Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis
Encyclopedia
Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis (born Elisabeth Margarethe Maria Anna Beatriz Prinzessin von Thurn and Taxis) is a princess
of the German
Thurn und Taxis
House. She may have been the first member of nobility
to personally write a regular blog
, "The Princess Diaries", which appeared in the London-based "Finch's Quarterly Review", an online journal about high fashion, the arts and wealthy lifestyles, until October 2010. The blog contrasted her "relative normality" as a writer and editor, living and working in London
, with a (sometimes) globetrotting socialite
lifestyle. In her final blog entry, she promised a collection of her writings would shortly be published in a book form.
in Regensburg
, the daughter of Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis
and Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
.
The Princess has two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother:
Elisabeth was educated in England in Sevenoaks
, Kent
and has a B.A. from the American University of Paris
. She has lived in many countries and now resides in North-West London, where according to her blog, she is looking for a new flat.
In her childhood, the princess and her brother and sister were frequent guests of Michael Jackson
, something Elisabeth recalled in her blog after his death, in which she strongly defends Jackson's reputation. "I couldn’t imagine Michael hurting a fly, let alone a friend."
Elisabeth has frequently featured in socialite diary items and appears as an "heiress" in Vanity Fair
's "Fortune's Children" piece in June 2009, photographed by Bruce Weber
. "I think it's a huge privilege to be able to use the access that we have in an interesting way" she said, discussing a book about art collectors she is writing in collaboration with Alex Flick
.
Elisabeth has written for the British Catholic Herald about the revival of traditional religious communities in France. She signed a 2008 petition asking the bishops of England and Wales to provide more Latin Sunday Tridentine Mass
es (authorized as an extraordinary form of the Roman Rite
by the 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum
). The Princess was made a Dame of the Order of Malta
in 2009, in which capacity she has several times accompanied the disabled and elderly on a pilgrimage to Lourdes
.
Elisabeth likes the form of Pilates
known as "True Pilates". Speaking on their website, she said "I truly love this form of exercise and recommend it to anyone looking for a balanced workout and a healthy body awareness." She is also fond of kitesurfing
and waterskiing.
and German art/culture publication Monopol. Her main writing interest is in the arts
and her blog describes many visits to galleries and art exhibitions in various fields, including the Venice Biennale
.
A recent liturgical volume written by Princess Elisabeth, with a foreword by the current Pope's elder brother, Georg Ratzinger
, The Faith of Children: in Praise of the People's Devotion (La Fede dei Piccoli) has been published in Italian and German in December 2010.
government does not recognize "noble" or "royal" status per se, members of the former royal, princely, and noble houses of German descent use their "titles" which the German government regards as last names. As a courtesy and for ease of use, female members of these families use the feminized version of the family name. There is no existing monarchical class system in Germany, Austria, or the nations once part of the former Habsburg empires.
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Thurn und Taxis
Thurn und Taxis
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis is a German family that was a key player in the postal services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of many castles.- History :...
House. She may have been the first member of nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
to personally write a regular blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, "The Princess Diaries", which appeared in the London-based "Finch's Quarterly Review", an online journal about high fashion, the arts and wealthy lifestyles, until October 2010. The blog contrasted her "relative normality" as a writer and editor, living and working in London
London
London 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...
, with a (sometimes) globetrotting socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
lifestyle. In her final blog entry, she promised a collection of her writings would shortly be published in a book form.
Biography
Elisabeth was born on 24 March 1982 at Schloss St. EmmeramSt. Emmeram's Abbey
St. Emmeram's Abbey , now known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis, Schloss St. Emmeram, and St...
in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, the daughter of Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis
Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis
Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis is a princess, by marriage, of the German Thurn und Taxis House.-Biography:Gloria was born on 23 February 1960, the daughter of Joachim, Count...
and Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis was a German businessman and the head of the immensely wealthy, aristocratic Thurn und Taxis family from 1982 until his death.-Early life:...
.
The Princess has two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother:
- Maria Theresia Ludovika Klothilde Helene Alexandra Prinzessin von Thurn und TaxisPrincess Maria Theresia of Thurn and Taxis (b. 1980)Princess Maria Theresia Ludowika Klothilde Helene Alexandra of Thurn and Taxis, full German name: Maria Theresia Ludowika Klothilde Helene Alexandra, Prinzessin von Thurn und Taxis is a member of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis and a Princess of Thurn and Taxis...
, born 28 November 1980 in RegensburgRegensburgRegensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate... - Albert Maria Lamoral Miguel Johannes Gabriel Prinz von Thurn und Taxis, born 24 June 1983 in Regensburg, who succeeded his father in 1990 as Albert II, Prince of Thurn and TaxisAlbert II, Prince of Thurn and TaxisAlbert Maria Lamoral Miguel Johannes Gabriel, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis is a German prince and socialite. He has been listed as the world's youngest billionaire many times since his father's death in 1990. He first appeared on the list when he was age eight...
.
Elisabeth was educated in England in Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and has a B.A. from the American University of Paris
American University of Paris
The American University of Paris is a private, independent, and accredited liberal arts and sciences university in Paris, France. Founded in 1962, the university is one of the oldest American institutions of higher education in Europe...
. She has lived in many countries and now resides in North-West London, where according to her blog, she is looking for a new flat.
In her childhood, the princess and her brother and sister were frequent guests of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, something Elisabeth recalled in her blog after his death, in which she strongly defends Jackson's reputation. "I couldn’t imagine Michael hurting a fly, let alone a friend."
Elisabeth has frequently featured in socialite diary items and appears as an "heiress" in Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
's "Fortune's Children" piece in June 2009, photographed by Bruce Weber
Bruce Weber (photographer)
Bruce Weber is an American fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker. He is most widely known for his ad campaigns for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Pirelli, Abercrombie & Fitch, Revlon, and Gianni Versace, as well as his work for Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, Life, Interview, and Rolling Stone...
. "I think it's a huge privilege to be able to use the access that we have in an interesting way" she said, discussing a book about art collectors she is writing in collaboration with Alex Flick
Flick family
The Flick family is a wealthy German industrial and political dynasty, heir to an industrial empire that formerly embraced holding in companies involved in coal, steel and a minority holding in Daimler AG...
.
Elisabeth has written for the British Catholic Herald about the revival of traditional religious communities in France. She signed a 2008 petition asking the bishops of England and Wales to provide more Latin Sunday Tridentine Mass
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
es (authorized as an extraordinary form of the Roman Rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
by the 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum is an Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued "motu proprio" . The document specified the rules, for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, for celebrating Mass according to the "Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962" , and for administering most of the sacraments in...
). The Princess was made a Dame of the Order of Malta
Dames of Malta
Dames of Malta are female members of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta. Their male counterparts are the Knights of Malta.Prominent living Dames of Malta include:*Dr Evelyn Billings*Anne Burke...
in 2009, in which capacity she has several times accompanied the disabled and elderly on a pilgrimage to Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
.
Elisabeth likes the form of Pilates
Pilates
Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States....
known as "True Pilates". Speaking on their website, she said "I truly love this form of exercise and recommend it to anyone looking for a balanced workout and a healthy body awareness." She is also fond of kitesurfing
Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing or Kiteboarding is an adventure surface water sport that has been described as combining wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, and gymnastics into one extreme sport. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind to propel a rider across the water on a small surfboard or a...
and waterskiing.
Blogger and writer
Elisabeth is Features Editor for Finch’s Quarterly Review, which is distributed worldwide and was a regular blogger in the journal, which is moving to print-only format, from February 2009 - October 2010. The blog light-heartedly contrasted the expectations, pleasures, difficulties and assumptions surrounding "princess" status with more "normal" issues like flat-hunting, London weather, writing and work. In addition to her blog, Elisabeth also writes freelance for several German and International art and style publications, including New York-based style magazine QuestQuest (luxury lifestyle monthly)
-History:Quest was founded in 1987 by Heather Cohane as a real estate magazine for "Manhattan Properties & Country Estates". In 1995, Meigher Communications, which already owned Family Health, Garden Design, and Saveur purchased Quest...
and German art/culture publication Monopol. Her main writing interest is in the arts
The arts
The arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
and her blog describes many visits to galleries and art exhibitions in various fields, including the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
.
A recent liturgical volume written by Princess Elisabeth, with a foreword by the current Pope's elder brother, Georg Ratzinger
Georg Ratzinger
Georg Ratzinger, PA is a German Catholic priest and musician, known for his work as the conductor of the Regensburger Domspatzen, the cathedral choir of Regensburg, Germany. He is the elder brother of Pope Benedict XVI...
, The Faith of Children: in Praise of the People's Devotion (La Fede dei Piccoli) has been published in Italian and German in December 2010.
Ancestry
A Note on German titles
Although the German FederalPolitics of Germany
The Federal Republic of Germany is a federal parliamentary republic, based on representative democracy. The Chancellor is the head of government, while the President of Germany is the head of state, which is a ceremonial role but with substantial reserve powers.Executive power is vested in the...
government does not recognize "noble" or "royal" status per se, members of the former royal, princely, and noble houses of German descent use their "titles" which the German government regards as last names. As a courtesy and for ease of use, female members of these families use the feminized version of the family name. There is no existing monarchical class system in Germany, Austria, or the nations once part of the former Habsburg empires.
See also
- Thurn und TaxisThurn und TaxisThe Princely House of Thurn and Taxis is a German family that was a key player in the postal services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of many castles.- History :...
- House of Thurn and Taxis line of successionHouse of Thurn and Taxis line of successionThe House of Thurn and Taxis exists through several extant lines descending from Alexander Ferdinand, 3rd Prince of Thurn and Taxis. The Law of Succession is agnatic primogeniture, only allowing males to succeed to the princely title...
- German nobilityGerman nobilityThe German nobility was the elite hereditary ruling class or aristocratic class from ca. 500 B.C. to the Holy Roman Empire and what is now Germany.-Principles of German nobility:...
External links
- The Princess Diaries – Blog of Elisabeth Prinzessin von Thurn and Taxis in Finch's Quarterly Review.
- Thurn and Taxis Family Homepage
- Finch's Quarterly Review - online magazine.