by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014
Duchess Sophie Elizabeth Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria was born on October 28, 1967, in Munich, Germany. She is the eldest of five daughters of Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria and Countess Elizabeth Douglas.
Sophie has four younger sisters:
- Duchess Marie-Caroline in Bavaria (born 1969), married Duke Philipp of Württemberg, had three daughters and one son
- Duchess Helena Eugenie in Bavaria (born 1972), unmarried
- Duchess Elisabeth Marie in Bavaria (born 1973), married Daniel Terberger, had one son and one daughter
- Duchess Maria Anna in Bavaria (born 1975), married (1) Klaus Runow, no children, divorced (2) Baron Andreas von Maltzahn, had two sons
Sophie was raised on the family’s estate, Wildbad Kreuth, about 65 kilometers south of Munich, Germany, where she began her primary schooling. She then attended the Girls’ Home Primary School of the English Lady in Heiligenstadt, followed by the Girls’ Secondary Boarding School Hohenburg in Lenggries. In 1984, she enrolled in the Adolf Weber High School in Munich, graduating in 1988.
Following several months in London where she attended the Inchbald School of Interior Design, Sophie began studying history and English language and literature at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in 1989.
photo: Corbis
On July 3, 1993, Sophie married Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein at the Vaduz Cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. He is the eldest son of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein and Countess Marie Aglaë Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau. They had met some seven years earlier at a party hosted by a mutual friend. The couple has four children:
- Prince Joseph Wenzel (born 1995)
- Princess Marie-Caroline (born 1996)
- Prince Georg (born 1999)
- Prince Nikolaus (born 2000)
The family initially lived in London but returned to Liechtenstein in 1996, where her husband began working for The Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation, which oversees and manages the various assets of the Princely Family.
The Hereditary Princess often accompanies her husband on foreign visits, as well as many events within Liechtenstein itself. She serves as a patron for many organizations and events, often relating to children, education, and the arts. She has been the President of the Liechtenstein Red Cross since 2015.
In 2006, she founded the Sophie of Liechtenstein Foundation for Woman and Child. “The goal of the foundation is to give women, who unintentionally become pregnant, a more positive life perspective for themselves and their child.” (Source: The Princely Family of Liechtenstein). The Foundation is funded by the Princely Family and by private donations, and the Hereditary Princess serves as President.
Sophie is a member of the House of Wittelsbach, formerly the reigning house of the Kingdom of Bavaria. She is second in line to the Jacobite succession to the British throne. The Jacobites sought to restore the British crown to King James II of England after he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and subsequently, to his heirs. The current Jacobite heir is Sophie’s childless uncle Franz, Duke of Bavaria, who has never pursued the claim. Franz’s heir is Sophie’s father, Maximilian, Duke in Bavaria who only has five daughters. As the eldest of her father’s daughters, Sophie will be his heir to the Jacobite claim and her eldest son is her heir.
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