Caveat: I learned this off Wikipedia, so if it's inaccurate or less-than-likely, please say so.
Still, this, if true, is an interesting potential alternative path:
Any differences if this actually happened? Does a restoration of, say, Louis Ferdinand, prevent Hitler's rise? Or does history unfold the same way -- Hindenburg as a senile, dying president appointing Hitler as Chancellor, Hitler taking full control upon Hindenburg's 1934 death, and then perhaps blocking the restoration?
The other question is who would actually have succeeded to the throne? The quote above indicates it would have been Crown Prince Wilhelm's sons, but perhaps Hindenburg could have been persuaded had the Crown Prince himself been given the crown. Failing that, then does Crown Prince's eldest son, Wilhelm rise to power? He, OTL, fought for the German Army, so presumably more sympathetic to the Nazis, but he also renounced his succession rights in 1933 to marry a non-royal. Crown Prince Wilhelm's second son, Louis Ferdinand, was ardently Anti-Nazi, which could produce some fireworks.
Still, this, if true, is an interesting potential alternative path:
Brüning ... agonized over how to stem the growing Nazi tide, especially since Hindenburg could not be expected to survive another full term as president should he choose to run again. If Hindenburg were to die in office, Hitler would be a strong favorite to succeed him. By the end of 1931, Brüning thought he had hit upon a solution—restoring the Hohenzollern monarchy. He would persuade the Reichstag and Reichsrat to cancel the 1932 presidential election and simply extend Hindenburg's term by a two-thirds vote in both chambers. He would then have parliament proclaim a monarchy, with Hindenburg as regent. On Hindenburg's death, one of Crown Prince William's sons would be invited to assume the throne. However, unlike the old German Empire, the restored monarchy would have been a British-style constitutional monarchy. All of the major parties except the Communists were at least willing to give Brüning's plan some support, seeing this as the last real chance of stopping Hitler. However, the plan foundered when Hindenburg, an old-line monarchist at heart, refused to stand down in favour of anyone except William II himself. Brüning tried to impress upon him that neither the Social Democrats nor the international community would tolerate any return of William II, and that the Crown Prince wouldn't be acceptable either. This only angered Hindenburg further, and he threw Brüning out of his office.
Any differences if this actually happened? Does a restoration of, say, Louis Ferdinand, prevent Hitler's rise? Or does history unfold the same way -- Hindenburg as a senile, dying president appointing Hitler as Chancellor, Hitler taking full control upon Hindenburg's 1934 death, and then perhaps blocking the restoration?
The other question is who would actually have succeeded to the throne? The quote above indicates it would have been Crown Prince Wilhelm's sons, but perhaps Hindenburg could have been persuaded had the Crown Prince himself been given the crown. Failing that, then does Crown Prince's eldest son, Wilhelm rise to power? He, OTL, fought for the German Army, so presumably more sympathetic to the Nazis, but he also renounced his succession rights in 1933 to marry a non-royal. Crown Prince Wilhelm's second son, Louis Ferdinand, was ardently Anti-Nazi, which could produce some fireworks.