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.

Prince Franz Josef von Altenburg (1941-2021)

Franz Josef Altenburg, 2019.

Photo (c) Hollengut.

Aged eighty, Prince Franz Josef von Altenburg died on 18 August 2021. Born on 15 March 1941, Prince Franz Josef Georg Clemens Maria Leopold Salvator von Altenburg was the seventh child of Archduke Clemens Salvator of Austria (1904-1974) and Countess Elisabeth Rességuier de Miremont (1906-2000). In 1969, Franz Josef married Baroness Christa von Härdtl (b.1945); the couple had four children. Franz Josef Altenburg was a ceramist and sculptor. 

May Franz Josef Rest In Peace.

Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria (1939-2021)

Archduchess Maria Magdalena, 2004.

The death of Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria was announced on Wednesday, 18 August. According to the Romanian royal house, Maria Magdalena died in Salzburg, Austria. The archduchess was eighty-one years-old. Castle Bran's Facebook account issued the following statement:

 

At Bran Castle, we mourn the passing into eternity, after a long and undeserved suffering, of Her Imperial and Royal Highness, Archduchess Maria Magdalena Holzhausen.

A model of grace, dignity, and warmth, she was, along with her brother and sister, the cornerstone of the Castle’s reconstruction, devastated after decades of neglect. She became one of the legends of Bran by mixing, with royal discretion and unparalleled humor, guidance and support.

We express our deepest condolences to her husband, Baron Hans von Holzhausen, her children, Baron Johannes, Baron Georg and Baroness Alexandra, her brother Archduke Dominic Habsburg and her sister Archduchess Alexandra Baillou.

She will always be in our hearts and our prayers, as is her grandmother, Queen Maria, her mother, Princess Ileana and her dear sister, Archduchess Elisabeth. May God grant her Eternal Rest in Peace.

Princess Ileana and Archduke Anton, 1931.
Photograph (c) Getty Images / Keystone-France.

 

Born at Schloß Sonnberg on 2 October 1939, the archduchess, known en famille as "Magi," was the fifth child and third daughter of Archduke Anton of Austria (1901-1987) and Princess Ileana of Romania (1909-1991), who married in 1931 and divorced in 1954. Maria Magdalena had five siblings: Archduke Stefan (1932-1998), Archduchess Maria Ileana (1933-1959), Archduchess Alexandra (b.1935), Archduke Dominic (b.1937), and Archduchess Elisabeth (1942-2019).

Archduchess Maria Magdalena, Princess Ileana, and Archduchess Elisabeth at the graduation of Maria Magdalena from Notre Dame de Sion.
Photo (c) The Kansas City Star of 9 June 1957.

Along with her siblings, Maria Magdalena spent her youth in the United States, where her mother Ileana had relocated in the early 1950s. The archduchess attended the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts, before transferring to study at the French Institute of Notre Dame de Sion, a Roman Catholic school in Kansas City, Missouri; she graduated from Notre Dame de Sion in 1957. Her younger sister Elisabeth was also a student at Notre Dame de Sion. After completing her high school education in the United States, Maria Magdalena went on to study French literature at the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1959, Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria married Baron Hans Ulrich von Holzhausen (b.1929). The couple had three children, two sons and a daughter. 

Archduchess Maria Magdalena.
Photo (c) Castelul Bran.

Archduchess Maria Magdalena was a granddaughter of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie of Romania. Among her first cousins were King Michael I of Romania and King Peter II of Yugoslavia. The archduchess was a second cousin of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia.

Source: Salzburger Nachrichten.

May Maria Magdalena Rest In Peace.

The 75th Birthday of Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein

Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein, 2016.
Photo (c) Seth B. Leonard

Today, Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein celebrates his seventy-fifth birthday!

 

Franz Joseph and Gina of Liechtenstein with their five children.
Prince Philipp is on the right in the back.

Born on 19 August 1946 at Zürich, Prince Philipp Erasmus Alois Ferdinand Maria Sebaldus of Liechtenstein was the second son and child of Fürst Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein (1906-1989) and Fürstin Gina (1921-1989; née Countess von Wilczek), who wed in 1943. Philipp has four siblings: Fürst Hans Adam II (b.1945; married Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau), Prince Nikolaus (b.1947; married Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg), Princess Nora (b.1950; married Don Vicente Sartorius y Cabeza de Vaca, Marques de Mariño), and Prince Wenzel (1962-1991).

Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, 1903.

Alois and Elisabeth with their son Franz Joseph, 1906.

The paternal grandparents of Prince Philipp were Prince Alois of Liechtenstein (1869-1955) and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria (1878-1960). The maternal grandparents of Prince Philipp were Count Ferdinand von Wilczek (1893-1977) and Countess Norbertine "Nora" Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (1888-1923).

Philipp and Isabelle celebrate their engagement at Schloß Vaduz, June 1971.

On 11 September 1971 at Brussels, Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein married Isabelle Fernande Ghislaine Guillemette Elisabeth de l'Arbre de Malander (b.1949), the daughter of Jean de l'Arbre de Malander (1909-1969) and Guillemette Grassel (1910-2000). Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle have three sons: Prince Alexander (b.1972; married to Astrid Kohl), Prince Wenzeslaus (b.1974), and Prince Rudolf (b.1975; married to Tilsim Tanberk). Philipp and Isabelle will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary next month.

 

Princess Isabelle and Prince Philipp at the wedding of Prince Amedeo of Belgium, 2014.
Photo (c) Getty Images/Elisabetta Villa.

 

Our best wishes to Prince Philipp on his birthday!

A Century Since a Thurn and Taxis/Portugal Wedding

One hundred years ago today, on 18 August 1921, Prince Karl August of Thurn and Taxis married Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal. The wedding took place at Schloß Taxis. 

Archduchess Margarethe Klementine of Austria and Fürst Albert of Thurn and Taxis.

Born on 23 July 1898, Prince Karl August Joseph Maria Maximilian Lamoral Antonius Ignatius Benediktus Valentin of Thurn and Taxis was the third son and child of Fürst Albert of Thurn and Taxis and Archduchess Margarethe Klementine of Austria (1870-1955). Karl August had seven siblings. In 1971, Karl August succeeded as Fürst of Thurn and Taxis following the death of his eldest brother Franz Josef.

Dom Miguel, Duke of Bragança, and Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg.

Born on 3 September 1899, Infanta Maria Ana Rafaela Micaela Gabriela Lourença of Portugal was the fourth daughter and child of Dom Miguel, Duke of Brangaza (1853-1927), and his second wife Princess Marie Therese of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg (1870-1953). Maria Ana had seven full siblings. From her father's first marriage to Princess Elisabeth of Thurn and Taxis, Maria Ana had three half-siblings. 

Princely Perfect Skin Care: European Princesses and Pond's Cold Cream

"Your skin can be as Exquisite as any Princesses."

As a long-time user of Pond's Cold Cream myself, I have long been fascinated by how many royal and noble women were part of Pond's advertising campaigns in the 1930s and 1940s. It is unclear to me if the endorsements by this women were genuine or paid...likely the latter. Nonetheless, it was surely a smart business move by Pond's Cold Cream to obtain the support of various European aristocratic ladies, which would have likely raised the brand's appeal amongst the population at large. 

Having browsed through several Pond's adverts, I have compiled the following (and by no means authoritative) list of blue-blooded women who were purported by the skin care company to be users of their products.

• Princess Margrethe of Bourbon-Parma (née Denmark)
• Magrethe on Pond's: "Pond's Cold Cream quickly blots out lines. It keeps my contour firm." - April 1935.
• Princess Elizabeth and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
• Elizabeth on Pond's: "Truly the best and easiest method of caring for one's complexion...I always use Pond's!" - February, 1932
• Marina on Pond's: "The two creams, the cleansing tissues and the skin freshener keep one's skin lovely!"
• Princess Françoise of Greece and Denmark (daughter of the Duchesse de Guise)
• Françoise on Pond's: "I use Pond's Cold Cream. It smooths and softens my skin. Little lines have vanished." - October 1936
• Princess Isabelle d'Orléans, Duchesse de Guise
• Princess Henriette d'Orléans, Duchesse de Vendôme
• Princess Marguerite d'Orléans, Duchesse de Nemours
• Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia
• Xenia on Pond's: "Every night, every morning, always before freshening my make-up, I use Pond's Cold Cream." - October, 1934
• The Duchess of Malborough (née Gladys Deacon)
• The Marchioness of Milford Haven (née Countess Nadejda de Torby)
• The Marchioness of Carisbrooke (née Lady Irene Denison)
• The Marquise de Polignac (née Nina Crosby)
• The Marchioness of Queensberry (née Cathleen Mann)
• The Countess of Galloway (née Philippa Wendell)
• The Countess Howe (née Mary Curzon)
• Lady Louis Mountbatten (née Edwina Ashley)
• Lady Astor of Hever (née Violet Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound)
• Lady Alexandra Haig
• Lady Georgiana Curzon (daughter of the Countess Howe)
• Lady Buchanan-Jardine
• Lady Esme Gordon-Lennox (née Rosamond Palmer)
• Lady Sibell Lygon

Lady Iris Mountbatten Discusses Life in the USA in 1949

Lady Iris Mountbatten, 1947. Photograph (c) FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images.

In the summer of 1949, twenty-nine year-old Lady Iris Mountbatten gave an interview to The American Way Weekly. She discussed her hopes and dreams surrounding her decision to relocate to North America. A great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Lady Iris Mountbatten was the only child of Lord and Lady Carisbrooke.

"I like it here. I feel that I can make something of myself. It is a challenge, I'll admit, but there is opportunity here. I have discussed it with my parents. They say that if it is what I want, and if it will make me happy, then I am free to do it," she commented. 

Lady Iris felt that since writing was her cup of tea, then she very much would like to become a radio or television script-writer: "If necessary, I would work under a nom de plume." Iris noted that she was not averse to discontinuing using her courtesy title, as she thought it was sometimes an impediment. "Sometimes it can be a handicap. No one would have paid any attention to me when I first arrived in America if I weren't 'Lady Iris Mountbatten.'" Iris commented that she found no particular reason to think she was better than any other person simply on account of the family into which she was born. "It was purely accidental. None of us can control our birthrights. I can take no credit for it. I'm interested only in accomplishing something on my own merits - as an individual - and not as a member of the nobility."

Lady Iris recalled her experience of court life as an relative of the British royal family. "In my younger days, when I attended court functions, I was so scared of making a breach of etiquette [that] I could never relax for a second. I felt as taught as a violin string. Sometimes I used to wish I was one of the footmen standing at the door so I could just stand and stare at all the magnificence."