Margot Klestil-Löffler

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Margot Klestil-Löffler (born 4 March 1954 in Dobersberg, Lower Austria) is an Austrian diplomat and the second wife of Thomas Klestil, the former federal president of Austria. Her parents, Karl and Gerda Löffler, were farmers.

After her diplomatic career in Moscow and Bangkok, she joined Thomas Klestil's office, who was by that time general secretary in the Austrian ministry of foreign affairs. When Thomas Klestil ran for the presidency in 1992, she was managing his election campaign.

During his first term of office, it became public that they had a love affair. Thomas Klestil divorced his first wife Edith and married Margot Löffler on 23 December 1998. She became the country's first lady, but continued her job in the foreign ministry, which led to the strange situation that she was ranking higher than her former boss, foreign minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner, on state visits or other official occasions.

After her husband's death on 6 July 2004, she was appointed Austrian ambassador to the Czech Republic.

Mrs Klestil-Löffler speaks German, English, French, Russian and Czech.

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