Countess Walburga Douglas (born 5 October 1958), ''née'' Walburga Habsburg-Lothringen, is a German-born Swedish lawyer and politician, who served as a member of the
Riksdag of Sweden
The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...
for the
Moderate Party
The Moderate Party ( sv, Moderata samlingspartiet , ; M), commonly referred to as the Moderates ( ), is a liberal-conservative political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free market, civil liberties and economic lib ...
from 2006 to 2014. She is the vice-president of the
Paneuropean Union
The International Paneuropean Union, also referred to as the Pan-European Movement and the Pan-Europa Movement, is the oldest European unification movement.
It began with the publishing of Count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi's manifesto ''P ...
and a board member of the
Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism.
Early life
Born in 1958 in
Berg am Starnberger See, Germany, she is the fifth daughter of
Otto von Habsburg
Otto von Habsburg (german: Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius, hu, Ferenc József Ottó Róbert Mária Antal Károly Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Lajos Gaetan ...
, last crown prince of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, and of
Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen.
She was baptized under the given names ''Walburga Maria Franziska Helene Elisabeth''.
At the time of her birth, her father was
stateless, domiciled in Germany on a Spanish
diplomatic passport
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...
. Walburga was
banished Banished may refer to:
* ''Banished'' (TV series), a 2015 drama television series
* ''Banished'' (film), a 2007 documentary
* ''Banished'' (video game), a city-building strategy game by Shining Rock Software
* Banished (Halo), an alien faction ...
from the Republic of Austria from birth and well into adult life, along with her siblings, by the
Habsburg Law
The Habsburg Law (''Habsburgergesetz'' (in full, the Law concerning the Expulsion and the Takeover of the Assets of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine) ''Gesetz vom 3. April 1919 betreffend die Landesverweisung und die Übernahme des Vermögens des H ...
that had been in effect since 1938, having been (re)imposed by the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
. The Austrian Republic was forced to repeal the banishment of Walburga and her family, which was found to violate their
human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
, as a precondition for admission to the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
.
She is a granddaughter of the last
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n emperor,
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
, and a member of the
House of Habsburg-Lorraine
The House of Habsburg-Lorraine (german: Haus Habsburg-Lothringen) originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Austria, later successively Queen of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary, Queen of C ...
.
[''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XVI. "Haus Österreich". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp. 90-92. .] Her ancestral titles (
by now abolished) are ''Archduchess Walburga of Austria, Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia, with the
style
Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to:
* Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable
* Design, the process of creating something
* Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...
of
Her Imperial and Royal Highness (HI&RH).'' Her family used the traditional titles as titles of pretense during their exile in Germany when she was a child. She does not currently use her ancestral titles actively in her daily life; however by law she holds the title
Countess
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
Douglas in the Kingdom of Sweden, her current country of residence and citizenship.
Career
Professional career
After her
Abitur graduation in 1977 in
Tutzing
Tutzing is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria, Germany, on the west bank of the Starnberger See. Just 40 km south-west of Munich and with good views of the Alps, the town was traditionally a favorite vacation spot for thos ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, she studied canonical law to the doctoral level in
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
. From 1979 to 1992 she worked as an assistant at the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
. In 1983 she studied at the
National Journalism Center
The National Journalism Center (NJC) is an American political organization established in 1977 by conservative journalist M. Stanton Evans. It runs programs and internships for journalism students to educate them on professional journalism, and c ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and worked at the office of ''
Reader's Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...
'' in the same city. She worked for the Ministry of Information of the Sultanate of
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
from 1985 to 1992, and in 2004 she became a member of the board of the Arab International Media Forum in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
.
Political career
In 1973 she co-founded Paneuropa-Jugend Deutschland, and was its chairperson in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, and vice chairperson on the national level. In 1977 she founded Brüsewitz-Zentrum (Christlich-Paneuropäisches Studienwerk). From 1980 to 1988 she was assistant international Secretary General of the international
Paneuropean Union
The International Paneuropean Union, also referred to as the Pan-European Movement and the Pan-Europa Movement, is the oldest European unification movement.
It began with the publishing of Count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi's manifesto ''P ...
, 1988 to 2004 she was its secretary general and she is its executive vice chairperson since 2004.
She was one of the organisers of the
Paneuropa-Picknick at the
Iron Curtain on the 19 August 1989, on the border between
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
and
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. At this occasion, the fence was opened for the first time, letting more than 660 Germans from the
GDR escape from the east. This was the largest number of escapees since the Berlin Wall was built and is seen by many as one of the main symbols of the fall of Eastern European Communism.
Since 2003 she is the chairperson of the local branch of the Swedish
Moderate Party
The Moderate Party ( sv, Moderata samlingspartiet , ; M), commonly referred to as the Moderates ( ), is a liberal-conservative political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free market, civil liberties and economic lib ...
in
Flen
Flen (local pronunciation ''Flén'') is a locality and the seat of Flen Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 6,229 inhabitants in 2010.
Flen evolved as a railway junction and got the title of a city in 1949. Since 1971 it is the seat o ...
and on the board of the regional organisation of the party in
Södermanland
Södermanland ( or ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latin form ''Sudermannia'' or ''Sudermania'', is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västman ...
. She is a member of the board of the
Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation since 2005, a foundation closely linked to the Moderate Party.
In 1999 and 2004 she ran for the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
for the
Moderate Party
The Moderate Party ( sv, Moderata samlingspartiet , ; M), commonly referred to as the Moderates ( ), is a liberal-conservative political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free market, civil liberties and economic lib ...
, in 2002 and 2006 she ran for the national parliament (riksdagen). She was elected, 17 September 2006 to the
Swedish Parliament, in an election which showed the greatest support for the Moderate Party since 1928. Vice-president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assemby and Head of the Swedish Parliamentary delegation to the
OSCE
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
since 2011. She has to give up her seat in the ''Riksdag'' in 2014 due to the heavy losses of her party, after eight years as a member of parliament.
She is a board member of the
Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism.
Personal life
Walburga married the Swedish Count Carl Axel ''Archibald''
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
* Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
*Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...
(born 27 November 1949 in
Stockholm), son of Count Archibald Douglas and Baroness Margareta Lagerfelt, on 5 December 1992 in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
, Hungary.
Her husband's family is a noble family in Sweden, descended from the Scot
Robert Douglas, Count of Skenninge
Robert Douglas (17 March 1611 – 28 May 1662), Count of Skenninge, Baron of Skalby, was a Scottish cavalry general during the Thirty Years' War rising to the rank of Field Marshal (1657–1662) in the Swedish-Polish wars that followed. He ...
, member of the Scottish
Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands.
Taking their name from Douglas in Lanarkshire, their leaders gained vast territories throughout the Borders, Angus, Lothian, Moray, and also in France and Sweden. ...
and founder of its Swedish branch. The family's comital title, conferred by Queen
Christina of Sweden
Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December ( New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his death ...
in 1654, is legally recognized in the country.. Her husband is a first cousin of Princess Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria, the wife of
Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria
Max-Emanuel Ludwig Maria Herzog in Bayern (sometimes styled Prince Max of Bavaria, Duke in Bavaria; born 21 January 1937) as the younger son of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, is the heir presumptive to both the headship of the former Bavarian royal ...
, and her siblings
Rosita Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Dagmar Rosita Astrid Libertas, Duchess of Marlborough (née Douglas, sometimes Spencer-Churchill; born 26 September 1943, Madrid), is a British artist of Swedish and German descent. She was the third wife of John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of ...
, and Count
Gustaf Douglas
Gustaf Archibald Siegwart Douglas (born 3 March 1938) is a Swedish aristocrat, billionaire businessman, and politician. As of August 2022, his net worth was estimated at US$7.2 billion. He has been a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engin ...
, and a first cousin once removed of
Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein
Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg (born Duchess Sophie in Bavaria; 28 October 1967) was born a member of the House of Wittelsbach, with the courtesy title of Duchess in Bavaria, and second in line for the Jacobit ...
, née Duchess in Bavaria.
They have a son, Count ''Mauritz'' Otto Wenzel
Douglas (born 30 March 1994 in Stockholm). They live at
Ekensholm Castle in Sweden.
Honours
*
House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
: Dame of the
Imperial and Royal Order of the Starry Cross, 1st Class
* : Dame 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 and notes
External links
Douglas Family WebsiteWalburga Habsburg Douglas-
Riksdag website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Habsburg Douglas, Walburga
1958 births
Living people
Walburga
Walpurga or Walburga ( ang, Wealdburg, la, Valpurga, Walpurga, Walpurgis, sv, Valborg; c. AD 71025 February 777 or 779), also spelled Valderburg or Guibor, was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 ...
Walburga
Walpurga or Walburga ( ang, Wealdburg, la, Valpurga, Walpurga, Walpurgis, sv, Valborg; c. AD 71025 February 777 or 779), also spelled Valderburg or Guibor, was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 ...
Members of the Riksdag
Austrian Roman Catholics
Swedish people of Austrian descent
Swedish people of Croatian descent
Swedish people of German descent
Swedish people of Hungarian descent
Swedish countesses
Walburga
Walpurga or Walburga ( ang, Wealdburg, la, Valpurga, Walpurga, Walpurgis, sv, Valborg; c. AD 71025 February 777 or 779), also spelled Valderburg or Guibor, was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 ...
Articles containing video clips