Health fears as Kohl marries partner in hospital ceremony

The former German chancellor Helmut Kohl has married his long-term partner, an economist almost half his age, in the hospital where he is recovering from a head injury.

The marriage of Mr Kohl, 78, to Maike Richter, 44, raises speculation that his health is increasingly fragile.

Friends have been quoted in the German media as saying that Mr Kohl wanted to marry as soon as possible because he was uncertain how much longer he would live. Mr Köhl, the architect of German reunification suffered a severe head injury at his home in Ludwigshafen eight weeks ago. He had an emergency operation that same night and has been undergoing therapy ever since.

His marriage took place on Thursday last week at the clinic with only a few close friends present but was only publicly announced yesterday. "We are very happy," said the couple, who have been together for three years and have been seen at events around the world together.

Ms Richter is described as a brilliant economist with a personality that her new husband found "irresistible" when they met. She filled a void in Mr Kohl's life after his first wife, Hannelore, committed suicide at their home seven years ago.

Mrs Kohl had contracted a rare allergy that made it impossible for her to be exposed to sunlight and the last years of her life were spent wearing dark glasses and sitting in shuttered rooms. She ended her own life with a mixture of prescription medicines. Mr Kohl went into a period of prolonged grieving that only ended when he began dating Ms Richter. At the time he met her, he said: "I'm very grateful that I am able to enjoy this happy period of my life. She has made me very happy in every way."

The guests at their wedding included the former German media mogul Leo Kirch; Mr Kohl's lawyer; the editor of the popular newspaper Bild, Kai Diekmann; and the priest Erich Ramstetter, who has known Mr Kohl for many years.

A spokesman for the former chancellor said there was no clear date for when Mr Kohl might leave the clinic, fuelling speculation that the wedding took place in hospital in case his health deteriorates further.

Last year, his new wife – who will go by the name Frau Kohl-Richter – stood in for him at a European Union function when he was too ill to attend because of a knee injury.

Although a man of considerable size – his favourite dish is stuffed pig's stomach – Mr Kohl has kept a low personal and political profile in recent years since a party slush-fund scandal threatened to destroy him.

He was found to have taken undeclared donations, which is against German political rules, to fund his party during the 16 years he ruled Germany.

Under the threat of a possible jail sentence, Mr Kohl refused to ever reveal the names of the donors and, in the end, escaped only with a fine. His reputation in the eyes of many voters, however, was severely tarnished from then on.

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