However, it was considered unsuitable for a woman to exercise control over the vast Krupp coal, steel and state-connected armaments empire.

Claus and Eckbert were killed on active service in World War II, and Harald spent ten years in captivity in the Soviet Union.

During World War I, the Krupp company manufactured large mortars that the German army used to bombard forts in Belgium and France.

Allied troops used the translated name, "Big Bertha," to refer to all German long-range artillery, particularly those that shelled Paris in 1918.

He served five years in prison before being freed in 1951 when the US High Commissioner in Germany, John J. McCloy, granted clemency, after deciding that there was no danger of a Nazi revival.

She had become a much-loved figure in the city, known for her charitable work and her frequent visits to injured or ill Krupp workers and their families.

Any members of the family with the Krupp name are cousins whose common ancestor dates back to the early 19th century or earlier.