Mariano Hugo, Prince of Windisch-Graetz (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: ''Mariano Hugo Fürst zu Windisch-Graetz'',

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

: ''Principe Mariano Ugo di Windisch-Graetz''; born 27 July 1955) is the current head of the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n''Les Manuscrits du CEDRE V, Le Royaume d'Italie I. Cercle d'Etudes des Dynasties Royales Europėennes'' (CEDRE), Paris, 1992, pp. 196–197 House of Windisch-Graetz. He is currently a member of the Grand Magisterium of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. A former

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

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, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

, he is also currently the Order's ambassador to

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. He also sits on the council of the

Dynastic orders of knighthood A dynastic order, monarchical order, or house order is an honorific distinction under royal patronage. This type of order is bestowed by a reigning sovereign or by the head of a formerly ruling family, recognized as a legitimate source of hono ...

for the Royal House of Savoy.

Upbringing and family

Windisch-Graetz was born at

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

as the elder son of Maximilian Antonius, Prince of Windisch-Graetz and Donna Maria Luisa "Marilise" Serra di Gerace. His mother was the legitimatised daughter of Gian Battista Serra, 12th Prince of Gerace and ''Donna'' Maria Grazia Carafa d'Andria . He has two sisters and one brother: Christiana "Irma" married to Don Augusto Ruffo di Calabria (nephew of Queen Paola of Belgium), Maximiliane married with Prince Heinrich zu Fürstenberg and Manfred married with Maria Vittoria Lepri di Rota. Windisch-Graetz was educated in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

at the school of the

De La Salle Brothers The De La Salle Brothers, officially named the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (; ; ) abbreviated FSC, is a Catholic lay religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in France by Jean-Baptiste de La Salle ( ...

. In 1975 he graduated from University College of Buckingham with a degree in Philosophy, Economics and Political Science. When his father died in 1976, Windisch-Graetz succeeded as head of a

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the House of Windisch-Graetz,Willis, Daniel. ''The Descendants of Louis XIII'', Chapter 6: The Imperial Family of Austria (Clearfield Co., 1999), 508–509. a mediatised house whose members historically bore the style of "

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style (manner of address), style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Until 1918, it was also associated with the p ...

". On 11 February 1990 in

Salzburg, Austria Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Alps mountains. The town occupies the site of the Roman settlement ...

, Windisch-Graetz married Archduchess Sophie of Austria, daughter of Archduke Ferdinand Karl Max of Austria and Countess Helene zu Toerring-Jettenbach, daughter of

Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark (; 24 May 1904 – 11 January 1955) was the middle daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and his Russian wife, Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. Early life Princess Elizabeth was born on 24 May ...

. The couple have had two sons and one daughter. Windisch-Graetz and his family reside in Italy when he is not abroad on a diplomatic appointment, maintaining a home in Rome and another in Sant'Angelo d'Alife.

Activities and appointments

The business activities of Windisch-Graetz include the food production industry, notably

biscuits A biscuit is a Flour, flour-based baked food item. Biscuits are typically hard, flat, and Unleavened bread, unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing (food), icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also ...

and

mozzarella Mozzarella is a Types of cheese#Semi-soft cheese, semi-soft non-aged cheese prepared using the ('stretched-curd') method with origins from southern Italy. It is prepared with cow's milk or buffalo milk, taking the following names: * or mozz ...

cheese, and entrepreneurial finance. In the early 1990s, he was a major shareholder in the Banco di Napoli and a holding company, Sogesco, of which he owned 82%, was capitalised at 10 billion ''lire''. On 19 December 1987,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

appointed Windisch-Graetz a Gentleman of His Holiness, a role which entails meeting visiting heads of state and ambassadors and escorting them to meet the pope. He is also a Knight of Honour and Devotion in Obedience of the

. In 2003, Windisch-Graetz was appointed Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Republic of Slovakia; this appointment was renewed in 2006, until December 2009. In March 2009, he was appointed Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Republic of Slovenia.Presentation of the Letters of Credentials
/ref> On 9 June 2021, Windisch-Graetz was appointed to the Grand Magisterium of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem by the Grand Master of the Order, Fernando Cardinal Filoni. Windisch-Graetz has been a Knight Grand Officer of the Order since 1980.

Honours and awards

*: **Knight of Honour and Devotion in Obedience of the

**Grand Cross of the

Order pro Merito Melitensi The Order of Merit (; ) is the order of merit of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, established in 1920. It is awarded to recipients who have brought honour to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, promoted Christian values and for chari ...

*: Grand Officer of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre *: Grand Officer of the

Order of Ouissam Alaouite The Order of Ouissam Alaouite () or the Sharifian Order of Al-Alaoui is a military decoration of Morocco which is bestowed by the King of Morocco upon those civilians and military officers who have displayed heroism in combat or have contribute ...

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine () originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Habsburg monarchy, Austria, later successively List of Bohemian monarchs, Queen ...

: Knight of the Austrian

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon that ruled Southern Italy and Sicily for more than a century in the 18th and 19th centuries. It descends from the Capetian dynasty in legitimate male line through Phili ...

: Knight of Justice of the

Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (; ), also historically referred to as the Imperial Constantinian Order of Saint George and the Order of the Constantinian Angelic Knights of Saint George, is a dynastic order of knighthood ...

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza (), also known as the Brigantine dynasty (''dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Americas. The hous ...

: Grand Officer of the Order of Saint Michael of the Wing *

House of Petrović-Njegoš A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air co ...

: Knight Commander of the Order of Prince Danilo I *

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

: **Knight of the

Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation The Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation () is a Catholic order of chivalry, originating in County of Savoy, Savoy. It eventually was the pinnacle of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Italy#The Kingdom of Italy, honours system in the ...

Leadership of the Savoy Orders
**Knight Grand Cordon of the

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, a ...

**Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Savoy

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Windisch-Graetz, Mariano Hugo Of 1955 births Living people Ambassadors of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to Slovakia Knights of Malta Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Mariano Papal gentlemen Italian people of Austrian descent Pretenders