Hans Albrecht was titled Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, and from 1931 onwards of Schleswig-Holstein. He was the Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holstein and the heir apparent to the Head of the House of Oldenburg.
He was the eldest son of Wilhelm Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, and Princess Marie Melita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. He fought in the Second World War between 1939 and 1944 when he died from wounds received in action near Jedlińsk, Poland.