Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein explained

Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf
Count of Rietberg
Hans-Adam II
Succession:Prince of Liechtenstein
Reign:13 November 1989 – present
Predecessor:Franz Joseph II
Suc-Type:Heir apparent
Successor:Alois
Regent:Alois (–present)
Issue-Link:
  1. Personal life
Issue:
Full Name:Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius
House:Liechtenstein
Father:Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein
Mother:Countess Georgina von Wilczek
Birth Date:14 February 1945
Birth Place:Zürich, Switzerland
Religion:Catholic

Hans-Adam II (Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius; born 14 February 1945) is the Prince of Liechtenstein. He is the son of Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife, Countess Georgina von Wilczek. He also bears the titles Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, and Count of Rietberg. Under his reign, a 2003 constitutional referendum expanded the powers of the Prince of Liechtenstein. In 2004, Hans-Adam transferred day-to-day governmental duties to his eldest son Hereditary Prince Alois as regent, like his father had granted him in 1984 to prepare him for the role.[1]

Early life

He was born on 14 February 1945 in Zürich, Switzerland, as the eldest son of Prince Franz Joseph II and Princess Gina of Liechtenstein,[2] with his godfather being Pope Pius XII.[3] His father had succeeded as Prince of Liechtenstein in 1938 upon the death of his childless grand-uncle, Prince Franz I, and Hans-Adam was thus hereditary prince from birth.[4] [5]

In 1956, he entered the Schottengymnasium in Vienna. In 1960, he transferred to the Lyceum Alpinium Zuoz in Switzerland, earning a Swiss Matura and a German Abitur in 1965. He then worked as a bank trainee in London before enrolling at the University of St. Gallen to study business administration, graduating with a licentiate in 1969. He is fluent in English and French in addition to his native German.[6]

In 1984, Prince Franz Joseph II, while legally remaining head of state and retaining the title of sovereign prince, formally handed the power of making day-to-day governmental decisions to his eldest son as a way of beginning a dynastic transition to a new generation.[7] Hans-Adam formally succeeded as Prince of Liechtenstein upon the death of his father on 13 November 1989.[8]

Powers

A referendum to adopt Hans-Adam's revision of the Constitution of Liechtenstein to expand his powers passed in 2003. The prince had threatened to abdicate and leave the country if the referendum did not result in his favour.[9]

On 15 August 2004, Hans-Adam formally handed the power of making day-to-day governmental decisions to his eldest son Hereditary Prince Alois as regent, as a way of beginning a dynastic transition to a new generation. Legally, Hans-Adam remains the head of state.[10] Hans-Adam's father Franz Joseph II had similarly done so on 26 August 1984.[11]

In a July 2012 referendum, the people of Liechtenstein overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to curtail the political power of the princely family. A few days before the vote, Hereditary Prince Alois announced he would veto any relaxing of the ban on abortion, also up for referendum. 76 per cent of those voting in the first referendum supported Alois' power to veto the outcome of future referendums.[12] Legislators, who serve on a part-time basis, rose in the hereditary prince's defence on 23 May, voting 18 to 7 against the citizens' initiative.[13]

Entrepreneurship and personal wealth

Before his accession to the throne, he transformed LGT Bank which is wholly owned by his family, from a small local bank into an internationally operating financial group. As of 2003 he had a family fortune of US$7.6 billion and a personal fortune of about US$4 billion,[14] making him one of the world's richest heads of state, and Europe's wealthiest monarch.[15]

He inherited his main residence, Vaduz Castle in Liechtenstein, furthermore in Austria Liechtenstein Castle, Wilfersdorf Castle (with a wine farm), the Liechtenstein Garden Palace and the Liechtenstein City Palace in Vienna. In addition to real estate, viticulture, agriculture and forestry, the prince owns a number of companies, the most important being the American company RiceTec.

He also inherited an extensive art collection, much of which is displayed for the public at the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna. As of July 2022, his net worth was estimated by Bloomberg Billionaires Index around US$6.20 billion, making him the 380th richest person on earth.[16] However, he placed these assets in a family foundation, the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation, from which each family member receives an equal annual allowance and which maintains the family's castles, cultural assets, collections and museums and last but not least, the costs of the princely court including even some salaries for princes who are ambassadors abroad, which are not a burden on the taxpayer.

His successful entrepreneurship allowed him to buy back parts of the family art collection[17] which his father had to sell after World War II due to lack of money after his vast land holdings in Czechoslovakia had been expropriated (measuring 7.5 times the total area of the Principality itself) and after his Austrian properties had become inaccessible until the end of the Soviet occupation in 1955. In addition, he continues to expand the collection of classical paintings and applied arts to this day.

Personal life

On 30 July 1967, at St. Florin's in Vaduz, he married his second cousin once-removed Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau.[18] They have four children and fifteen grandchildren:

They remained married until her death on 21 August 2021, at the age of 81.

The Prince is an honorary member of K.D.St.V. Nordgau Prag Stuttgart, a Catholic students' fraternity that is a member of the Union of Catholic German Student Fraternities.

The Prince donated $12 million in 2000 to found the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination (LISD) at Princeton University's Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.[33] [34] In his childhood he joined the Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins in Vaduz.[35] He is also a former member of the Viennese Scout Group "Wien 16-Schotten".[36] He is a member of the World Scout Foundation.[37]

His younger son Prince Constantin died on 5 December 2023 at the age of 51.[38]

Viewpoints and book

Hans-Adam has written the political treatise The State in the Third Millennium, which was published in late 2009. In it, he argues for the continued importance of the nation-state as a political actor. He makes the case for democracy as the best form of government, which he sees China and Russia as in transition towards, although the path will be difficult for these nations. He also declared his role in a princely family as something that has legitimacy only from the assent of the people. He stated that government should be limited to a small set of tasks and abilities, writing that people "have to free the state from all the unnecessary tasks and burdens with which it has been loaded during the last hundred years, which have distracted it from its two main tasks: maintenance of the rule of law and foreign policy".[39] Hans-Adam is a friend of the German anarcho-capitalist economist Hans-Hermann Hoppe.[40]

Hans-Adam wrote to the foreword to a Sourcebook, on Self-Determination and Self-Administration, which was edited by Wolfgang F. Danspeckgruber and Arthur Watts (1997), and in the Encyclopedia Princetoniensis.[41]

In an interview with Radio Liechtenstein in February 2021, Prince Hans-Adam II expressed his support for same-sex marriage but said he opposed allowing same-sex couples to adopt.[42] [43]

Titles, styles and honours

Titles and styles

The official title of the monarch is "Prince of Liechtenstein, Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, Count of Rietberg, Sovereign of the House of Liechtenstein" (German: Fürst von und zu Liechtenstein, Herzog von Troppau und Jägerndorf, Graf zu Rietberg, Regierer des Hauses von und zu Liechtenstein).[44]

Honours and awards

See also: List of honours of the Liechtensteiner princely family by country.

Foreign

Awards

Arms

Coronet:Ducal hat of Liechtenstein
Escutcheon:Quarterly: I Or, an eagle displayed Sable crowned and armed Or charged with a crescent treflée, issuing from the middle thereof a cross pattée Argent (Silesia); II barry of eight Or and Sable, a crown of rue bendways throughout Vert (Kuenring); III per pale Gules and Argent (Duchy of Troppau); IV Or, a harpy displayed Sable the human parts Argent crowned and armed Or (Cirksena); on a point entée Azure, a bugle-horn stringed Or (Duchy of Jägerndorf); en surtout, an inescutcheon per fess or and Gules (House of Liechtenstein).[49]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: IFES Election Guide Elections: Liechtenstein Parliamentary Mar 11 2005 . 2023-12-13 . www.electionguide.org.
  2. Web site: H.S.H. Prince Hans Adam II. Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination. 2019-08-08. 8 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190808021228/https://lisd.princeton.edu/about/people/hsh-prince-hans-adam-ii. dead.
  3. News: 19 February 1945 . Baby Prince Named for Pope . The New York Times . 16 May 2023.
  4. Web site: Liechtenstein Royal Family . dead . https://archive.today/20120630225034/http://www.btinternet.com/~allan_raymond/Liechtenstein_Royal_Family.htm . 30 June 2012 . 16 May 2023 . Monarchies of Europe.
  5. News: 18 February 1945 . Liechtenstein Princess Has Son . The New York Times . 16 May 2023 . subscription.
  6. Web site: 2021-03-30 . H.S.H. Prince Hans-Adam II . Das Fürstenhaus von Liechtenstein . 2022-08-15 . en-US.
  7. News: Hofmann . Paul . July 23, 1989 . WHAT'S DOING IN: Liechtenstein . The New York Times . 16 May 2023.
  8. News: The Richest Royal in Europe Just Keeps Getting Richer. Pendleton. Devon. 26 October 2017. Bloomberg News. 2019-08-08.
  9. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2853991.stm Liechtenstein prince wins powers
  10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1066002.stm#leaders "Country profile: Liechtenstein – Leaders"
  11. News: 23 July 2023 . WHAT'S DOING IN: Liechtenstein . The New York Times . 17 May 2023.
  12. Foulkes, Imogen (1 July 2012). "Liechtenstein referendum rejects curbs on royal powers". BBC News.
  13. The Prince vs. the 'Paupers'. Michael Z.. Wise. https://web.archive.org/web/20131209032045/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/06/29/the_prince_vs_the_paupers?page=0,2. 9 December 2013. Foreign Policy. 29 June 2012.
  14. News: Fleck . Fiona . Voters give billionaire prince new powers . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/liechtenstein/1424873/Voters-give-billionaire-prince-new-powers.html . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live . . London . 17 March 2003 . 23 October 2009 .
  15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6215825.stm "Liechtenstein redraws Europe map"
  16. News: Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Prince Hans Adam II . Bloomberg News . 2022-07-31.
  17. https://www.liechtensteincollections.at/en/presentation/exhibitions/odysseys-of-art-masterpieces-collected-by-the-princes-of-liechtenstein "Odysseys of Art: Masterpieces Collected by the Princes of Liechtenstein"
  18. News: 31 July 1967 . Liechtenstein's Crown Prince Takes a Bride . The New York Times . 18 May 2023.
  19. Web site: H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois. Liechtenstein Princely House Official Website. https://web.archive.org/web/20220717135156/https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/the-princely-house/h-s-h-hereditary-prince-alois/. 17 July 2022. 17 July 2022. live. Princess Marie Caroline, born 17 October 1996.
  20. Web site: Max von Liechtenstein: "Corona Separates Wheat from Chaff". 17 March 2020 . 2 July 2022. 2 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220702130313/https://www.finews.asia/people/31250-lgt-max-von-liechtenstein-asia-coronavirus-crash-recruiting-growth-costs-asia-singapore-hong-kong. live.
  21. News: Royally stylish: The Princess of Liechtenstein whose wedding might have inspired the Duchess of Sussex. Tregaskes. Chandler. Tatler. 12 June 2020. 3 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20220702141951/https://www.tatler.com/article/who-is-princess-angela-of-liechtenstein. 2 July 2022. live. Princess Angela and Prince Maximillian of Liechtenstein have one son, Alfonso, who was born in 2001 ....
  22. Web site: PARTICIPATION OF THE LIECHTENSTEIN GROUP LAYS THE FOUNDATION FOR FURTHER EXPANSION. PV Invest. 11 March 2021. Klagenfurt. 14 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220814151217/https://www.pv-invest.com/en/participation-of-the-liechtenstein-group-lays-the-foundation-for-further-expansion/. 14 August 2022. live. Constantin Liechtenstein and Johannes Meran, managing directors of Liechtenstein Beteiligungs GmbH: “We are convinced that PV-Invest is the suitable partner for the future growth strategy of the Liechtenstein Group in the business area “Renewable Energies” due to the many years of expertise of the management and the successful track record.”.
  23. News: Nachwuchs bei der Liechtensteiner Fürstenfamilie. Editorial Staff. Offspring in the Liechtenstein princely family. German. Derstandard. 7 August 2005. 12 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220812125008/https://www.derstandard.at/consent/tcf/story/2132217/nachwuchs-bei-der-liechtensteiner-fuerstenfamilie. 12 August 2022. live.
  24. Web site: SOS KINDERDORF. 4 June 2022. H.S.H. Tatjana von Lattorff. Our patroness: Princess of Liechtenstein. SOS Village Liechtenstein. https://web.archive.org/web/20220604134308/https://www.sos-kinderdorf.li/en/team. 4 June 2022. live.
  25. News: Tatiana de Liechtenstein, una novia para el Príncipe. Tatjana of Liechtenstein, a bride for the Prince. 31 March 1995. 24 July 2022. 24 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220724143839/https://elpais.com/diario/1995/03/31/agenda/796600803_850215.html. Ines . García Albi. El País. live.
  26. Web site: Liechtenstein bajo el Rey Sol. Liechtenstein under the Sun King. 31 March 1995. 24 July 2022. 24 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220724144824/https://www.revistavanityfair.es/realeza/articulos/liechtenstein-bajo-el-rey-sol/16813. Alberto . Pinteño. Vanity Fair Spain. live.
  27. Web site: Spatenstich für das Wohnheim "Birkahus" erfolgt. Groundbreaking Ceremony for the “Birkahus” Residential Home. 24 January 2019. 13 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220713120556/https://www.volksblatt.li/nachrichten/Liechtenstein/Vermischtes/vb/223957/spatenstich-fur-das-wohnheim-birkahus-erfolgt. 13 July 2022. live. Volksblatt.
  28. Web site: Anerkennung und Unterstützung für soziales Engagement. Volksblatt. Recognition and Support for Social Commitment. 14 September 2018. 13 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220713121044/https://www.volksblatt.li/nachrichten/Liechtenstein/Vermischtes/vb/216337/anerkennung-und-unterstutzung-fur-soziales-engagement. 13 July 2022. live.
  29. Web site: Tatjana von Lattorff Curriculum Vitae. Vienna International School Association. 28 June 2023. 28 June 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230628153336/https://www.vis.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/VIS/Newsletter/Archive_2021/2October/Invitation_to_the_Extraordinary_General_Assembly_December_10__2020_online_incl.CVs-compressed.pdf. live.
  30. Web site: HSH Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein. The Royal Family of Liechtenstein. House of Liechtenstein . . Burke's Peerage . 1 April 2020. 15 June 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220615023849/https://www.burkespeerage.com/royalFamily_Liechtenstein.php. live.
  31. Web site: Vice President: Philipp von Lattorff. steiermark.iv.at. 24 July 2022. 24 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220724151208/https://steiermark.iv.at/-en-/Federation-of-Austrian-Industries/-Dummy-/Organisation/Federal---regional-presidents/CVs/Vice-President--Philipp-von-Lattorff.html. live.
  32. Web site: Grandchildren of monarchs: Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein. Jessica . Storoschuk. 20 April 2021. 2 July 2022. Royal Central. https://web.archive.org/web/20220702120954/https://royalcentral.co.uk/europe/grandchildren-of-monarchs-prince-hans-adam-ii-of-liechtenstein-158198/. 2 July 2022. live. Lukas Maria Baron von Lattorff was born on 13 May 2000..
  33. Bloom, Molly. (12 December 2000) Opening of Liechtenstein institute draws international dignitaries. The Daily Princetonian
  34. Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at Princeton University Mission & Outreach: The Liechtenstein Institute (retrieved 23 January 2015)
  35. http://www.liechtenstein.li/eliechtenstein_main_sites/portal_fuerstentum_liechtenstein/fl-fueh-fuerstenhaus/fl-fueh-fuerstenfamilie/fl-fueh-fuerstenfamilie-hansadam2.htm "Fürst Hans-Adam II".
  36. Brósch-Fohraheim. Eugen. Schwedischer König als Pfadfinder in Wien-Zusammenkunft der "Weltpfadfinderstiftung" in Wien 2008. de. 29 Live. 21. October 2008.
  37. http://www.ppoe.at/wir/wsf_pressegespraech_fotos.html "Seine Majestät Carl XVI Gustaf König von Schweden zu Gast in Wien"
  38. Web site: Medienmitteilung aus dem Fürstenhaus (Media Release from the Princely House) . de . 10 December 2023 . 6 December 2023 . live . Das Fürstenhaus von Liechtenstein (The Princely House of Liechtenstein) . 10 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231210174151/https://fuerstenhaus.li/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MM_Prinz-Constantin_20231206_FINAL.pdf .
  39. News: H.S.H. Prince Hans-Adam II – The State in the Third Millennium. Uncommon Knowledge. 22 November 2010. 2 December 2010.
  40. Web site: Woods . Tom . Ep. 979 Liechtenstein: The Closest Thing to a Libertarian Country? . Tomwoods.com . 18 August 2017 . 31 May 2022.
  41. Web site: Encyclopedia Princetoniensis: The Princeton Encyclopedia of Self-Determination (PESD) - Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination. lisd.princeton.edu.
  42. Web site: Prince Of Liechtenstein: "Gays Can Get Married, But They Can't Adopt". Gay Nation. 22 February 2021.
  43. Web site: Gleichgeschlechtliche Ehe: Von Entrüstung bis Zustimmung. Liechtensteiner Vaterland. 17 February 2021. German. Same-sex marriage: From outrage to approval.
  44. Web site: Hausgesetz. Sekretariat Seiner Durchlaucht des Fürsten von Liechtenstein. 22 October 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150919005650/http://www.fuerstenhaus.li/de/fuerstenhaus/geschichte/hausgesetz.html. 19 September 2015.
  45. Web site: Johannes Adam II, Fürst von und zu Liechtenstein, * 1945 - Geneall.net. www.geneall.net.
  46. http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/AB/AB_10542/imfname_251156.pdf Parliamentary question, page=903
  47. Uni Innsbruck ehrt verdiente Persönlichkeiten. University of Innsbruck honors deserving individuals. University of Innsbruck.
  48. Web site: Principele Suveran de Liechtenstein, omagiat la Cluj - Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania. www.romaniaregala.ro.
  49. Web site: The Emblems . The Princely House of Liechtenstein . 13 April 2021 . 20 June 2023.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.