Prince Ferdinand von Anhalt is a German attorney, former political youth leader, television personality, and historical researcher who has a net worth of $500 thousand. His full legal name is Maximilian Ferdinand Leopold Prinz von Anhalt, although he commonly uses Ferdinand Prinz von Anhalt.

Ferdinand was born Markus Wölfert and acquired the Anhalt surname through an adult adoption by Prince Frederic von Anhalt, the longtime husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor. Ferdinand was one of several adult men adopted by Frederic, but he distinguished himself from the others through his legal education and conventional professional career.

Before the adoption, Ferdinand studied law, held leadership positions in the youth organization affiliated with Germany's Christian Democratic Union, and prepared for a career as an attorney. He later received attention for his brief marriage to German reality television personality Elisabeth "Sissi" Fahrenschon and for appearing on Bravo's "The Millionaire Matchmaker."

Ferdinand has since concentrated on practicing law and researching the history of Anhalt, heraldry, military decorations, historic weapons, and European aristocratic families.

Ferdinand von Anhalt was born Markus Wölfert on February 19, 1984, in the German state of Hesse. He grew up in the region around Guxhagen in northern Hesse.

Wölfert studied law, including coursework at the University of Göttingen, and completed his legal clerkship in Hesse. He passed Germany's required legal examinations and was admitted to practice as an attorney in 2014.

He later studied at New York University, where he completed a program focused on charitable organizations, philanthropy, and fundraising. Ferdinand has described himself professionally as both a German attorney and a fundraising and philanthropy specialist.

Before becoming known as Prince Ferdinand von Anhalt, Wölfert was active in the Junge Union, the joint youth organization of Germany's Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union.

He served for four years as chairman of the Junge Union's Schwalm-Eder district organization. He also chaired the organization's Guxhagen branch, served as an environmental-policy representative, and held positions within local CDU committees.

Wölfert stepped down as Schwalm-Eder district chairman in 2009. Local party officials credited him with leaving behind a strong and active organization after several years of leadership.

In 2011, Wölfert was adopted as an adult by Prince Frederic von Anhalt. He subsequently changed his legal name to Maximilian Ferdinand Leopold Prinz von Anhalt.

Frederic was himself an adult adoptee. Born Hans Robert Lichtenberg, he acquired the Anhalt surname when Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt adopted him in 1980. Frederic later adopted several adult sons, some of whom paid substantial sums in connection with the arrangements.

Contemporary coverage described Ferdinand as one of Frederic's adult adopted sons and noted that Ferdinand believed the new name could help his professional career. Frederic praised him as an educated and respectable addition to the family.

Ferdinand later expressed a more complicated view of the decision. He acknowledged that his youthful fascination with European aristocracy, glamour, and royal history contributed to his willingness to undergo the adoption.

Because former German noble titles are legally treated as parts of surnames, the adoption gave Ferdinand the legal name "Prinz von Anhalt." It did not give him a hereditary royal office or a place in a reigning monarchy.

Eduard Prinz von Anhalt, head of the historic House of Anhalt, does not recognize Ferdinand or Frederic as dynastic members of the family. Ferdinand has argued that the adoption nevertheless makes him a legal descendant of Princess Marie-Auguste under German civil law.

Ferdinand attracted German media attention in 2013 when he married Elisabeth "Sissi" Fahrenschon, who had been the runner-up on a German season of "The Bachelor."

Ferdinand and Fahrenschon met at a Cinema for Peace event held during the Berlin International Film Festival. They married approximately two months later in a beach ceremony in California.

At the time, Ferdinand was preparing for his second German state legal examination. The unexpected marriage led to speculation that the ceremony had been organized as a publicity stunt, but Fahrenschon publicly insisted that the relationship was genuine.

The marriage was annulled after only a few weeks.

Ferdinand later appeared on the eighth season of Bravo's reality dating series "The Millionaire Matchmaker," hosted by Patti Stanger.

His episode, "Ally Shapiro, Jill Zarin and Prince Ferdinand," aired on January 1, 2015. Stanger encouraged Ferdinand to stop emphasizing his royal name when meeting women and to present himself through his personality and accomplishments instead.

Ferdinand was matched with a woman named Lia. Although the date appeared to go well, Bravo's follow-up indicated that he did not contact her again after filming.

The appearance remains Ferdinand's most prominent American television credit.

Ferdinand has maintained a law practice in Guxhagen, Germany. His professional materials identify him as Rechtsanwalt Maximilian Ferdinand Leopold Prinz von Anhalt, the German designation for an attorney authorized to practice law.

Unlike several of Frederic's other adopted sons, Ferdinand has generally avoided a career centered on nightlife, tabloid notoriety, or the commercial sale of aristocratic names. His public profile has instead combined his legal work with fundraising, philanthropy, collecting, and historical research.

Ferdinand has developed a particular interest in the regional history of Anhalt and the former House of Ascania. His research interests include heraldry, genealogy, military medals and decorations, historical flags, postcards, ceremonial swords, castles, and the Anhalt Infantry Regiment No. 93.

He belongs to several German historical and specialist organizations, including societies devoted to heraldry, genealogy, military history, castles, flags, medals, and historic weapons.

Ferdinand has also written articles about Anhalt military decorations, passports, historical documents, aristocratic families, ceremonial weapons, and regional history. His work has appeared in specialist publications and on his historical research website.

Through that work, Ferdinand has attempted to establish a public identity separate from the unusual adoption arrangement that originally brought him media attention.