The council consisted of: There was a problem: Philipp II had demanded that his younger brother Balthasar would waive his claims on Hanau-Münzenberg before he could become a regent.

They then made a Grand Tour to Antwerp, Mechelen, Leuven, Brussels, Breda and Strasbourg and then to Buchsweiler (now: Bouxwiller in France), the "capital" of Hanau-Lichtenberg, where they visited their relatives.

When he was appointed, he explained that he wanted to spend little effort on vespers and the daily mass, but would instead concentrate on his sermons and putting forward the Gospel.

The real reformer of Hanau was his successor Philipp Neunheller MA; during his time in office, the new faith gained more and more ground.

As it was foreseeable that the Count of Rienieck would die without a male heir, he asked Emperor Karl V for permission to bequeath Rieneck to Hanau.

Count Philipp III died on 14 November 1561 after six years of illness and was buried before the high altar of the St. Mary's Church in Hanau on the right side.

Two Renaissance epitaphs, for Philipp and his wife, were created by Johann von Trarbach and mounted on the southern wall of the choir.

They had five children: The coats of arms of Count Philipp III and Countess Palatine Helena of Simmern can be seen at the main entrance to St. Mary's Church in Hanau — unfortunately, due to environmental weathering, they are in a poor condition.