The Sapphire Wedding of Count Karl Eugen von Neipperg and Archduchess Andrea of Austria

Today, Count Karl Eugen von Neipperg and Archduchess Andrea of Austria celebrate forty-five years of marriage!

The Villa Austria, home of Archduke Otto and Archduchess Regina.

On 30 July 1977 at Pöcking, Archduchess Andrea of Austria religiously married Count Karl Eugen von Neipperg. Their civil wedding took place on 9 July. The couple met in 1976 at a ball in Munich. 

Andrea and Karl Eugen.

Born at Schwaigern on 20 October 1951, Count Maria Karl Eugen Johannes Nepomuk Erwin Michael von Neipperg was the eldest child of Count Josef Hubert von Neipperg (1918-2020) and his first wife Countess Maria von Ledebur-Wicheln (1920-1984). Karl Eugen studied at the Economic Institute of Nürtingen. He received his degree as an agricultural engineer. Following his formal education, the count worked on his family's property holdings (agricultural lands and forests). 

Archduchess Andrea kisses the hand of her grandmother Empress Zita.

Born at Würzburg on 30 May 1953, Archduchess Andrea Maria of Austria was the eldest child of Archduke Otto of Austria, Crown Prince of Hungary (1912-2011) and Archduchess Regina (1925-2010; née Princess of Saxe-Meiningen), who wed in 1951. Andrea received her early education at the primary school in Pöcking. The archduchess enrolled at the University of Innsbruck, where she perfected her knowledge of English and Spanish. 

The Austrian (with the exception of Archduke Georg) and Neipperg siblings.

Empress Zita with four of her sons. Archduke Otto sits next to her. Behind them are Archduke Carl Ludwig, Archduke Robert, and Archduke Rudolph.

(left to right) Princess Klara-Maria of Saxe-Meiningen, Archduchess Regina, Archduchess Andrea, Count Karl Eugen, Empress Zita, and Count Degenfeld.

Andrea and Karl Eugen dance the night away.

On 29 July at the Golfhotel Kaiserin Elisabeth in Feldafing, an intimate dinner was hosted by Archduke Otto and Archduchess Regina for their daughter and her betrothed as well as one hundred guests. Dancing followed the dinner. 

The religious wedding of Andrea and Karl Eugen.

On her wedding day, Archduchess Andrea wore a white satin dress, created by a Pöcking designer, with a headdress of flowers. On her gown, the archduchess had pinned the Order of the Starry Cross, of which she is a member. Bishop Bruno Wechner of Feldkirk officiated over the religious wedding, assisted by Father Mathias Defregger. After the benediction, the Bishop Wechner read a telegraph addressed to the newlyweds from Pope Paul VI. The witnesses for Archduchess Andrea were Archduke Lorenz of Austria and Count Degenfeld; for Count Karl Eugen, the witnesses were Count Reinhard von Neipperg and Fürst Nicholas Leopold zu Salm-Salm. 

Archduke Otto of Austria and Countess Marie von Neipperg followed by Archduchess Regina of Austria and Count Josef Hubert von Neipperg.

Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg and Fürst Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein followed by Countess Franziska von Waldburg-Wolfegg-Waldsee and Archduke Rudolph of Austria.

Prince Ernst August of Hannover and Fürstin Georgina of Liechtenstein followed by Countess Elisabeth Hunyady and Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. 

Two hundred guests attended the Austrian imperial wedding. Among the attendees were Fürst Franz Joseph and Fürstin Georgina of Liechtenstein, Prince Ernst August of Hannover, Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg, and the Margrave of Meissen.

Our best wishes to Karl Eugen and Andrea on their anniversary!