Prince Frederic Von Anhalt | Celebrity Net Worth 2026

Biography & Early Wealth Journey

Frederic was born Hans Robert Lichtenberg and did not inherit his name from the historic House of Anhalt. In 1980, he was adopted as an adult by Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt in exchange for financial support. Following the adoption, "Prinz von Anhalt" became part of his legal German surname. The adoption did not give him a dynastic position within the former German royal family, and the head of the historic House of Anhalt has not recognized him as a member of the house.

Before moving to the United States, Frederic operated restaurants, saunas, clubs, and other businesses in Germany. He later generated substantial income by arranging adult adoptions, marriages, knighthoods, and other transactions that allowed people to use aristocratic-sounding names. He has said that these activities earned him more than $10 million over the years.

Early Life

Frederic Prinz von Anhalt was born Hans Robert Lichtenberg on June 18, 1943, in Wallhausen, a village near Bad Kreuznach in Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate region. He was one of five children. His father worked as a senior police detective, and his mother was a bookkeeper.

Primary Income Streams & Multi-Million Contracts

Lichtenberg trained as a baker and worked in wholesale market halls before becoming an entrepreneur. He went on to operate restaurants, nightclubs, saunas, and men's health clubs in different parts of Germany. He also became involved in private lending and real estate.

Frederic later claimed that his businesses made him a multimillionaire before he moved to Munich. Regardless of the precise figures, he had accumulated enough money to pursue the lifestyle and social connections that eventually led to his adult adoption.

Adult Adoption and the Anhalt Name

In 1980, Lichtenberg was adopted by Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt, who was then in her 80s. Marie-Auguste was the daughter of Eduard, Duke of Anhalt, and had previously been married to Prince Joachim of Prussia, the youngest son of German Emperor Wilhelm II.

Real Estate, Luxury Assets & Personal Investments

The adoption was arranged through Hans-Hermann Weyer, a German businessman who became known for helping wealthy clients acquire aristocratic-sounding names. Frederic agreed to provide Marie-Auguste with monthly financial support. Accounts have placed the payment at either 2,000 or 4,000 German marks per month.

After the adoption, Lichtenberg changed his name to Frederic Prinz von Anhalt. In Germany, former noble titles were incorporated into family names after the abolition of the monarchy. Therefore, "Prinz" became part of Frederic's legal surname but did not make him a reigning or hereditary prince.

Frederic has openly described the name as a "door opener" that gave him access to people and opportunities that had previously been unavailable to him. He has styled himself Prince Frederic of Anhalt, Duke of Saxony and Westphalia, Count of Ascania, although those additional titles are not legally or dynastically recognized.

Marriage to Zsa Zsa Gabor

Wealth Trajectory & Future Earnings Projections

After moving to Los Angeles, Frederic set out to enter Hollywood society. He has offered varying accounts of how he met Zsa Zsa Gabor. In one version, he hired a photographer to arrange a photograph with a movie star and requested Gabor specifically. In another, he rented a Rolls-Royce, hired a driver and bodyguard, and talked his way into a party where Gabor was a guest.

Frederic and Gabor married on August 14, 1986. He was 43, and she was 69. Frederic was Gabor's ninth husband, although only eight of her marriages were legally valid because her brief marriage to Felipe de Alba was annulled almost immediately.

The marriage lasted for more than 30 years, until Gabor's death in December 2016. Their relationship attracted frequent tabloid coverage, but Frederic also became her primary caretaker after a 2002 car accident left her partially paralyzed. Gabor later suffered strokes, underwent hip surgery, and had part of her right leg amputated due to an infection.

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Adult Adoptions and Title Business

Frederic eventually began arranging aristocratic naming transactions of his own. He has said that he sold one name through marriage, completed several paid adult adoptions, and granted various knighthoods.

The adult men Frederic adopted during his marriage became Gabor's legal stepsons. They were not jointly adopted by Frederic and Gabor. Frederic's adopted sons have included nightclub entrepreneur Marcus Prinz von Anhalt, Oliver Prinz von Anhalt, Alexander Prinz von Anhalt, and German attorney Prince Ferdinand von Anhalt.

Frederic has said that the broader title and adoption business earned him more than $10 million. Critics have accused him of selling access to a prestigious surname, while Frederic has characterized the arrangements as legal business transactions between consenting adults.

The historic House of Anhalt does not consider Frederic or his adopted sons members of its royal dynasty.

Feud with Francesca Hilton

Frederic had a contentious relationship with Gabor's only biological child, Francesca Hilton, whose father was hotel founder Conrad Hilton.

In 2005, Frederic filed a lawsuit accusing Francesca of using Gabor's signature to obtain a $3.75 million loan secured by the Bel Air mansion and diverting approximately $2 million for her own benefit. Francesca denied the allegations. The case was ultimately dismissed after Gabor did not appear in court or provide the documentation needed to support it.

Francesca later sought greater control over her mother's medical care and finances. She accused Frederic of isolating Gabor from friends and relatives, while Frederic maintained that Gabor did not want visitors to see her in declining health. A judge eventually appointed Frederic as Gabor's temporary conservator.

Francesca died in January 2015. Frederic said that he did not tell Gabor about her daughter's death because he feared the news would be fatal to her.

Anna Nicole Smith Paternity Claim

After Anna Nicole Smith died in 2007, Frederic claimed that he had carried on a long-term affair with the model and might be the father of her daughter, Dannielynn.

Frederic eventually withdrew his paternity claim but continued to insist that he and Smith had been involved romantically. DNA testing established photographer Larry Birkhead as Dannielynn's biological father.

The episode was one of many occasions when Frederic made sensational claims that generated widespread media coverage but were difficult or impossible to confirm independently.

Politics and Publicity

Frederic announced a campaign for governor of California in 2010, presenting himself as an independent candidate. His proposed platform included legalizing marijuana, taxing prostitution, banning plastic bags, and opening the California-Mexico border to commercial traffic.

He later suspended the campaign after Gabor became seriously ill. Frederic also announced plans to run for mayor of Los Angeles, although that effort did not develop into a significant electoral campaign.

Over the years, he has remained a regular presence on German reality programs, talk shows, documentaries, and entertainment news broadcasts. He has also generated headlines through stories involving alleged robberies, unusual accidents, health scares, and personal disputes.

Zsa Zsa Gabor's Estate and Bel Air Mansion

Gabor's longtime Bel Air mansion was not inherited by Frederic after her death. The property had already been sold in 2013 for approximately $11 million to help fund Gabor's medical care.

As part of the sale agreement, Gabor and Frederic were permitted to remain in the mansion for the rest of Gabor's life in exchange for an annual occupancy payment of approximately $325,000. Frederic moved out after Gabor died.

Frederic became the sole trustee of Gabor's private trust, which held her remaining assets and proceeds from the earlier mansion sale. The value of the trust, its debts, and the identities of any additional beneficiaries were not publicly disclosed.

In 2018, Frederic arranged an auction of more than 400 items from Gabor's estate. The collection included jewelry, artwork, designer clothing, Louis Vuitton luggage, Hermès handbags, silver, furniture, and a gilded piano once owned by actor George Sanders.

In 2021, Frederic transported Gabor's ashes from Los Angeles to Hungary. She was interred in Budapest, fulfilling her wish to return to the country of her birth.

Frederic von Anhalt

Zsa Gabor