by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014
Princess Marie of Liechtenstein; Credit – By Presse- und Informationsamt, Vaduz, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109131702
Countess Marie Aglaë Bonaventura Theresia Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau was born April 14, 1940, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, now in the Czech Republic. She was the fourth of seven children of Count Ferdinand Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau and Countess Henriette Caroline of Ledebur-Wicheln.
In 1945, the family fled to Germany where Marie began her education. Following elementary school, she attended boarding school at the Wald Monastery in Württemberg. In 1957, she spent an extended period in England to improve her English and graduated from boarding school in 1958. She then attended the Academy for Applied Arts at the University of Munich, graduating in 1961. Following some time in Paris to perfect her French, she began working as an industrial designer for a printing house in Dachau, Germany.
photo: Order of Sartorial Splendor
Marie became engaged to her second cousin, once removed Hereditary Prince Hans-Adam of Liechtenstein in 1965. He was the eldest son of Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein and Countess Georgina von Wilczek. On July 30, 1967, the couple was married at Vaduz Cathedral (also known as St. Florian Cathedral) in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. They 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 November 1989, Hans-Adam succeeded his father as the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. Princess Marie was involved in many organizations within Liechtenstein, with her focus being on education, culture, and the arts. In 1985, Marie became President of the Liechtenstein Red Cross, a position previously held (and originated) by her mother-in-law. The Princess handed the position over to her daughter-in-law Hereditary Princess Sophie in 2014.
After suffering a stroke three days earlier, Princess Marie of Liechtenstein died at a hospital in Grabs, Switzerland on August 21, 2021, at the age of 81. The Princely House of Liechtenstein released the following statement:
Her Serene Highness Princess Marie von und zu Liechtenstein died on 21 August 2021 at 4:43 pm in the hospital in Grabs. After her health steadily deteriorated following a stroke on 18 August 2021, she passed away today in the presence of her family and after receiving the Last Rites, peacefully and with great trust in God.
Princess Marie’s funeral was held at Vaduz Cathedral (also known as St. Florian Cathedral) in Vaduz, Liechtenstein on August 28, 2021. Three hundred guests attended including Queen Sofia of Spain, Princess Caroline of Hanover (Monaco), Hereditary Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg, and members of the Royal Family of Bavaria and the Austrian Imperial Family. Princess Marie was buried in the Princely Crypt at Vaduz Cathedral.
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