Hereditary Prince Alois

Hereditary Prince Alois von und zu Liechtenstein (born in Zurich, Switzerland, on 11 June 1968) is the current Regent of Liechtenstein, since his appointment as permanent representative of his father Prince Hans-Adam on 15 August 2004.

Family Background, Childhood, and Education

His Serene Highness Prince Alois Philipp Maria von und zu Liechtenstein was born on 11 June 1968 in Zurich, Switzerland, the eldest child of the then Hereditary Prince Hans-Adam and his wife Hereditary Princess Marie. Alois was named after his paternal great-grandfather Prince Aloys and his paternal uncle and godfather Prince Philipp. His paternal grandparents were Prince Franz Josef II and Princess Gina, née Countess von Wilczek, while his maternal grandparents were Count Ferdinand Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau and his wife Countess Henriette, née Countess von Ledebur-Wicheln.

Prince Alois has three younger siblings: Maximilian (b.1969), Constantin (b.1972), Tatjana (b.1973).

Prince Alois grew up with his parents and siblings in Vaduz Castle, the seat of the princely family. He attended the primary school in Vaduz-Ebenholz; in 1979 he started the secondary school at the Liechtenstein Gymnasium, where he graduated in 1987. Then he entered the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, where he completed his officer’s training; as second lieutenant, he served for six months with the Coldstream Guards in Hong Kong and then in London. From 1988 to 1993 Prince Alois studied law at the University of Salzburg, completing his studies with a master’s degree.

After graduation, Prince Alois moved in September 1993 to London, where he worked at Arthur Andersen LLP, a large accounting company; he worked there for less than three years and returned to Vaduz in May 1996, where he started working in the management of part of the assets of the princely family.

Life as Hereditary Prince

Prince Alois became Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein on the death of his grandfather Prince Franz Josef II on 13 November 1989, when Alois’ father Hans-Adam became the Reigning Prince. During the enthronement ceremony of his father on 15 August 1990 in Vaduz, Alois swore to work for the welfare of the people and for the country together with Prince Hans-Adam. The decision to include the new Hereditary Prince in these oaths was made by Prince Hans-Adam, because he wanted to take the most important decisions jointly with Prince Alois in order to train him for his future role as monarch.

After moving in Vaduz in 1996, Prince Alois began attending public events in Liechtenstein and became increasingly active in political discussions and consultations, besides working in the administration of the princely family assets.

Prince Alois married on 3 July 1993 in St. Florin Church in Vaduz Her Royal Highness Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, Princess of Bavaria, the oldest daughter of Prince Max-Emanuel, Duke in Bavaria, and his Swedish-born wife Princess Elizabeth, Duchess in Bavaria, née Countess Douglas. Alois and Sophie have four children together: Joseph Wenzel (b. 24 May 1995), Marie-Caroline (b.17 October 1996), Georg (b.20 April 1999), and Nikolaus (b.6 December 2000). Prince Alois and Princess Sophie live in Vaduz with their children.

Regency

On 15 August 2003 Prince Hans-Adam announced his intention to turn over the regency to Prince Alois, appointing him his permanent representative, under the terms of article 13bis of the Constitution in preparation for his succession to the throne, beginning on 15 August 2004. Hans-Adam retained the title of Reigning Prince, but the exercise of all sovereign rights was turned over to Alois; the same action had been taken in 1984 by Prince Franz Josef in favour of Prince Hans-Adam.

Photo Credit
Photo by Flickr member vauvau and used under Creative Commons licence.

Be Sociable, Share!

Subscription

Also check out…

The Royal Universe forum

The Royal Universe Twitter Account

The Royal Universe Facebook Page

Today in Royal History

Francis II of France was born on 19 January 1544, 10 years after his parents' wedding. His mother, Catherine de' Medici, had no power at her husband's court, having to defer to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Henri II died when Francis was only 15, and Catherine finally had the power she craved as regent. Francis, who was married to Mary Queen of Scots, lived for only a year as king, dying in 1560.

Charlotte of Belgium, daughter of Leopold I (Queen Victoria's maternal uncle), married Maximilian of Austria in 1857; he was offered the Mexican throne in 1864, at which Charlotte became Empress Carlota. By 1867 Maximilian had been executed by revolutionary forces and Carlota was having mental problems. She spent the rest of her life in Europe, dying in Belgium on 19 January 1927.

Princess Margriet of The Netherlands, younger sister of Queen Beatrix, was born on 19 January 1943 in Ottawa, Canada, where her parents had lived since the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands in 1940. In order that she should hold Dutch citizenship only, not Canadian citizenship, the Canadian government declared the maternity ward where she was born to be temporarily extraterritorial.