Alois, Hereditary Prince and Regent of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (Alois Philipp Maria; born 11 June 1968), is the eldest son of

Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein Hans-Adam II (Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius; born 14 February 1945) is the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, since 1989. He is the son of Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife, Countess Georgina von Wilczek. He al ...

, and Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau. The heir apparent to the throne of

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...

, Alois has also been

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of the country (') since 15 August 2004. He is married to Duchess Sophie in Bavaria.

Life and career

Alois attended the Liechtenstein Grammar School in Ebenholz (Vaduz) and then the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. He served in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for six months before entering the

University of Salzburg The University of Salzburg (german: Universität Salzburg), also known as the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (''Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg'', PLUS), is an Austrian public university A public university or public college is a univ ...

, from which he earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

in 1993. Until 1996, Alois worked at a firm of chartered accountants in London. In May of that year, he returned to

Vaduz Vaduz ( or , High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' Hrsg. ...

and became active in managing the princely families' finances. In the

2003 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum A constitutional referendum regarding the Prince’s powers was held in Liechtenstein on 14 March 2003. The referendum had two questions: a "Princely Initiative" and a "Constitution Peace Initiative". Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elect ...

, Hans-Adam II retained his sweeping powers (the right to

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

laws and elect judges). On Liechtenstein Day in 2004, Hans-Adam II formally turned the power of making day-to-day governmental decisions over to Alois, preparing for the transition to a new generation. Hans-Adam II remains

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

. On 27 November 2005, Liechtenstein voters rejected an initiative that would prohibit abortion and birth control in the principality. The initiative was supported by

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 ...

Archbishop

Wolfgang Haas Wolfgang Haas (born 7 August 1948) is a Liechtenstein-born prelate of the Catholic Church who has been the first archbishop of the Archdiocese of Vaduz in Liechtenstein since 1998. He was Bishop of Chur in Switzerland from 1990 to 1997, after t ...

. 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. In 2011, Alois threatened to exercise his princely veto if voters approved a forthcoming referendum to legalize abortion in the principality. Such a veto was not necessary, as the voters rejected the proposal. Following the prince's threat, an initiative called "'" ("So that your voice counts") was launched to change the

constitution of Liechtenstein The Constitution of the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: Verfassung des Fürstentums Liechtenstein) was promulgated on 5 October 1921, replacing the 1862 constitution. It was granted by Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and established t ...

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.

Marriage and children

On 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: * Prince ''Joseph Wenzel'' Maximilian Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 24 May 1995 at the

Portland Hospital The Portland Hospital for Women and Children is a private maternity hospital on Great Portland Street, City of Westminster, London, England, owned by the Hospital Corporation of America. History The Portland was conceived by Barry Lewis, a p ...

) * Princess ''Marie-Caroline'' Elisabeth Immaculata of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg (born 17 October 1996 in Grabs,

Canton of St. Gallen The canton of St. Gallen, also canton of St Gall (german: link=no, Kanton St. Gallen ; rm, Chantun Son Gagl; french: Canton de Saint-Gall; it, Canton San Gallo), is a canton of Switzerland. The capital is St. Gallen. Located in northeastern ...

) * Prince ''Georg'' Antonius Constantin Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 20 April 1999 in Grabs, Canton of St. Gallen) * Prince ''Nikolaus'' Sebastian Alexander Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 6 December 2000 in Grabs, Canton of St. Gallen)

Honours

National

* : Grand Star of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Foreign

* : Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria (08/06/2000). * : Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal (30/04/2013). * : Recipient of the King Carl XVI Gustaf's Jubilee Commemorative Medal for the 70th Birthday (30/04/2016). * : Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi – civilian special class – (16/09/2011).Sovereign Military Order of Malta
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References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alois Of Liechtenstein, Hereditary Prince 1968 births 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century Roman Catholics Coldstream Guards officers Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Heirs apparent Liechtenstein Roman Catholics Living people Princes of Liechtenstein Regents University of Salzburg alumni Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria Recipients of the Order pro Merito Melitensi