A glamorous German princess has become the first aristocrat to take off her clothes for Playboy in a daring royal sit-down.
Xenia Florence Gabriela Sophie Iris, the Princess of Saxony, will appear topless in the local tomorrow edition from the lifestyle magazine with which she hopes that ‘every woman is beautiful as she is’.
The 37-year-old, who claims to have a link to the 1,000-year-old House of Wettin, said she would be “surprised” if her centuries-old noble family bought the magazine, but hopes “they will at least tolerate it.”
In any case, Xenia is certain that her great-great-grandfather, the last king of Saxony, Friedrich August III, “would definitely have approved” of her latest photo shoot, she told the magazine.
He “was described to me as very humorous and loving,” she explained during her poolside chat.
The raunchy photo shoot is the latest in a series of unorthodox media appearances for the outspoken singer and columnist who has startled her royal rivals in the past with her claim to fame.
But Xenia stands proud in a rollicking interview with the magazine, admitting that she “fights prejudice all day” because of her title – but ultimately sees it as a “blessing” to make the most of it.
The cover of tomorrow’s Playboy Germany edition, with Princess Xenia
Princess Xenia poses for Playboy during a shocking poolside photo shoot that will be featured in tomorrow’s edition
The photo shoot It’s not the first time Princess Xenia has caused controversy for her public exploits.
In 2011, the House of Wettin itself rejected her claim to the title after announcing her biography: Xenia: The Life of a Princess in the 21st Century.
‘She’s a nothing. She cannot have a biography,” said the head of the defunct dynasty, Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen, adding that “this thing is a terrible faux pas, a misfortune for the 1,000-year-old House of Wettin.”
But Xenia is arguably the great-great-granddaughter of the last king of Saxony, Friedrich August III – and is still in the news for her royal ties.
Her mother, Iris of Saxony, is the daughter of Prince Timo (1923-1983).
Timo’s father – Xenia’s great-grandfather – was Prince Ernst Heinrich, husband of Archduchess Luise of Austria, and son of Frederick Augustus III, the last king of Saxony.
Frederick voluntarily abdicated in 1918 following Germany’s defeat in World War I, after only fourteen years on the throne, famously saying, “Oh, well, that could be better.”
Despite criticism of Xenia for her tentative connection to the crown, the princess has embraced her royal connection and made a name for herself at global shows.
In 2016, she appeared in an Israeli production in which celebrity lovers gathered in an intimate space for several weeks, surrounded by cameras, while performing various tasks.
She soon moved on to appearances on dance shows and the German version of I’m a Celebrity! in 2021, most recently a role in the local soap B:REAL last year.
But fame hasn’t always come easy for the princess, who says her title is getting in the way of her finding her prince charming.
In a 2010 interview with BZ she said, “I’ve actually been single since birth. After a short time, everyone turned out to be bad guys.’
The daughter of a farmer and a hairdresser said at the time that she was often confronted with intrusive questions: ‘Where is your crown, your castle, your dress…’
She “just wants to be a normal girl,” the outlet concluded.
The same year, Xenia expanded her search for love to England, where she appeared on BBC Three Undercover princesshiding her celebrity status and living a more pedestrian life in a house share in Essex as ‘Gaby from Germany’.
The rather brilliant concept saw a group of foreign aristocrats having to ‘fend for themselves’ and take on ‘ordinary jobs’ in a hair salon, a cafe and a cricket shop, while they ‘scoured the pubs, clubs and supermarkets of Essex in search of ‘that one’. ‘.
Xenia, then 22, struggled to choose between suitors and returned to Germany without a new prince after five hour-long episodes.
In her book, she wrote openly about how her father refused to acknowledge her as his daughter until he got proof.
Xenia also claimed that her father abused her as a child and forced her to pose for inappropriate photos.
She wrote that her mother was only convinced after police showed her evidence.
The princess, who does not always see eye to eye with her fellow nobles, hopes her family will understand and ‘at least tolerate’ her latest stunt
The Princess Xenia of Saxony, a popular German icon who has appeared in various media
The princess once appeared in a BBC show set in a shared home in Essex
More than a decade ago, Kate Middleton’s cousin was also paid a six-figure sum to appear in Playboy Magazine in black lingerie.
Katrina Darling posed on the cover of the September 2012 issue, titled ‘Britain’s new burlesque queen’.
The provocative performer, who is originally from Sunderland, appears in an eight-page spread in the magazine, which includes striking a sultry pose while lying topless on a sheepskin rug.