Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse

A few weeks after the funeral, Ernst Ludwig's younger son, Prince Louis was due to be married to the Hon. Margaret Geddes, daughter of Lord Geddes. On 16 November 1937, Georg Donatus, Cecilie, their two young sons, Georg's mother Grand Duchess Eleonore, the children's nurse, a family friend, a pilot and two crewmen, left Darmstadt for the United Kingdom, where Prince Louis was due to be married. The aeroplane hit a factory chimney near Ostend and crashed into flames, killing all those on board. Cecilie was heavily pregnant with her fourth child at the time of the crash, and the remains of the newborn baby were found in the wreckage, indicating that Cecilie had gone into labour during the flight; the Belgian inquiry into the crash suggested that the pilot was attempting to land in Ostend despite the poor weather conditions because of the birth. The only survivor of the family was Johanna; she was not on the plane at the time. Johanna was adopted by Prince Louis and Princess Margaret, however, she died in 1939 from meningitis. Read Less