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Stephan, Prince of Lippe (Stephan Leopold Justus Richard Prinz zur Lippe, ; born 24 May 1959), is the current head of the House of Lippe since 2015. Early life and ancestry Born into the main branch of the House of Lippe, he was an only child and son of Armin, Prince of Lippe by his wife, Traute Becker. His traditional titles include Prince of Lippe, Lord and Count of Biesterfeld, Count of Schwalenberg and Sternberg, Hereditary Burgrave of Utrecht, etc. Career The prince is the owner of Detmold Castle which is open to the public. He also owns vast forests in the Teutoburger Wald region and in the state of Brandenburg. He is a lawyer and became widely known for his opposition to a nature reserve in the district of Lippe which would have included large parts of his forests. The Prince finally succeeded in getting the project dropped in 2012. Marriage and children He married Countess Maria of Solms-Laubach, the eight child and youngest daughter of Otto, 10th Count of Solms-Laubach by his wife, Princess Madeleine of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, on 15 October 1994 in Detmold. The wedding was attended by European royalty, among them the bridegroom's first cousin once removed Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld and his wife, former Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, the bride's maternal uncle Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and his wife Princess Benedikte of Denmark, the bride's second cousin, Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, and many other members of formerly ruling families of Germany. Prince Stephan and his wife, Princess Maria currently live at Detmold Castle and have five children, three sons and two daughters. Ancestry
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