Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein (Alois Philipp Maria; born 11 June 1968) is the eldest son of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau, and the heir apparent to the throne of Liechtenstein. Alois has been regent of the country since 15 August 2004, while his father remains the official head of state.[1]
| Alois | |||||
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| Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein Count of Rietberg | |||||
.jpg) Alois in 2024 | |||||
| Regent of Liechtenstein | |||||
| Regency | 15 August 2004 – present | ||||
| Monarch | Hans-Adam II | ||||
| Born | 11 June 1968 Zürich, Switzerland | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
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| House | Liechtenstein | ||||
| Father | Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein | ||||
| Mother | Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
He also holds the title of Count of Rietberg. He is married to Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, who is a member of the House of Wittelsbach, and second in line for the Jacobite succession.[2][3]
Early life
editAlois attended the Liechtenstein Grammar School in Ebenholz (Vaduz) and then the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. He served in the Coldstream Guards in Hong Kong and London for six months before entering the University of Salzburg, from which he earned a master's degree in jurisprudence in 1993. Until 1996, Alois worked at a firm of chartered accountants in London. In May of that year, he returned to Vaduz and became active in managing the princely families' finances.[1]
Hereditary prince
editIn the 2003 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum, Alois and his father Hans-Adam II pushed for constitutional amendment that granted the prince sweeping powers (the right to veto laws and elect judges).[1][4] Hans-Adam had threatened to abdicate the throne and leave the country if it was not successful. However, it was accepted by voters.[4] The next year, on 15 August 2004, Hans-Adam made Alois his regent and turned over the powers of prince to him, though Hans-Adam remains the official head of state, much like his father Franz Joseph II had done for him in 1984.[1][5]
On 27 November 2005, Liechtenstein voters rejected an initiative that would prohibit abortion and birth control in the country. The initiative was supported by Roman Catholic Archbishop Wolfgang Haas. Alois was initially sympathetic to the proposal, but he became neutral during the run-up to the vote. Instead, a government-sponsored counter proposal was ratified.[6] In 2011, Alois announced he would veto any relaxing of the ban on abortion in Liechtenstein, which was an subject for referendum later that year.[7] Such a veto was not necessary, however, as the voters rejected the proposal.[8]
Following the prince's threat, an initiative called "Damit deine Stimme zählt" ("So that your voice counts") was launched to change the constitution of Liechtenstein to prevent the prince from vetoing legislation approved in referendums. The referendum was held on 1 July 2012, and 76% of voters upheld the prince's power to veto referendum results.[9]
On 11 August 2022, Prince Alois said that same-sex marriage is "not a major problem".[10] In a speech made in August 2024, he supported Liechtenstein's accession to the International Monetary Fund.[11]
Personal wealth
editAlois is set to inherit an extensive art collection, much of which is displayed for the public at the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna. As of July 2022, his father's net worth was estimated by Bloomberg Billionaires Index around US$6.20 billion, making him the 380th richest person on earth.[12] However, he placed these assets in a family foundation, the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation, from which each family member receives an equal annual allowance and which maintains the family's castles, cultural assets, collections and museums and last but not least, the costs of the princely court including even some salaries for princes who are ambassadors abroad, which are not a burden on the taxpayer.[citation needed]
Marriage and issue
editOn 3 July 1993 at St. Florin's Cathedral in Vaduz, Alois married Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, now also Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein and Countess of Rietberg.
They have four children:[2]
- Prince Joseph Wenzel Maximilian Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 24 May 1995 at Portland Hospital in London). Educated at Malvern College.[13]
- Princess Marie Caroline Elisabeth Immaculata of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg (born 17 October 1996 in Grabs, Canton of St. Gallen).[14] Graduated from Parsons Paris School of Art and Design in 2020.[15] On 21 October 2024, her engagement to Venezuelan Leopoldo Maduro Vollmer was announced.
- Prince Georg Antonius Constantin Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 20 April 1999 in Grabs). He attended Malvern College and graduated in 2017. He then studied at the University of St. Gallen and continued his education at the ESCP Business School. Professionally known as Georg Liechtenstein, he works as a visiting analyst at Atlantic Labs in Berlin.[16]
- Prince Nikolaus Sebastian Alexander Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 6 December 2000 in Grabs).
Honours
editNational
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Foreign
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Austria : Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria (08/06/2000).[18][19]
Netherlands : Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal (04/30/2013).
Sweden : Recipient of the King Carl XVI Gustaf's Jubilee Commemorative Medal for the 70th Birthday (04/30/2016).[20]
Sovereign Military Order of Malta : Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi – civilian special class – (09/16/2011).[21]
Arms
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Ancestry
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Wanger, Harald (31 December 2011). "Liechtenstein, Alois von (*1968)". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Hereditary Prince Alois". Fuerstenhaus.li. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
- ^ Giles Hattersley (16 October 2011). "Sorry, Wills, Franz gets the crown". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Liechtenstein prince wins powers". BBC News. 16 March 2003. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Wanger, Harald (31 December 2011). "Liechtenstein, Franz Josef II". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ Rosenbaum, Harry (28 November 2005). "Voters defeat restrictive initiative". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
- ^ "Liechtenstein prince threatens to veto referendum". Associated Press/The Oklahoman. 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ Zeldin, Wendy (27 September 2011). "Liechtenstein: No to Legalized Abortion". Global Legal Monitor. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
- ^ Foulkes, Imogen (30 June 2012). "Liechtenstein referendum rejects curbs on royal powers". BBC News. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Böhler, Silvia (11 August 2022). ""Die 'Ehe für alle' an sich dürfte kein grösseres Problem sein"". Volksblatt (in German). Archived from the original on 21 February 2023.
- ^ Fritz, Daniela (15 August 2024). ""Dem IWF sollten wir auf alle Fälle noch beitreten"". Liechtensteiner Vaterland (in German). Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Prince Hans Adam II". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ William Bortrick. "HSH Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein. The Royal Family of Liechtenstein. House of Liechtenstein". Burke's Peerage. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ^ "H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois". Liechtenstein Princely House Official Website. 30 March 2021. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
Princess Marie Caroline, born 17 October 1996
- ^ "Marie Caroline Liechtenstein". Parsons Paris. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ "Die jungen Royals aus Liechtenstein: Marie Caroline & ihre Brüder" [The young Royals from Liechtenstein: Marie Caroline & her brothers]. adelswelt.de. 16 August 2022. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
- ^ Coronation of Willem Alexander of the Netherlands
- ^ Parliamentary question, page=1381
- ^ eliechtensteinensia
- ^ Vanitatis
- ^ "Sovereign Military Order of Malta". Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
- ^ "The Emblems". The Princely House of Liechtenstein. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ "H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois". The Princely House of Liechtenstein. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
External links
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Media related to Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
