sentences:  He is the grandson and heir of Wilhelm, 2nd Duke of Urach, who was offered the throne of Lithuania in anticipation of its conversion to an independent post-World War I kingdom, but he declined the crown in November 1919, as the prospect of a Baltic monarchy lost momentum.In October 1924 Duke Wilhelm also renounced his claim to the throne of Monaco.The Urachs' ducal and princely titles ceased being insignia of rank when the German Empire fell and the republican regime which succeeded it decreed in 1919 that hereditary titles would henceforth simply be treated as surnames, carrying no legal privileges.