A senior German royal told MailOnline today that Prince Harry should have thought of the King and Queen before taking a selfie with a ‘fake prince’ at John Travolta’s ‘Living Legends of Aviation’ gala.
Prince Alexander Schaumburg-Lippe has warned the Duke of Sussex to exercise ‘more caution’ after posing with one of his wandering distant relatives.
Harry looked delighted as he joined Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe at the black tie event hosted at the Beverly Hills Hilton in LA on Friday evening, despite the German being branded a German ‘fake prince’ from the South list.
Prince Alexander said: ‘I hope that he (Harry) will be more careful in the future and also always bear in mind the dignity of their Majesties the King and Queen.’
Mario Max has earned the nickname ‘King of Trash TV’ after a stint on German Big Brother and several reality shows in the US.
‘If Prince Harry reads about these things he may be more careful in the future, which would be wise. In his position you cannot surround yourself with people without vetting them first,” Prince Alexander said.
Mario-Max was adopted at the age of 24 by a member of the Schaumburg-Lippe family and was given the title of prince shortly afterwards. But his relatives, including the head of the House of Representatives, Prince Alexander, claim that Mario-Max is not a prince and has “harvested our name” for fame.
Prince Harry was all smiles as he posed for a selfie with Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe at the Living Legends of Aviation in Los Angeles on Friday evening
Alexander, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, believes Harry should have been ‘more careful’ before agreeing to the selfie with his adopted distant relative
Mario-Max insists he is a Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and says it is “fake news” to claim otherwise. But many, including senior members of his family, disagree
Prince Mario-Max posts photos of himself posing with celebrities on his Instagram page. Pictured with Lady Gaga in 2018 and on the right with Emily Blunt
Yesterday tThe 46-year-old shared his own birth certificate on social media after his own family even questioned his right to use the title of prince.
He tweeted in German and English, saying he is the son of “Prince Waldemar, son of Princess Feodora of Denmark, and Princess Antonia Schaumburg-Lippe.”
His small army of social media supporters supported him, with one statement from his critics: “You are a gentleman, sir. Ignore these people. They have no honor.”
Mario-Max has been called the ‘King of Trash TV’ because he appeared on Germany’s Big Brother before making cameos on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills when he dated a star, and Bravo’s Millionaire Matchmaker when he started looking for a wife in Iowa.
The red carpet-loving German, who calls himself a “royal TV presenter” on Instagram, has even appeared on a shopping channel to sell a “wealth elixir” for 99 euros for a 56ml bottle. Other embarrassing stunts include half-naked modeling of lederhosen-style swim trunks.
He also has a penchant for asking royals and rich and famous people to post selfies on social media, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Lady Gaga, Emily Blunt, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Paris Hilton and now Prince Harry.
Prince Mario-Max drops ‘wealth elixir’ on a shopping channel where he tells viewers ‘they can have the life they want’ by using the product
Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe was adopted at the age of twenty by a German prince and princess. He started using the title of prince around 2009
In 2009, he strutted down the catwalk modeling the ‘Badelederhose’, described on his website as ‘Bavarian swim trunks’.
Mario-Max pictured with Paris Hilton in 2019. He has connections dating back to William of Orange, which would make him a very distant cousin of the British Royals
He took a selfie with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber in 2018.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: ‘Harry has made a fool of himself’.
Harry and Meghan’s biographer Phil Dampier said: ‘If Harry wants to be taken seriously, he shouldn’t be posing with the likes of this ‘German Prince’, who has been on their equivalent of Celebrity Big Brother and has been dubbed the King of Trash TV on shopping channels. It’s very sad to see someone who was once a true royal and had so much to offer, reduced to this kind of tacky selfie’.
Mario-Max’s website boasts of family ties dating back to William of Orange, which would make him a very, very distant cousin of the British Royals, including Harry.
He hosts a royal show called ‘Astro Royal’ from Berlin which airs on cable, satellite and web TV. He also says he is a journalist.