Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis (''Albert Maria Lamoral Miguel Johannes Gabriel Fürst von Thurn und Taxis'',In 1919 royalty and nobility were mandated to lose their privileges in Germany, hereditary titles were to be legally borne thereafter only as part of the surname, according t
Article 109
of the

Weimar Constitution The Constitution of the German Reich (), usually known as the Weimar Constitution (), was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era. The constitution created a federal semi-presidential republic with a parliament whose ...

. Styles such as ''majesty'' and ''highness'
were not retained.
; born 24 June 1983), is a German

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

, businessman and race car driver.Willis, Daniel. The Descendants of Louis XIII. Clearfield, 1999, Baltimore, US. . He has been listed as the world's youngest billionaire many times since his father's death in 1990, first appearing on the list when he was eight years old.

Biography

Family

Through descent from King

Miguel I of Portugal '' Dom'' Miguel I (26 October 1802 – 14 November 1866), known by several nicknames, was the King of Portugal between 1828 and 1834. He was son of King John VI and Queen Carlota Joaquina. Following his exile as a result of his actions ...

, Albert is related to several reigning hereditary heads of state in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. He also descends from the dynasties of

Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ( ), was an Ernestine duchy in Thuringia ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present-day states of Thuringia and Bavaria in Germany. It lasted from 1826 to ...

, Braganza and the

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine () originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Habsburg monarchy, Austria, later successively List of Bohemian monarchs, Queen ...

. The House of

Thurn und Taxis The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (, ) is a family of German nobility that is part of the ''Briefadel''. It was a key player in the mail, postal services in Europe during the 16th century, until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, and ...

is a German family whose fortune derives from the appointment of an ancestor, Leonhard von Taxis, as hereditary

postmaster general A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. History The practice of having a government official ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

in 1595. Albert's father preceded him as the head of this family, which has several branches. The family of Thurn und Taxis remains well known as owners of breweries and former builders of castles. The family seat is Saint Emmeram's Abbey. His father,

Johannes von Thurn und Taxis Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis (Johannes Baptista de Jesus Maria Louis Miguel Friedrich Bonifazius Lamoral; 5 June 1926 – 14 December 1990) was a German businessman and head of the Thurn und Taxis, House of Thurn und Taxis from 1982 ...

, an internationally renowned ''boulevardier'', died in 1990 when Albert was seven years old, leaving the young boy to inherit a US$3 billion fortune and US$500 million in debts. His mother,

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...

(''née'' Countess von Schönburg-Glauchau), a popular media figure since marriage to his 53-year-old father as a 20-year-old, was instrumental in preserving the family fortune until Albert became of legal age to take over its management. He has two older sisters: Princess Maria Theresia and Princess Elisabeth.

Education

Thurn und Taxis completed his high school education in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and then, after his military service, he studied economics and theology at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. Prince Albert completed a doctorate in philosophy at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (

Angelicum The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (PUST), also known as the ''Angelicum'' or ''Collegio Angelico'' (in honor of its patron, the ''Doctor Angelicus'' Thomas Aquinas), is a pontifical university located in the historic center of R ...

) in 2022, defending a dissertation entitled: ''Rational Nature Or Wishful Thinking? Freedom & Rationality in Aquinas And Their Medieval Critique''.

Media attention

Albert Thurn Und Taxis 20080629 Norisring 660x990

In 2008 Albert was included as 11th on the list of the Forbes Magazine's List of The 20 Hottest Young Royals as compiled by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine.

Motorsport

He is an enthusiastic racing driver, vice-champion (2007/2008) and champion (2010) of the German GT Championship

ADAC GT Masters The ADAC GT Masters is a grand tourer-based auto racing series founded by the international Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) and supported by the German ADAC automotive club. Similar to an earlier ADAC GT Cup series in the 1990s, the new GT ...

with the German Team

Reiter Engineering Reiter Engineering GmbH & Co Kg, commonly known simply as Reiter Engineering, is a German racing team and racing car manufacturer established in 2000 by motorsport engineer Hans Reiter. Reiter was a partner of Lamborghini from 2000 to 2014, involv ...

. He embarked on a career in rallying in 2009, competing in the

European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an rallying, automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The champion ...

since 2016.

Honours

Dynastic honours

House of Thurn und Taxis The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (, ) is a family of German nobility that is part of the ''Briefadel''. It was a key player in the postal services in Europe during the 16th century, until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, and becam ...

: Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Parfaite Amitié The Order of Parfaite Amitié (; literally meaning the 'Order of Perfect Friendship') is a Dynastic order, dynastic order of knighthood of the princely Thurn und Taxis, House of Thurn and Taxis. History The order was founded during the reign of ...

. * Calabrian House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies: Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Calabrian Two Sicilian Order of Saint George.

Racing record

Complete GT1 World Championship results

Complete World Rally Championship results

Complete World Rally Championship-3 results

References

External links