He was born in Schwerin, the eldest child of the reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick Francis IV, and his wife Princess Alexandra of Hanover, a daughter of Crown Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover (a first-cousin once removed of Queen Victoria) and Princess Thyra of Denmark, the youngest daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark.

He did not succeed to the throne, as the Grand Duchy was replaced with the Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Upon the promulgation of the Weimar Constitution on 11 August 1919, titles of sovereigns such as emperor/empress, king/queen, grand duke/grand duchess, etc.

In May 1931 against the will of his father,[1] Friedrich Franz joined the SS and by 1936 he had been promoted to the rank of Hauptsturmführer (Captain).

[2] He was posted to Denmark during World War II where he worked at the German embassy as a personal aide to Werner Best.