Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (Tassilo Wilhelm Humbert Leopold Friedrich Karl; 6 April 1893 – 6 April 1917) was a German prince and competitive horseman who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.
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Early life and ancestry
Prince Friedrich Karl was born in Schloss Klein-Glienicke, Potsdam, Berlin, as a member of the House of Hohenzollern, that ruled over the German Empire. He was the son of Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia (1865–1931) and Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (1866–1952) and a grandson of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia.
Olympics
He was a member of the 1912 German Olympic equestrian team, which won a bronze medal in the team jumping event. His horse during the Olympic competition was "Gibson Boy".
Military career
He fought in World War I as an aviator between 1914 and 1917. He commanded Fliegerabteilung (Artillerie) 258, an artillery spotting unit, but flew patrols in a single-seat fighter with Jasta Boelcke whenever possible. During one such patrol, on 21 March 1917, he was forced to land because of a bullet in his engine and with a slight wound to his foot, suffered in combat with Fl Lt Charles Edward Murray Pickthorn. He landed his Albatross aircraft in no-man's land, but while running towards his own lines, he was shot in the back and severely wounded by Australian troops. He was taken into captivity.
Death
During the captivity, he died from his injuries on 6 April 1917 (his 24th birthday) at Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray.
His body was buried in the Cimetière, Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray.
Friedrich Karl's mother later told a friend that upon learning of her son's death, Kaiser Wilhelm II sent the family a two-word telegram, reading only: "Noblesse oblige."
In 1927, his remains were transferred to the Hohenzollern family crypt at Klein Glienicke, Potsdam, Berlin, Germany.
Regimental commissions
1. Garderegiment zu Fuß (1st Regiment of Foot Guards), Leutnant à la suite from 1903; Leutnant by 1908.
Fliegerabteilung (Artillerie) 258 (artillery aerial observer squadron), squadron commander, 1917.
Chivalric orders
Source:
Knight, Order of the Black Eagle, 1903
Knight Grand Cross (with Crown), Order of the Red Eagle, 1903
Knight, First Class, Prussian Crown Order, 1903
Knight Grand Commander, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, ca 1903
Military decorations (1914–1917)
Iron Cross, Second Class
Iron Cross, First Class
Flugzeugführerabzeichen (Pilot's qualification badge), ca. 1917