of the House of Wettin will continue, and thus avoid becoming extinct. Prince Rüdiger himself never accepted the 1997 agreement and when asked for his opinion on who the eventual successor to Maria Emanuel should be he replied that it should be himself. Following the death of Maria Emanuel in July 2012, Prince Rüdiger recognised Prince Albert (who died three months later) as the new Margrave of Meissen and head of the Royal House of Saxony. The former Alexander Afif citing the 1997 agreement also assumed those positions. According to the family website prior to his death Albert determined Rüdiger to be his successor and instituted . On this basis following Albert's death in October 2012 Prince Rüdiger assumed the headship of the house. Personal life Prince Rüdiger was married twice. His first wife was Astrid Linke (1949–1989), the daughter of Heinz Linke and Elvira Wandke. They were married at Willich on 14 June 1974 and had three sons. Prince Daniel of Saxony, Duke of Saxony (b. 1975); married Sandra Scherer, a scientist (b. 1977) and has one daughter and one son. Prince Arne Benjamin of Saxony, Duke of Saxony (b. 1977); married Sarah Schneider (b. 1979) and has two daughters. Prince Nils Sebastian of Saxony, Duke of Saxony (b. 1978); married Jedida Taborek, a lawyer (b. 1975) and has one son, Prince Moritz (b. 2009) and two daughters. After his first wife's death, Prince Rüdiger married for a second time in January 2004 to Diana Dorndorf. The marriage was short-lived, however, as the couple divorced in 2008. During his second marriage, Prince Rüdiger placed a lonely hearts advertisement in the German newspaper Bild in the hope of finding a princess to marry. Honours In 2005 Prince Rüdiger was appointed an honorary knight of the Order of Henry the Illustrious. Ancestry References External links Website of the House of Wettin Website of Prince Albert of Saxony Succession in the House of Wettin Wettinische Forstverwaltung 1953 births 2022 deaths House of Wettin Saxon princes German psychologists People from Mülheim German Roman Catholics