Vincenz Liechtenstein

Prince Vincenz of Liechtenstein, known in Austria as Vincenz Liechtenstein (30 July 1950, in Graz – 14 January 2008, in Deutschfeistritz, Styria) was an Austrian politician (ÖVP). He was a grandson of Charles I of Austria, the last Austrian Emperor. He was born a Prince of Liechtenstein. He never renounced his succession to the Liechtensteiner throne, but since the nobility in Austria was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he did not use his princely title or honorific (''Serene Highness'') in his Austrian civic life.

Ancestry

Born ''His Serene Highness'' Prince Vincenz Karl Alfred Maria Michael of Liechtenstein (Germ. ''Seine Durchlaucht'' der Prinz Vincenz Karl Alfred Maria Michael von und zu Liechtenstein), the first child of Prince Heinrich of Liechtenstein and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria.''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XVI. "Liechtenstein". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp. 52, 68. . Prince Heinrich was a son of Prince Alfred Roman of Liechtenstein (himself a son of Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein. Vincenz was thus a male-line great-great-great-grandson of Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein. Vincenz' mother, Archduchess Elisabeth, was the youngest daughter of Charles I, the last Emperor of Austria, and his wife, Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Vincenz Liechtenstein is a female-line great-grandson of Robert I, the last sovereign Duke of Parma.

Marriage

Vincenz was 1,300th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Austria. On 7 March 1981, at the Church of Saint-Louis des Invalides in Paris, he married ''Hélène'' Herminie Marie Hyacinthe de Cossé-Brissac (1960–), a descendant of the French Ducs de Brissac, with Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein as page boy.

They had two daughters:
* ''Her Serene Highness'' Princess ''Adelheid'' Marie Beatrice Zita (b. Vienna, 25 November 1981), married in Schloss Waldstein on 31 January 2009 Count ''Dominik'' Cornelius Valentin Gerold Eugene von Coudenhove-Kalergi (b. London, 7 October 1973), son of Count Hans Heinrich von Coudenhove Kalergi and Cornelia Carter Roberts. They have three daughters:
** Countess ''Xenia'' Marie Cornelia Hélène Zita Anna Therese Hildegard et omnes Sancti von Coudenhove-Kalergi (b. Graz, 21 October 2011)
** Countess ''Tatiana'' Maria Mitsuko Benedikta Zita Sophie Ferdinandine Gisela et omnes Sancti von Coudenhove-Kalergi (b. Graz, 6 May 2013)
** Countess ''Olympia'' Marie Gladys Zita Barbara Mauricette Elena et omnes Sancti von Coudenhove-Kalergi (b. Graz, 1 September 2016)
* ''Her Serene Highness'' Princess ''Hedwig'' Maria Beatrice Hermine (b. Vienna, 28 November 1982), married in Waldstein Castle on 10 May 2008 Comte Olivier de Quélen (b. Paris, 25 April 1980), son of Jean-Louis, ''Comte'' de Quélen, and Nicole Cansou. They have four children:
** '' Mademoiselle'' ''Maïwenn'' Marie Eléonore de Quélen (b. 23 April 2010)
** '' Mademoiselle'' Béatrice de Quélen (b. 10 June 2011)
** '' Mademoiselle'' Raphaëlle de Quelen (b. 10 June 2011)
** Count ''Taliesin'' Amedeo Francois de Quelen (b. 29 August 2015)

Vincenz and Helene divorced in 1991 and the marriage was annulled in 1994.

He then married Roberta Valeri Manera (1953–) in Venice on 19 June 1999: the couple had no children.

Career

Vincenz studied at the Bundesrealgymnasium in Graz (1960–1969) and subsequently studied law at the University of Graz (1969–1975). He worked at a forestry company before becoming a politician. He was co-founder of the 1974 JES students initiative. He was a member of the board of the Catholic Family Association and the Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft.

Vincenz was a member of the Nationalrat from 1988 to 1996 and again from 1997 to 2004. From 2004 to 2006 he was a member of the Bundesrat. He caused a mini-scandal in 2005 when he interrupted a ''Nationalrat'' meeting because of alleged drunkenness. He apologised shortly afterward.

Liechtenstein died unexpectedly on 14 January 2008 at his home, Waldstein Castle, at Deutschfeistritz near Graz, following a short illness. He had left his sickbed to attend the funeral of his uncle Archduke Carl-Ludwig in Vienna.

References

External links

Homepage of Vincenz Liechtenstein

Den Lauf vollendet, den Glauben bewahrt

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liechtenstein, Vincenz
1950 births
2008 deaths
Princes of Liechtenstein
Austrian people of German descent
Austrian people of Italian descent
Austrian People's Party politicians
Members of the National Council (Austria)
Members of the Federal Council (Austria)
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria