Constantin von Lahnstein

Constantin von Lahnstein is a fictional character on German soap opera Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love) and was portrayed by actor Milan Marcus. He made his first appearance on 9 December 2004.[1][2] The character was introduced as the last original member of the Lahnstein family as a troublesome teenager that grow up at his aunt's in Italy after his mother died. He has been featured in numerous storylines, including finding his biological father, his friendship to Paul Brandner, his relationships to Paul's sister Lisa and Judith Hagendorf and an affair with the former wife of his cousin, Nathalie Käppler. Marcus decided to focus on college in 2008 but stayed with the show until his last appearance on 5 January 2011.[3]

Constantin von Lahnstein
Verbotene Liebe character
Portrayed by	Milan Marcus
Duration	2004-2011
First appearance	Episode 2351 9 December 2004
Last appearance	Episode 3758 5 January 2011
Profile
Occupation	Journalist
Residence	Madrid, Spain
Family Family Lahnstein Father Adrian Degenhardt Mother Francesca di Balbi Stepfather Johannes von Lahnstein Brothers Leonard von Lahnstein Half-sisters Carla von Lahnstein Aunts Carlotta di Balbi Maria di Balbi Nephews Julius de Maron Nieces Sophia von Lahnstein First cousins Ansgar von Lahnstein

Development

Constantin was introduced to the show as the family's outcast. For some reason his father Johannes had no use for him. Upon his return it was revealed that Constantin wasn't Johannes' biological son. Constantin would eventually find out that Adrian Degenhardt is his father. Introduced as a kind-hearted person, personal problems and the effect the paternity reveal is having on him, let Constantin experience a dark side and a rebellious time. Constantin flirts easy with the ladies but when he falls for his best friend's younger sister Lisa, he's ready for a serious relationship. The break up from Lisa, leads to another dark period of schemes and sleeping around. Eventually he falls in love again but his heart is broken again. Constantin becomes a journalist and independent from the Lahnstein family. He has a short affair with Nathalie Käppler before leaving for Madrid.

Storylines

The arrival

After the death of his mother Francesca, Constantin grew up in Verona, Italy, where he visited an elite boarding school. He hasn't really been in contact with his family for a while, when he makes a surprise return. But his father Johannes seems not very happy to see him. Constantin feels himself as the black sheep and not wanted by his own father. When Johannes wants to send him back to Italy, Constantin is confused why Johannes hasn't any love for him and doesn't want him to stay. In a fight between father and son, Constantin finally wants to know what is going on. With deep sorrow, Johannes tells Constantin that he isn't his biological son. He didn't want to tell him and that's the reason why he wanted Constantin to go back to Italy. After the truth is out, Constantin has big problems with his identity and the grief over his mother's death returns. When Johannes discovers Constantin's condition, he speaks to him and admits that it was a mistake to send him away. Johannes tells him that no matter what, he always will be his son. Constantin and Johannes improve their relationship, but Constantin always feels like something is missing and he doesn't fit into the family.

First love

Constantin becomes best friends with Paul Brandner. They understand each other very well and share the passion for beach volleyball. Constantin also defends his friend, when schoolmates find out that Paul's biological mother died over AIDS and they claim that Paul is danger to them. Paul's sister Lisa begins to fall for Constantin, but he doesn't seem interested in her. He only sees her as Paul's little sister. But Paul and Constantin see that her love life could use some action and that they want to lose their virginity. Constantin begins a flirt with the very attractive Jeannine, but it doesn't go anywhere. Instead, Constantin finally becomes interested in Lisa and they become a couple. Paul isn't always excited about that, because he has the feeling he needs to share his friend. The same feeling has Lisa, but Constantin manages it to have time for both and the three of them become a very strong unit. Constantin and Lisa face up and downs in their relationship. When Johannes is up against Constantin's brother Ansgar, he wants to make sure, that Constantin doesn't get involve and sends him off to Boston. Constantin is very angry over this and doesn't want to leave - specially not Lisa. But even after Lisa tries to talk Johannes out of it, Constantin has to go and is away for a while. When he returns, his relationship with Lisa becomes very complicated, before they break up.

Father knows worst

Still problems with his identity, Constantin decides to search for his biological father. Johannes is a little bit hurt over this at first and refuses to help Constantin. He goes public and tries to find his father. The search doesn't go well, when Constantin finds out that of all people Adrian Degenhardt, Johannes' former best friend, could be his father. Adrian and Johannes became enemies over their love for Francesca and Constantin doesn't know how to deal with the possibility of Adrian as his father. After Constantin finds out that Adrian really is his father, he tries to influence him and stop the war between Johannes and him. But Adrian doesn't really want to get to know his son. But soon Adrian sees a possibility to use Constantin in his vendetta against Johannes. He feeds him with wrong informations to get him on his side. His plan works and Constantin, who never had an easy relationship with Johannes, feels more and more hate for the person who raised him. He wants to help Adrian and gets business informations for him. But Constantin gets a wake up call, when Johannes suffers a heart attack, when he finds out about Constantin's betrayal. Constantin realizes that Adrian used him and breaks all ties with his father.

The dark side

Constantin becomes interested in Lisa again, who is dating Andi Fritzsche. He builds a friendship with his former girlfriend and hopes that it becomes more again. But Lisa is so in love with Andi, that she doesn't have any romantic feelings for Constantin at all. So, Constantin tries to sabotage Lisa's relationship to Andi and wants Olivia Schneider to seduce him. Olivia agrees, when Constantin manages to get her a job at the Lahnstein Holding. The deal is made and Olivia is successful and can really make it look like that she seduced Andi. Happy that Lisa breaks up with Andi, he soon needs to realize that this didn't wake Lisa's interest in him. When the truth about his scheme comes out, he also fears to lose Lisa as a friend. But she later can forgive him. In a time where it is difficult for him to find his place in life, Constantin lets himself go and parties all the time. It gets more and more serious that he fears to fail his graduation. He becomes very desperate and blackmails his teacher Anne Siebert with her secret relationship with Paul. When Paul finds out about Constantin blackmailing Anne, the friendship almost gets destroyed over it. But Constantin comes to his senses and apologizes to Anne and Paul forgives his friend soon before he leaves town with Anne, after the relationship came out anyway.

A love story in the making

After Paul leaving town, Constantin becomes closer with Johannes again. The two manage to rebuild a relationship as father and son and Constantin finally knows that he doesn't need his real father as long as he would have Johannes in his life. But Johannes is presumed death, after his plane went down over the Atlantic Ocean. Grieving of the death of Johannes, he finds a good friend in Judith Hagendorf. He becomes interested in her, but has competition with Fabian Brandner. Constantin builds very strong feelings for Judith and tries to prove them to her. But Judith is already in love with Fabian and tries to find her happiness with him. But it doesn't work out and Fabian breaks up with Judith, after she didn't tell him about a one-night stand his mother Katja had. Constantin wants to be there for Judith and comforts her over the breakup. But he also realizes that he still has these strong feelings for Judith. They spend much time together and after a while, Constantin starts to believe that Judith feels the same way about him. She stays by him, when nobody is on his side with his opinion over Adrian, who seemed to rescue the life of Carla her daughter. But Constantin believes that he kidnaps her and wants to blackmail him in saying the truth. Adrian needs a kidney and Constantin is a match. Constantin has only one condition for helping him - he wants him to confess the truth. Adrian signs a confession, but it becomes useless, when Constantin tells his family how he got it. Constantin helps him anyway and Judith stays by him and thinks it's a brave thing that he is doing. He believes that Judith and he finally become their chance. But Judith once again falls for someone else, who turns out to be Fabian's brother David.

Constantin gets tired over Judith's feelings for David and is hurt that she can't see him as more than a friend. When Judith is finally giving up on David, Constantin confesses his feelings to her. Surprised by that, Judith tells him that she hasn't the same feelings for him and wants them to stay as friends. But their friendship becomes more and more complicated over Constantin's feelings for her. He becomes interest in journalism and applies for a school in London. Meanwhile, Judith begins to discover her feelings for Constantin. She confesses her love for him, but Constantin isn't ready to believe her. After all what happened and that he tried to be more than her friend more than once, he just fears to get hurt once again by a person. When he is taken by the school in London, Constantin decides to go. On the airport it comes to a tearful goodbye between Judith and Constantin. She once again tells him that she loves him and doesn't want him to go. With a last kiss, Constantin leaves and a heartbroken Judith is left behind.

He returns the next summer, when Carla wants to talk to him about a family matter. She tells him that their supposedly dead mother Francesca is still alive and has returned to Castle Königsbrunn. Constantin and Carla don't know that it's really their repudiated aunt Maria di Balbi, who works for Ansgar. At first Constantin has a hard time accepting Maria as the not-so-dead Francesca, but he comes around eventually. When Judith finds out that Constantin is in town, she gets all nervous and doesn't know where they stand after all this time. When they meet each other, Constantin shocks Judith with the confession that he has a girlfriend in London and that they would be better of as friends. But later Constantin visits her to say goodbye before returning to London. He can't hide his feelings and the two end up sleeping together. After that, he tells Judith that he lied and that he hasn't a girlfriend waiting for him. He was just afraid, knowing that the two would have no future with Constantin in England. Constantin and Judith agree to be just friends.

But they both can't stop thinking about each other. Constantin spends Judith a surprise visit, where he asks her if she missed him. Judith confesses that she was just thinking about him. He doesn't know if that's enough, but he asks her to come with him to London anyway. Judith is happy, kisses Constantin and agrees to go with him. They just pack one bag, before saying goodbye to Olli and Christian and leaving Düsseldorf. He appears once again on the wedding of Christian's brother Gregor Mann, where he tells the family how happy he and Judith are in London. Constantin also finds out the truth about Maria.

Affair with Nathalie

After Olli and Christian got engaged and plan their wedding with Constantin and Judith as attending guests, the couple is surprised when Constantin appears on their door step. He asked to stay awhile and it doesn't take the friends too long to figure out that he and Judith have split after a half year. Andi offers him to talk about what's bothering, but Constantin doesn't seem ready. His life seems shattered once again, which later is even more clear after he bumps into Maria. Lost in his thoughts he walks down the streets and almost gets hit by a car, when Nathalie Käppler appears out of nowhere to rescue his life. Constantin and Nathalie form a friendship and she helps him learning to speak Spanish for a job. Constantin is taken by surprise when he starts having feelings for his tutor. When Nathalie is confronted by Constantin's feelings, she tells him that they'll never have a chance and that she's in love with Matthias Brandner. Constantin tries to accept Nathalie's relationship to Matthias and swears to concentrate on his Spanish lessons. But Nathalie begins to develop an attraction for Constantin, which ends in a kiss. Because the two get interrupted, Constantin is left confused. Nathalie later talks to him, telling him that something like that can never happen again. Constantin even wants to end his lessons with her, but when Matthias starts asking questions about Nathalie and Constantin's behavior around each other; both want to make it look like everything is all right. Closeness between them strikes again as a result and Nathalie and Constantin end up sleeping together. After that Nathalie realizes that her future is with Matthias. After he found out about Nathalie's affair with Constantin, Matthias marries her anyway. Shortly after this Constantin gets a job offer to work as a journalist in an executive position in Madrid. He thinks it through together with Christian and decides to not pass at this chance. Constantin leaves for his new job and once again says goodbye to his friends in Düsseldorf.

Departure and returns

Milan Marcus asked to be released from his contract in September 2008 after wanting to focus on college. He last appeared on 26 November 2011 but soon returned for guest-stints and short-term arcs. His first return aired from 21 July to 5 August 2009. He came back from 1–15 September 2009, 6–11 November 2009 and 5–7 January 2010. In May 2010, Marcus signed another six-months contract to return for a storyline in which he had an affair with the ex-wife of his cousin Ansgar. He returned on 8 July 2010 and last appeared on 5 January 2011.

See also

• The Lahnstein Family

Notes

1. "Das Erste.de - Milan Marcus". Archived from the original on 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
2. Deutsche Dailys.de - Milan Marcus
3. Leaving in 2011