by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014
Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein
Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein was born on February 14, 1945, in Zurich. He is the eldest son of Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein and Countess Georgina von Wilczek.
Hans-Adam has four younger siblings:
- Prince Phillipp (born 1946), married Isabelle de l’Arbre de Malander, had three sons
- Prince Nikolaus (born 1947), married Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg, had two sons and two daughters
- Princess Nora (born 1950), married Vicente Sartorius y Cabeza de Vaca, 3rd Marqués de Mariño, had one daughter
- Prince Wenzel (1962 – 1991), unmarried
The Prince attended elementary school in Vaduz and then attended the Schottengymnasium (Scots School) in Vienna, and the Lyceum Alpinum in Zuoz, Switzerland. After briefly working as an intern in a bank in London, he enrolled at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland, graduating in 1969 with a Masters Degree in Business and Economic Studies.
photo: Order of Sartorial Splendor
On July 30, 1967, Hans-Adam married Countess Marie Aglaë Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau, his second cousin once removed, at Vaduz Cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. The couple had four children:
- Hereditary Prince Alois (born 1968), married Duchess Sophie of Bavaria, had four children
- Prince Maximilian (born 1969), married Angela Gisela Brown, had one son
- Prince Constantin (1972 – 2023), married Countess Marie Gabriele Franziska Kálnoky de Kőröspatak, had three children
- Princess Tatjana (born 1973), married Philipp von Lattorff, had seven children
In 1970, Prince Hans-Adam took over the management and reorganization of all of the Princely family’s assets. Hans-Adam established the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation, essentially a holding company for the various assets, businesses, museums, and collections owned by the Princely Family. One of these companies, the LGT Group, is the largest family-owned private wealth and asset manager in Europe.
On August 26, 1984, Prince Franz Josef II appointed Hans Adam as his deputy, handing over most of his duties as Head of State. Franz Josef died on November 13, 1989, and Hans-Adam became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II.
In a similar move, in 2004, Prince Hans-Adam II appointed his son, Hereditary Prince Alois, as his deputy. While Hans-Adam remains Head of State, the Hereditary Prince has assumed most of the duties of the position. Prince Hans-Adam now focuses primarily on the management of the assets of the Princely Family.
The succession to the throne of Liechtenstein is based upon agnatic primogeniture which forbids women to succeed. A United Nations committee raised concerns regarding gender equality with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In 2007, Prince Hans-Adam II explained that the succession law is older than the Principality of Liechtenstein itself, is a family tradition that does not affect the citizens, and the Constitution of Liechtenstein Constitution states that succession to the throne is a private family matter.
After suffering a stroke three days earlier, Hans-Adam’s wife Princess Marie died at a hospital in Grabs, Switzerland on August 21, 2021, at the age of 81.
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