Alexander Konrad Friedrich Heinrich Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn,Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XIX. "Sayn-Wittgenstein". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2011, pp. 331-333. (German). . (born 22 November 1943 in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

, Austria), a German businessman, is head of the Princely House

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn was a county of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, comprising the lands of the region of Sayn. It was created as a partition of Sayn-Wittgenstein in 1607, although it was not until the next year that it obtained fully the Co ...

Biography

He was born in

as the first son of Ludwig, 6th Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (1915–1962) and his wife Baroness Marianne von Mayr-Melnhof (born 1919). Following Prince Ludwig's death in 1962, Alexander succeeded as head of the princely house and, by tradition, as the 7th Prince (German: ''

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German word for a ruler and is also a princely title. ' were, since the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ruled over states of ...

)'' zu

Ancestry

Alexander is a descendant of

James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Gloriou ...

and his illegitimate son

James Fitzjames, 1st Duke of Berwick James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz-James (21 August 1670 – 12 June 1734) was an Anglo-French military leader, illegitimate son of King James II of England by Arabella Churchill, sister o ...

, through his father's grandmother Marie Auguste Yvonne de Blacas d'Aulps, daughter of

Louis, Duke of Blacas Louis Charles Pierre Casimir de Blacas d'Aulps, 2nd Duke of Blacas, 2nd Prince of Blacas (15 April 1815, London – 10 February 1866, Venice) was a French nobleman and antiquarian. He was the son of Pierre-Louis de Blacas d'Aulps, 1st Duke of ...

Later life

Prince Alexander is vice president of

Europa Nostra Europa Nostra (Italian for "Our Europe") is a pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, representing citizens' organisations that work on safeguarding Europe's cultural and natural heritage. It is the voice of this movement to relevant intern ...

and president of Europa Nostra Germany. From 1986 to 2013, he served as president of the German Castles Association, which elected him on 28 April 2013 honorary president as well as president of the "Stiftung der Deutschen Burgenvereinigung" (Foundation of the German Castles Association).

Marriage and children

Alexander married Countess Gabriela von Schönborn-Wiesentheid (b. 1950) in 1969 at

Schloss Weißenstein Schloss Weißenstein is a '' Schloss'' or palatial residence in Pommersfelden, Bavaria, southern Germany. It was designed for Lothar Franz von Schönborn, Prince-Bishop of Bamberg and Archbishop of Mainz, to designs by Johann Dientzenhofer ...

Pommersfelden Pommersfelden is a community in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg in Germany. Geography The community lies north of Höchstadt an der Aisch on the river Reiche Ebrach. Constituent communities The community of Pommersfelden is subdivided ...

. They have seven children. * Heinrich, Hereditary Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 1971) married in 2003 ''

Donna Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian. People * Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name * Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), ...

'' Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta (born 1975), daughter of ''Don'' Niccolo, ''

Marchese A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

Incisa della Rocchetta'', and they have issue. * Princess Alexandra (born 1973) married firstly in 1994 Hereditary Prince Carl Eugen zu Oettingen-Wallerstein (divorced in 2002), and married secondly Count Stefano

Hunyady de Kéthely The House of Hunyady de Kéthely (german: Hunyady von Kéthely) is an Austro-Hungarian noble family whose members occupied important positions in the Empire. Their coat of arms was recognized in 1792 when the family received the title of Count in ...

in 2006, and has issue from both marriages. * Prince Casimir (born 1976) married (civilly) in 1999 Corinna Larsen (divorced in 2004), and married secondly to American model Alana Camille Bunte in 2019, and has issue from both marriages. * Princess Filippa (1980–2001) married in June 2001 Count Vittorio Mazzetti d'Albertis (born 1965). She was killed in an automobile accident in England three months later, without issue. * Prince Ludwig (Louis) born 1982); married in 2011 Countess Philippa

Spannocchi Spannocchi is an Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance ...

(born 1982), and they have issue. * Princess Sofia (born 1986) married in 2020 to Archia Akhavan-Kharazian, London based businessman of Iranian and Spanish roots. * Prince Peter (born 1992).

Patronages

* Honorary President of the

German Castles Association The German Castles Association (german: Deutsche Burgenvereinigung) or DBV is dedicated to the conservation of historic defensive and residential buildings as witnesses of history and culture and has its headquarters at Marksburg Castle above B ...

Honours

;National honours *

Order of Merit of Rhineland-Palatinate The Order of Merit of Rhineland-Palatinate (german: Verdienstorden des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz) is a civil order of merit, of the German State of Rhineland-Palatinate. The order is presented for outstanding service to the state and people of Rhinela ...

. * Member of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

(2004). * German Monument Protection Prize arl-Friedrich-Schinkel-Ring(2018). ;Foreign honours * Knight of Honour and Devotion of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, Prince 1943 births People from Salzburg German princes German landowners House of Sayn-Wittgenstein 20th-century German businesspeople 21st-century German businesspeople Living people