You may not know Prince Heinrich Donatus, but the 27-year-old hereditary Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe has been doing what he can to provide aid in Ukraine. Heinrich has been making headlines recently because of his volunteer work with the non-profit organization Interhelp, helping Ukrainian refugees at the Polish border village of Medyka, per SCMP. Here’s what we know about the handsome German royal.
© Donatus Schaumburg-LippeHis royal bloodline
Donatus is is the son of Prince Alexander of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Marie-Louise of Sayn-Wittgensein-Berleburg, known as Lilly Wittegenstein.
His ancestors, the Schaumburg-Lippe royals, ruled the German state until the abolition of the country’s monarchies after the First World War, per DailyMail.
How he is helping Ukraine
With Interhelp, Donatus has been at the forefront of providing medical assistance to refugees in Medyka, which is one of the three main crossing points from Ukraine into Poland. He has been sharing their achievements on social media, like delivering a fully stocked ambulance with multiple beds to administer aid to injured civilians.
His life and background
Donatus was born in Hanover, Germany, before moving with his mother to Munich in 2002. He isn’t too active on his Instagram page, but he seems to enjoy time with his friends, and travelling. According to SCMP, he is the only German who has passed the commissioning course at the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst which is the military school that Prince William, Prince Harry, and other royals attended. Heinrich climbed the ranks and became a troop leader in Queen Elizabeth’s Cavalry Life Guards, per Paper. However, he left the regiment in the rank of Second Lieutenant in 2016, per Interhelp.
He is very close to his mother
Donatus’ parents were married from 1993 to 2002. His mom’s life looks amazing on social media, and she often posts photos boasting about her son. They also share a passion for activism. In 2016 they walked nearly 100 miles through mountainous terrain with Interhelp and he told the non-profit, “I have always set myself ambitious goals – and I intend to succeed in them,” per DailyMail. “‘To run such a distance is quite a feat. It requires iron discipline and I am sure it was initially more difficult for my mother than for me,” he said.
