, image = Albert TT 2011.jpg , caption = Prince Albert in 2011 , reign = , reign-type = Period , predecessor =

Johannes Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as "John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, ''Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Yeh ...

, successor = , suc-type =

Heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

, succession = Head of the House of Thurn and Taxis , birth_date = , birth_place = , religion =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, father =

Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis , father = Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis , mother = Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal , birth_date = , birth_place = Schloss Höfling, Regensburg, Bavaria, Weimar Republic , death_date = , death_place = Munich, Germany , plac ...

, mother = Countess Gloria of Schönburg-Glauchau , house =

Thurn and Taxis The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (german: link=no, Fürstenhaus Thurn und 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 ...

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 (german: Die Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs), usually known as the Weimar Constitution (''Weimarer Verfassung''), was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era (1919–1933). The c ...

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

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

, businessman, philosopher, 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 age eight.

Biography

Family

Through descent from King Miguel I of Portugal, Albert is related to several reigning hereditary heads of state in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. He also descends from the dynasties of

Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present-d ...

, Braganza and the

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine (german: Haus Habsburg-Lothringen) originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa, Maria Theresa of Austria, later successively List ...

. The House of

Thurn und Taxis The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (german: link=no, Fürstenhaus Thurn und 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 ...

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. The practice of having a government official respons ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

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 Saint Emmeram's Abbey (german: Kloster Sankt Emmeram or ''Reichsabtei Sankt Emmeram''), now known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis, Schloss St. Emmeram or St. Emmeram's Basilica, was a Benedictine monastery founded in about 739 at Regensburg in Bavari ...

. His father,

, 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 Glauchau (; hsb, Hłuchow) is a town in the German federal state of Saxony, on the right bank of the Mulde, 7 miles north of Zwickau and 17 miles west of Chemnitz by rail ( its train station is on the Dresden–Werdau line). It is part of the ...

), 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 , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

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

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. Prince Albert completed a doctorate in philosophy at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas ( Angelicum) 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 owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' 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, invo ...

. 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 champions ...

since 2016.

Honours

Dynastic honours

* 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

Thurn and Taxis Family Homepage

Homepage of Albert of Thurn und Taxis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert 02 of Thurn And Taxis, Prince Businesspeople from Bavaria German billionaires 21st-century German businesspeople People from Regensburg 1983 births Living people German socialites Princes of Thurn und Taxis German Roman Catholics German racing drivers European Le Mans Series drivers FIA GT1 World Championship drivers Porsche Supercup drivers Blancpain Endurance Series drivers ADAC GT Masters drivers European Rally Championship drivers World Rally Championship drivers Racing drivers from Bavaria