Prince Otto of Hesse, a businessman who owned a number of McDonald's restaurants, was a descendant of King Frederick William III of Prussia and of William V of Orange-Nassau
A German prince who was long in line for the British throne has been killed in a tragic Ducati motorbike crash in Germany.
Prince Otto of Hesse, who owned a number of McDonald's restaurants, died in a horror smash near Lindau and Lake Constance, in the southern state of Bavaria, on March 17.
According to the German newspaper Bild, the 55-year-old prince hit a barrier at speed and suffered multiple injuries.
He died at the scene, leaving four children between the ages of 11 and 21 without their dad.
The prince, who was fond of motorbikes and sports cars was speeding, according to the German police.
He recently shared a picture of himself sitting with his arms crossed, posing for the camera, on the Ducati motorbike that he was riding at the time of the fatal crash.
In 2010, he had been acquitted of speeding.
As well as being a huge sports car and motorbike fan, the prince was also a businessman, notably owning numerous McDonald's franchises.
The second son of William of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, the current head of the Hesse-Philippsthal family, Otto was a descendant of King Frederick William III of Prussia and of William V of Orange-Nassau.
William V was a Prince of Orange and the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic.
He went into exile to London in 1795.
Otto married Carla Blickhaauser in Las Vegas in 1998.
They had four children, Prince Max, 21, Princess Elena, 20, Prince Moritz, 13, and Prince Leopold, 11.
They divorced in 2017.
According to royal genealogist Daniel Willis, Prince Otto was 1,461st in line for the British throne.
