Mirow/Neustrelitz, 15 August 2026. At the invitation of His Highness Georg Borwin, Duke of Mecklenburg, this year’s ​Memorial service of the Deceased Members of the Grand Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was also attended by members of Servare et Manere. The ecumenical service took place in the Church of St. John in Mirow and continued in the Grand Ducal Hereditary Crypt. The memorial service was attended by approximately 20 people, including all male members of the House, as well as Duke Borwin’s youngest sister, Duchess Irene Harmsen. The history of the event, which takes place every August, dates back to 1996, when Duke George Alexander died at Mirow Castle. This year, special attention was paid to the 150th anniversary of the death of the two youngest children of Grand Duke George and Grand Duchess Marie in June 1876: Caroline Marianne and Georg August, Duchess and Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Both were buried in the Mirow Crypt in 1876.

Traditionally, this public event also honors individuals who have rendered outstanding services to the ducal house. This year, it was Honorary Consul Dr. Marek Sobola and entrepreneur Andreas Krumme, who renovated the Grand Ducal Palace in Neustrelitz and transformed it into a castle hotel. Both were awarded the House Order of the Wendish Crown (Der Hausorden der Wendischen Krone) in the rank of Commander, founded in 1864. Since the order is attached to the House of Mecklenburg and not to the state – a defunct monarchy, the Heads of the Houses of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Mecklenburg-Schwerin have retained their right to award it to this day. However, since the end of the monarchy in 1918, this right has been exercised very rarely. The painting in the gallery below depicts the founder of the order, His Royal Highness Grand Duke Frederick William, ruler of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The motto of the order is “Avito viret honore – He flourishes in ancestral honour.” After the extinction of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 2001, Duke Borwin became the only sovereign of the order. Apart from members of the ducal family, the order has only been awarded to a few individuals. Currently, the order is awarded only very rarely (up to about 15 people), primarily to family members and selected individuals for loyalty and contribution to the preservation of Mecklenburg’s cultural heritage.

Duke Georg Borwin led the Mecklenburg-Strelitz family, which has existed for 325 years, for more than 30 years and this year he turned 70. After his father, the burden of representing the Mecklenburg-Strelitz family is taken over by his younger son, His Highness Duke Charles Michael, who is permanently authorized to independently perform the duties, rights and responsibilities associated with the function of head and to represent the family on its behalf. The press release was brought by the German Portal Nordkurier.