The Death of a Noble Woman: Fürstin Marie of Liechtenstein (1940-2021)

Fürstin Marie and Fürst Hans Adam II at the beautification mass of Pope John Paul II, 2011. Photograph (c) Getty Images / Vittorio Zunino Celotto.

Earlier today, Fürstin Marie of Liechtenstein, the wife of Fürst Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein, died at Grabs, Switzerland. She was eighty-one years-old. The princess had suffered a stroke on 18 August; she suffered from poor health for several years. The Princely House issued the following press release: "Her Serene Highness Princess Marie von und zu Liechtenstein died on 21 August 2021 at 4:43 pm in the hospital in Grabs. After her health steadily deteriorated following a stroke on 18 August 2021, she passed away today in the presence of her family and after receiving the Holy Sacraments of the Last Supper, peacefully and with great trust in God."

Marie's parents: Ferdinand and Henriette.

Born on 14 April 1940 at Prague, Countess Marie Aglaë Bonaventura Theresia Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau was the fourth child and second daughter of Count Ferdinand Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (1908–1969) and his wife Countess Henriette von Ledebur-Wicheln (1910–2001). Ferdinand and Marie Henriette married in 1933. Marie had six siblings: Count Ferdinand (1934-2020; married Countess Hedwig von Ballestrem), Countess Eleonore (b.1936; married Thomas Cornides von Krempach), Count Johannes (1937-2004; married Countess Eleonore von Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg), Countess Aglaë (b.1941; married Count Conrad von Ballestrem), Countess Elisabeth (b.1944; married Count Ludwig zu Dohna-Schlobitten), and Count Carl (1954-2016; married Baroness Elisabeth Zobel von Giebelstadt zu Darstadt).

Marie's paternal grandparents: Count Ferdinand and Princess Aglaë.

Marie's maternal grandparents: Count Eugen and Countess Eleonore.

The paternal grandparents of Marie were Count Ferdinand Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (1866-1916) and his wife Princess Aglaë von Auersperg (1868-1919). The maternal grandparents of Marie were Count Eugen von Ledebur-Wicheln (1873-1945) and his wife Countess Eleonore Larisch von Moennich (1888-1975). 

Hereditary Princess Marie, 1967. Photograph (c) SRF Archiv.

According to the profile of Fürstin Marie on the website of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein: "Princess Marie attended primary school in Ering am Inn from 1946 to 1949. She then entered the boarding school of the Lioba Sisters in the 'Wald' Convent in Württemberg for eight years and completed her secondary education there. In 1957, Princess Marie spent an extended time in England in order to improve her English. She then attended the Academy for Applied Graphics at the University of Munich for six semesters and graduated with a diploma. After another, shorter language stay in Paris, she worked as a commercial artist in a print shop in Dachau until her engagement in 1965."

Countess Marie Aglaé is escorted by her father Count Ferdinand

Inside St Florin's

Hans Adam and Marie Aglaé

On 30 July 1967 at Vaduz, Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau married then Hereditary Prince Hans Adam of Liechtenstein in St Florin's. Prince Hans Adam was the eldest son of Fürst Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein (1906–1989) and his wife Fürstin Georgina (née von Wilczek; 1921–1989). Hans Adam and Marie Agläe were second cousins once removed through their descent from Fürst Ferdinand Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (1834-1904) and his wife Princess Maria Josepha of Liechtenstein (1835-1905). 

(left to right) Princess Sofía of Spain and Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark 

The Count and Countess of Paris followed by Prince Michael and Princess Marina of Greece  as well as Duchess Diane of Württemberg 

Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes arrives on the arm of Prince Heinrich of Liechtenstein

Among the guests were a plethora of the European Gotha. Attendees included Archduke Otto of Austria, the Duke of Bragança, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece and her sisters-in-law Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark and Princess Sofía of Spain, Prince Michael and Princess Marina of Greece, the Count and Countess of Paris, Prince Jacques d'Orléans and siblings Princess Chantal and Prince Thibault, Duke Philipp and Duchess Rosa of Württemberg as well as Duke Carl and Duchess Diane of Württemberg. Members of the Bourbon-Parma, Hannover, Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Mecklenburg, Schwarzenberg, Thurn and Taxis, and Orsini families were also present.

Fürstin Gina of Liechtenstein and her daughter-in-law Princess Marie.

Hereditary Princess Marie and Hereditary Prince Hans Adam of Liechtenstein, 1979. Photo (c) Getty Images / Lichfield.

Princes Alois, Constantin, and Maximilian of Liechtenstein in 1979 Photograph (c) Getty Images / Lichfield

Hans Adam and Marie with their four children, 1985. Photo (c) Seeger-Presse.

Fürst Hans-Adam, Fürstin Marie, and their four children.

Fürst Hans Adam and Fürstin Marie had four children: Hereditary Prince Alois (b.1968; married Duchess Sophie in Bavaria), Prince Maximilian (b.1969; married Angela Brown), Prince Constantin (b.1972; married Countess Maria Kálnoky de Köröspatak), and Princess Tatjana (b.1973; married Philipp von Lattorff).

Duke Max and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, Duke Albrecht of Bavaria, Duchess Sophie in Bavaria and Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, Fürstin Marie and Fürst Hans Adam II, 1993. Photo (c) Getty Images / Picture Alliance.

On 3 July 1993 at Vaduz, Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein married Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, the daughter of Duke Max in Bavaria and his wife Duchess Elizabeth (née Countess Douglas). The Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein have four children: Prince Joseph Wenzel (b.1994), Princess Marie-Caroline (b.1996), Prince Georg (b.1999), and Prince Nikolaus (b.2000). 

Fürstin Marie, Prince Maximilian and Princess Angela, and Fürst Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein, 2000. Photo (c) Seeger-Presse.

On 29 January 2000 at New York, Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein (b.1969) religiously married Angela Gisela Brown (b.1958), the daughter of Javier Francisco Brown and Silvia Maritza Burke. The couple had celebrated their civil marriage at Vaduz on 21 January. Prince Maximilian and Princess Angela have one son, Prince Alfons (b.2001). 

Prince Constantin of Liechtenstein and Countess Maria Kálnoky de Köröspatak, 1999. Photo (c) Belga Picture.

On 17 July 1999 at Csicso, Prince Constantin of Liechtenstein (b.1972) religious married Countess Maria Kálnoky de Köröspatak (b.1975), the daughter of Count Alois Kálnoky de Köröspatak and his wife Countess Sieglinde (née Baroness von Oer). The couple had celebrated their civil wedding at Vaduz on 14 May. Prince Constantin and Princess Maria have three children: Prince Mortiz (b.2003), Princess Georgina (b.2005), and Prince Benedikt (b.2008).

Princess Tatjana of Liechtenstein and Philipp von Lattorff, 1999. Photo (c) Seeger-Presse.

On 5 June 1999 at Vaduz, Princess Tatjana of Liechtenstein (b.1973) married Philipp von Lattorff (b.1968), the son of Klaus Jürgen von Lattorff and his wife Countess Julia Batthyány de Német-Ujvár. Princess Tatjana and Philipp have seven children: Lukas (b.2000), Elisabeth (b.2002), Marie (b.2004), Camilla (b.2005), Anna (b.2007), Sophie (b.2009), and Maximilian (b.2011).

The Prince and Princess of Wales with the Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein during a ski holiday in the 1980s. Photo (c) Seeger-Presse.

Fürst Hans Adam and Fürstin Marie of Liechtenstein with King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, 1985. Photo (c) Getty Images.

Fürstin Gina, Fürst Franz Joseph, Hereditary Princess Marie and Hereditary Prince Hans Adam on Liechtenstein's National Day, 1986. Photo (c) Getty Images / Chip Hires.

Fürstin Marie and Fürst Hans Adam celebrating Marie's 70th birthday, 2010. Photo (c) Seeger-Presse / Sandra Zellner.

Hans Adam II and Marie attend the wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, 2011. Photo (c) Getty Images / Pascal Le Segretain.

Fürstin Marie and Fürst Hans Adam in Schloß Vaduz on the occasion of Marie's 73rd birthday, 2013. Photo (c) Seeger-Presse / Sandra Zellner.

(left to right) Fürstin Marie, Fürst Hans Adam II, Pope Francis I, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein, 2017. Photo (c) Getty Images / Vatican Pool-Corbis.

The Fürstin of Liechtenstein was a firm fixture on the European royal scene since she married Hereditary Prince Hans Adam in 1967. They formed a devoted couple, who were much loved by family and friends. Fürstin Marie of Liechtenstein was been strongly committed to social institutions in Liechtenstein. She served as the Honorary President of the Liechtenstein Red Cross, which she headed from 1985 to 2015.

Marie looking at her husband Hans Adam on Liechtenstein's National Day, 2004. Photo (c) Seeger-Presse / Albert Nieboer.

May the Fürstin Rest In Peace.