Wilhelm Horwood

Wilhelm Horwood holds British and German citizenship which has exposed him to both cultures and heraldic traditions. This has motivated him to promote the understanding of different heraldic systems, which is one of the motivations behind him co-founding the Heraldic Institute with Dr John F Mueller, where Wilhelm serves as the deputy director*.

 

He has a particular appreciation for German heraldry due to its accessibility for any family and its longstanding tradition of heraldry used by both commoners or aristocracy alike. This led to Wilhelm establishing the Deutsches Erbe Wappenrolle (German Culture Roll of Arms) in 2021 to promote German heraldry to new audiences, and to make it easier for descendants of those connected to the wider German cultural area to register existing or newly adopted coats of arms in Germany.

 

Wilhelm’s heraldic and genealogical work has assisted families with tracing their ancestry and in enhancing their family identities. He has been designing and emblazoning coats of arms in digital of hand painted forms for 35 years. Wilhelm was a proud co-editor and a contributor to the Heraldic Institute Calendar 2025. He has been involved in charitable causes since 1992, sometimes in voluntary roles related to fundraising or governance. Since 2008, Wilhelm has been the CEO of two international poverty relief charities. He is also a Commander in the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem.

 

* For the purposes of German charity law Mr Horwood is a deputy of the chairman.​