich XIII, Prince of Reuss, is the ringleader, police have alleged.
According to reports, the aristocrat is an actual descendent of the House of Reuss, the family that ruled huge swaths of Germany for hundreds of years.
However, relatives of the “Prince” said he is a “confused old man” and a “conspiracy nut.” But members of the Reichsbürger are said to worship him.
He is said to have one son, Heinrich XXVIII, with Iranian-born wife Susan Doukht Jalali. She asks to be addressed by the name Princess Susan Reuss.
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Born in 1951, he inherited a fortune from the family dynasty that was said to have been established in the 12th century. All of the male sons have been named Heinrich in tribute to Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI.
All was well until the German revolution of 1918 after the empire’s collapse. That’s when his great-grandfather — Heinrich (again) XXVII — was forced to abdicate at gunpoint and the family’s vast holdings were absorbed into the German state.
While the family kept much of its wealth and numerous castles and palaces, their power was profoundly diminished.
Apparently, the dissolution of Germany’s monarchy has long been a bee in the bonnet of Heinrich XIII.
He delivered a keynote address at a Worldwebforum event in Zurich in 2019 and for 15 minutes railed against Germany’s lack of a monarchy and his family’s loss of influence.
“[People who liver under his ancestor’s rule] lived happy lives because the administrative structures were straightforward and transparent,” he claimed.
“When things aren’t going well … who are you supposed to turn to today? Your parliamentarian? Local, federal, EU-level? Good luck!”
But other family members are said to be aghast and spokesman Heinrich XIV said Heinrich XIII was disillusioned and a “confused old man who now gets caught up in conspiracy theory misconceptions.”
German detectives said Heinrich XIII was the movement’s ideological standard-bearer and Herr Moneybanks.
The goal was to overthrow the German government and replace it with a monarchy. They alleged Heinrich XIII had also been in contact with Russian officials to create the new order.
Of course, the new German leader was slated to be Heinrich XIII. Russian diplomats have denied any involvement or links to the aspiring kaiser.
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