Anhalt – Happy 800th Birthday!

To celebrate the 800th anniversary of the creation of Anhalt as an independent state, Prince Eduard of Anhalt and his family hosted a birthday party at Schloß Oranienbaum.

The Anhalts are one of Germany's oldest dynasties. The last male, Prince Eduard, has three daughters. The continuation of the ancient family name was solved by his daughter Juschka having her children by husband Marc Bernath registered legally as "Prinz von Anhalt."

This is an innovative way to guarantee that one's last name will not disappear...and in keeping with the times, if absolute primogeniture is adopted in  in nearly all European monarchies, then it ought to work in cases where some former ruling dynasties are facing male extinction, as is the case in Anhalt, Saxony and Romania.

 DESSAU, GERMANY - JUNE 02: Eduard Prinz von Anhalt (C) poses with daughters (L to R) Juschka, Eilika, Felicitas and his wife Corinna von Anhalt at the gala dinner celebrating the 800th anniversary of the German region of Anhalt at Oranienbaum Castle on June 2, 2012 in Oranienbaum, near Dessau, Germany. Anhalt, formerly a sovereign county, was developed in the year 1212 from the lineage of the House of Ascania and is now part of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images) 

DESSAU, GERMANY - JUNE 02: (L to R) Juschka von Anhalt, Marc Bernhardt, Eilika von Anhalt and Fabien Harte arrive for the gala dinner celebrating the 800th anniversary of the German region of Anhalt at Oranienbaum Castle on June 2, 2012 in Oranienbaum, near Dessau, Germany. Anhalt, formerly a sovereign county, was developed in the year 1212 from the lineage of the House of Ascania and is now part of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)