In Prussia, the Minister of the Royal Family was responsible for the administration of the crown estates and the safeguarding of other royal rights.
Legal Status Until the March Revolution, the Ministry of the Royal Family was officially part of the State Ministry. Due to its special responsibilities, the respective office holders rarely participated in government meetings.Acta Borussica 4/I S.27 After 1848, the Minister of the Royal Family was formally a court authority associated with the Office of the Chief Chamberlain. It was no longer part of the Prussian State Ministry.Acta Borussica 6/II. S. 762
Responsibilities The ministry was responsible for, among other things, the Herald's Office, the archives of the royal house, the administration of family estates, and the family trust. In addition to the civilian secret cabinet, it also served to handle clemency cases and was responsible for carrying out royal orders that were not the responsibility of the government.Caspar Bluntschli:Deutsches Staatswörterbuch 1864
Ministers of the Royal Family NameTerm BeganTerm EndedImageWilhelm zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein18191851Ludwig von Massow (interim)18511851Anton Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode18511854Ludwig von Massow (interim)18541856Ludwig von Massow18561858Alexander von Schleinitz18611885Otto zu Stolberg-Wernigerode18851888Wilhelm von Wedel18881907August zu Eulenburg19071918
Residences Originally, the minister resided in the Berlin City Palace, and the administration was temporarily distributed among other royal or other properties. With the purchase of the palace at Wilhelmstraße 73 in 1858, the ministry acquired a single office building for the first time.
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