Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
Encyclopedia
Hans-Adam II is the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. He is the son of Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein
(1906–1989) and his wife Countess Georgina von Wilczek
(1921–1989). He also bears the titles Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, Count of Rietberg. He descends in the direct male line
from only three of the previous fourteen Princes of Liechtenstein, and of another (again from two of the above mentioned three) in the female line.
has broad powers; a referendum
to adopt Hans-Adam's revision of the constitution
to expand his powers passed in 2003. The changes also included a republican option, whereby the Prince was henceforth formally barred from veto
ing any bill to establish a republic
. In addition, the right of each of the parishes which make up the Principality to secede
was recognised. Prince Hans-Adam had announced his intention for he and his family to move to Austria
if the referendum failed. Despite opposition from Mario Frick, a former prime minister
, the Prince's referendum motion was carried by the electorate.
On 15 August 2004 Prince Hans-Adam II formally turned the power of making day-to-day governmental decisions over to his eldest son, the Hereditary Prince Alois
, as a way of beginning a dynastic
transition to a new generation. Legally, Hans-Adam remains Head of State
.
's wealthiest monarch. He owns an extensive art collection, which is displayed for the public at the Liechtenstein Museum
in Vienna
.
, but he is also fluent in English
and French
.
On 30 July 1967, at Vaduz, Liechtenstein, he married his second cousin
once-removed, Countess Marie Aglaë Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau
(born 1940) who, upon her husband's accession to the throne, became Her Serene Highness The Princess of Liechtenstein. Their official residence is at Vaduz Castle, which overlooks the capital
.
Their children are:
In 1969, Hans-Adam graduated from the University of St. Gallen
with a degree in Business and Economic Studies.
The Prince is an honorary member of K.D.St.V. Nordgau Prag Stuttgart, a Catholic
students' fraternity
that is a member of the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen
.
The Prince chairs the Advisory Council of the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-determination at Princeton University, LISD. In his childhood he joined the Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins
in Vaduz. He is also a former member of the Vienese Scout Group "Wien 16-Schotten". He is a member of the World Scout Foundation
.
Today he and his wife are patron
s of Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins.
He is the 1,305th Knight
of the Order of the Golden Fleece
in Austria
.
as a political actor. He makes the case for democracy
as the best form of government, which he sees China
and Russia
as transitioning towards although the path will be difficult for these nations. He also declared his role in a royal family
as something that has legitimacy only from the assent of the people. He stated that government should be limited to a small set of tasks and abilities, writing that people "have to free the state from all the unnecessary tasks and burdens with which it has been loaded during the last hundred years, which have distracted it from its two main tasks: maintenance of the rule of law and foreign policy.”
In an interview, recorded in November 2010, Hans-Adam said that he saw certain problems with aspects of the U.S. Constitution, such as the lack of direct democracy
. He also said, "I am sitting here and that’s because Americans saved us during World War II
and during the Cold War
. So I am very grateful to them."
Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein
Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein, , was the Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein from 1938 until his death...
(1906–1989) and his wife Countess Georgina von Wilczek
Countess Georgina von Wilczek
Countess Georgine "Gina" Norberte Johanna Franziska Antonie Marie Raphaela von Wilczek was the daughter of Ferdinand Maria, Count of Wilczek and his wife, Countess Norbertine Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau...
(1921–1989). He also bears the titles Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, Count of Rietberg. He descends in the direct male line
Patrilineality
Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to one's father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well....
from only three of the previous fourteen Princes of Liechtenstein, and of another (again from two of the above mentioned three) in the female line.
Powers
The Prince of LiechtensteinLiechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
has broad powers; a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
to adopt Hans-Adam's revision of the constitution
Constitution of Liechtenstein
There has been a written constitution in the Principality of Liechtenstein since 5 October 1921. It was granted by Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and established the rule of parliamentary democracy mixed with that of constitutional monarchy. It has twelve chapters covering the...
to expand his powers passed in 2003. The changes also included a republican option, whereby the Prince was henceforth formally barred from veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
ing any bill to establish a republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
. In addition, the right of each of the parishes which make up the Principality to secede
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
was recognised. Prince Hans-Adam had announced his intention for he and his family to move to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
if the referendum failed. Despite opposition from Mario Frick, a former prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, the Prince's referendum motion was carried by the electorate.
On 15 August 2004 Prince Hans-Adam II formally turned the power of making day-to-day governmental decisions over to his eldest son, the Hereditary Prince Alois
Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein
Alois Philipp Maria, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg is the eldest son of Hans Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Marie Aglaë Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau. Alois has been Regent of Liechtenstein since 15 August 2004...
, as a way of beginning a dynastic
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
transition to a new generation. Legally, Hans-Adam remains Head of State
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
.
Personal wealth
Prince Hans-Adam owns LGT banking group and has a family fortune of $7.6 billion and a personal fortune of about $4.0 billion, making him one of the world's richest heads of state, and EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's wealthiest monarch. He owns an extensive art collection, which is displayed for the public at the Liechtenstein Museum
Liechtenstein Museum
The Liechtenstein Museum is in Vienna, Austria, named after the princely House of Liechtenstein, one of Europe's oldest noble families. The museum includes the Princely Collections containing important European works of art, forming one of the world's leading private art collections.The museum has...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
Personal life
Hans-Adam's native language is GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, but he is also fluent in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
On 30 July 1967, at Vaduz, Liechtenstein, he married his second cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
once-removed, Countess Marie Aglaë Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau
Marie, Princess of Liechtenstein
Marie Aglaë, Princess of Liechtenstein is the wife and cousin of Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein...
(born 1940) who, upon her husband's accession to the throne, became Her Serene Highness The Princess of Liechtenstein. Their official residence is at Vaduz Castle, which overlooks the capital
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
.
Their children are:
- Hereditary Prince AloisAlois, Hereditary Prince of LiechtensteinAlois Philipp Maria, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg is the eldest son of Hans Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Marie Aglaë Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau. Alois has been Regent of Liechtenstein since 15 August 2004...
(b. Zürich, 11 June 1968) He married Duchess Sophie in BavariaSophie, Hereditary Princess of LiechtensteinSophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein , is the wife of Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, Regent of Liechtenstein and heir apparent to the Liechtensteiner throne.-Early life and education:...
on 3 July 1993, 4 children:- Prince Joseph Wenzel Maximilian Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 24 May 1995 in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) - Princess Marie-Caroline Elisabeth Immaculata of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg (born 17 October 1996 in GrabsGrabsGrabs is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Werdenberg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-History:Grabs is first mentioned in 841 as Quaravedes. In 979 it was mentioned as Quadravedes, then in 1235 as Grabdis and in 1253 as Graps.-Geography:Grabs has an area, , of...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) - Prince Georg Antonius Constantin Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 20 April 1999 in Grabs)
- Prince Nikolaus Sebastian Alexander Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 6 December 2000, in Grabs)
- Prince Joseph Wenzel Maximilian Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 24 May 1995 in London
- Prince Maximilian of LiechtensteinPrince Maximilian of LiechtensteinPrince Maximilian Nikolaus Maria of Liechtenstein is the second son of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein and Marie, Princess of Liechtenstein.- Education :...
(b. St Gallen, 16 May 1969) He married Angela Gisela BrownPrincess Angela of LiechtensteinPrincess Angela of Liechtenstein is the wife of Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein. Princess Angela and her son, Prince Alfons , are the highest ranked black members of a reigning European dynasty.-Early life:Princess Angela was born Angela Gisela Brown, the daughter of Javier Francisco Brown and...
civilly in Vaduz on 21 January 2000 and religiously in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York, in the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer (New York)Church of St. Vincent Ferrer (New York)The Church of St. Vincent Ferrer is a Roman Catholic parish in Manhattan, New York City. The 1918 church building, at the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 66th Street on the Upper East Side, has been called "one of New York's greatest architectural adornments"...
, on 29 January 2000, 1 child:- Prince Alfons Constantin Maria (b. London, 18 May 2001)
- Prince Constantin Ferdinand Maria (b. St Gallen, 15 March 1972), married civilly in Vaduz on 14 May 1999 and religiously in (CicovCícovČíčov is a village and municipality in the Komárno District in the Nitra Region of south-west Slovakia.- History :The village was first mentioned in 1172 as Chichou. In 1268 belonged to Komárom fortress, later it was the property of the Counts Cseszneky, Pálffy, Zichy and Kálnoky. In 1682, as a...
), SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, on 18 July 1999 Countess Maria Kálnoky von Köröspatak (b. GrazGrazThe more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, 16 July 1975), 3 children:- Prince Moritz Emanuel Maria (b. New York City, 27 May 2003)
- Princess Georgina Maximiliana Tatiana Maria (b. Vienna, 23 July 2005)
- Prince Benedikt Ferdinand Hubertus Maria (b. Vienna, 18 May 2008)
- Princess Tatjana Nora Maria (b. St Gallen, 10 April 1973), married in Vaduz on 5 June 1999 Matthias Claus-Just Carl Philipp von Lattorff (b. Graz, 25 March 1968), 6 children:
- Lukas Marie von Lattorff (b. WiesbadenWiesbadenWiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
, 13 May 2000) - Elisabeth Maria Angela Tatjana von Lattorff (b. Grabs, 25 January 2002)
- Marie Teresa von Lattorff (b. Grabs, 18 January 2004)
- Camilla Maria Katharina von Lattorf (b. MonzaMonzaMonza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
, 4 November 2005) - Anna Pia Theresia Maria von Lattorf (b. Goldgeben, 3 August 2007)
- Sophie Katharina Maria von Lattorf (b. Goldgeben, 30 October 2009)
- Lukas Marie von Lattorff (b. Wiesbaden
In 1969, Hans-Adam graduated from the University of St. Gallen
University of St. Gallen
The University of St. Gallen is a public research university located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. It is specialized in the fields of business administration, economics, law, and international affairs. The University of St. Gallen is also known as HSG, which is an abbreviation of its former German...
with a degree in Business and Economic Studies.
The Prince is an honorary member of K.D.St.V. Nordgau Prag Stuttgart, a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
students' fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
that is a member of the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen
Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen
The Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen or Cartellverband is a German umbrella organization of Catholic male student fraternities .-Foundation:...
.
The Prince chairs the Advisory Council of the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-determination at Princeton University, LISD. In his childhood he joined the Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins
Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins
Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins is the national Scouting and Guiding association of Liechtenstein. Scouting in Liechtenstein started in 1931, Guiding followed in 1932...
in Vaduz. He is also a former member of the Vienese Scout Group "Wien 16-Schotten". He is a member of the World Scout Foundation
World Scout Foundation
The World Scout Foundation, WSF, is an international non-profit institution based in Geneva, Switzerland funded in 1969, but reorganized in the current form in 1977. The stated mission of the organization is to develop World Scouting by the provision of financial and other support to help develop...
.
Today he and his wife are patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
s of Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins.
He is the 1,305th Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Viewpoints and book
Prince Hans-Adam II has written the political treatise The State in the Third Millennium (ISBN 9783905881042), which was published in late 2009. In it, he argues for the continued importance of the nation-stateNation-state
The nation state is a state that self-identifies as deriving its political legitimacy from serving as a sovereign entity for a nation as a sovereign territorial unit. The state is a political and geopolitical entity; the nation is a cultural and/or ethnic entity...
as a political actor. He makes the case for democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
as the best form of government, which he sees China
Chinese democracy movement
The Chinese democracy movement refers to a series of loosely organized political movements in the People's Republic of China against the continued one-party rule by the Communist Party. One such movement began during the Beijing Spring in 1978 and was taken up again in the Tiananmen Square...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
as transitioning towards although the path will be difficult for these nations. He also declared his role in a royal family
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
as something that has legitimacy only from the assent of the people. He stated that government should be limited to a small set of tasks and abilities, writing that people "have to free the state from all the unnecessary tasks and burdens with which it has been loaded during the last hundred years, which have distracted it from its two main tasks: maintenance of the rule of law and foreign policy.”
In an interview, recorded in November 2010, Hans-Adam said that he saw certain problems with aspects of the U.S. Constitution, such as the lack of direct democracy
Direct democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
. He also said, "I am sitting here and that’s because Americans saved us during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. So I am very grateful to them."
Titles
According to their House Laws, the Reigning Prince shall bear the title:- Reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, Count of RietbergRietbergRietberg is a town in the district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km south of Gütersloh and 25 km north-west of Paderborn in the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The town is located at the river Ems. There are 28,878 people living in...
, Sovereign of the House of Liechtenstein
Ancestry
See also
- Princely Family of LiechtensteinPrincely Family of LiechtensteinThe Liechtenstein dynasty, from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by constitutional, hereditary right over the nation of Liechtenstein...
- List of Princes of Liechtenstein
- Line of succession to the Throne of Liechtenstein
- Prince of Liechtenstein FoundationPrince of Liechtenstein FoundationThe Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation is a portfolio of private companies, and museums owned by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein. It is an essentially cap for a multitude of investments, such as the LGT Group, the Hofkellerei wineries, RiceTec Inc, and real estate holdings in Vienna, Austria...
- Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at Princeton University, LISD
External links
- Princely House of Liechtenstein
- Countly House of Kinsky
- 2004: Royal power handover - Prince Alois says democracy still strong Real Audio sound file from the BBC.
- The Official Site of Prince Hans-Adam II.
- Interview with Peter RobinsonPeter Robinson (speechwriter)Peter Mark Robinson is an American author, research fellow, television host and former speechwriter for then-Vice President George H.W. Bush and President Ronald Reagan. He is currently the host of Uncommon Knowledge, an interview show by Stanford's Hoover Institution. He is also a research fellow...
of Uncommon KnowledgeUncommon KnowledgeUncommon Knowledge was a weekly 30-minute current affairs show hosted by Peter Robinson and co-produced and presented by San Jose, California, PBS member station KTEH from 1997 to 2005... - http://www.princeton.edu/lisd