Maximilian, Margrave of Baden, Prince Philip’s nephew and the head of the House of Baden since 1963, passed away on December 29, 2022, at his residence in Lake Constance, Germany.

His death has added to the challenges that King Charles has faced this year.

The House of Baden confirmed his passing and announced that Bernard Margrave of Baden, the previous hereditary prince, will succeed him as the new head of the House.

The House of Baden is a formerly ruling Grand Ducal Baden princely house that provided sovereigns in the Baden's part of today's Federal State of Baden-Württemberg from 1112 to 1918.

Max Margrave of Baden married Austria's Archduchess Valerie Isabella Habsburg-Lothringen in 1966, and they had children together.

Although he did not attend the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II, his son and heir, Bernard, and his wife, Stephanie, were present at the solemn occasion, with the Baden family represented by the Archduchess.

Max's father passed away in 1963, and he succeeded him as the head of the House of Baden, receiving the title and the largest states of the family, which included Schoess-Los-Salem and the castles of Baden-Baden, Zigwingberg, and Eberstein.

In the 1960s, he was briefly engaged to his first cousin, Princess Beatrice of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

The royal family has had a difficult year, with the loss of the Queen on September 8th.

Charles and his sister, Princess Anne, were with their mother when she passed away, while other relatives like Prince William and Sophie Wessex travelled up to Balmoral at the time of her passing.

Charles ascended the throne following his mother's death and recently gave his first Christmas speech as monarch.

During his speech, Charles paid tribute to the late Queen and acknowledged that Christmas was a particularly poignant time for people who have lost family members.

The speech was broadcast to the entire country from the Chapel of St. George's at Windsor Castle, where the King was standing close to the site of Queen Elizabeth II's grave at the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Attentive royal watchers may have seen indications that the King was affected by the emotion of the scene when it was being taped earlier this month.

Some fans of the royal family responded favourably to his historic first Christmas speech, with some saying the new monarch appeared to be crying.

One user on Twitter wrote, “You can see King Charles has been crying, thinking of mum,” while another posted, “Such a beautiful first speech from our beloved King.

Merry Christmas King Charles and family.”

A third person wrote, “I thought it would be weird not seeing the Queen's speech, but King Charles did very well.”

The passing of Maximilian, Margrave of Baden, has added to the challenges that King Charles has faced this year, but he has shown resilience in his role as monarch.

The House of Baden will continue under the leadership of Bernard Margrave of Baden, who will carry on the legacy of his predecessor.

Despite the difficulties, the royal family remains a source of inspiration and admiration for many around the world.