Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein

Hans-Adam II
Prince of Liechtenstein
Reign 13 November 1989 – present
Predecessor Francis Joseph II
Heir apparent Alois
Regent Alois (15 August 2004 – present)
Prime Ministers
Spouse Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau
Issue
Prince Alois
Prince Maximilian
Prince Constantin
Princess Tatjana
House House of Liechtenstein
Father Francis Joseph II
Mother Countess Georgina von Wilczek
Born 14 February 1945 (1945-02-14) (age 67)
Zurich, Switzerland
Religion Roman Catholicism

Hans-Adam II (Johannes (Hans) Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marko d'Aviano Pius von und zu Liechtenstein; born 14 February 1945), is the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. He is the son of Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1906–1989) and his wife Countess Georgina von Wilczek (1921–1989). He also bears the titles Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, Count of Rietberg. He descends in the direct male line from only three of the previous fourteen Princes of Liechtenstein, and of another (again from two of the above mentioned three) in the female line.

Contents

Powers

The Prince of Liechtenstein has broad powers; a referendum to adopt Hans-Adam's revision of the constitution to expand his powers passed in 2003.[1] The changes also included a republican option, whereby the Prince was henceforth formally barred from vetoing any bill to establish a republic. In addition, the right of each of the parishes which make up the Principality to secede was recognised. Prince Hans-Adam had announced his intention for he and his family to move to Austria if the referendum failed. Despite opposition from Mario Frick, a former prime minister, the Prince's referendum motion was carried by the electorate.

On 15 August 2004 Prince Hans-Adam II formally turned the power of making day-to-day governmental decisions over to his eldest son, the Hereditary Prince Alois, as a way of beginning a dynastic transition to a new generation. Legally, Hans-Adam remains Head of State.[2]

Personal wealth

Princely Family of Liechtenstein

HSH The Prince
HSH The Princess

Extended princely family

Prince Hans-Adam owns LGT banking group and has a family fortune of $7.6 billion and a personal fortune of about $4.0 billion,[3] making him one of the world's richest heads of state, and Europe's wealthiest monarch.[4] He owns an extensive art collection, which is displayed for the public at the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna.

Personal life

Hans-Adam's native language is German, but he is also fluent in English and French.

On 30 July 1967, at Vaduz, Liechtenstein, he married his second cousin once-removed, Countess Marie Aglaë Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (born 1940) who, upon her husband's accession to the throne, became Her Serene Highness The Princess of Liechtenstein. Their official residence is at Vaduz Castle, which overlooks the capital.

Their children are:

In 1969, Hans-Adam graduated from the University of St. Gallen with a degree in Business and Economic Studies.

Monarchical styles of
Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
Reference style His Serene Highness
Spoken style Your Serene Highness
Alternative style Sire

The Prince is an honorary member of K.D.St.V. Nordgau Prag Stuttgart, a Catholic students' fraternity that is a member of the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen. The Prince chairs the Advisory Council of the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-determination at Princeton University, LISD. In his childhood he joined the Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins in Vaduz.[6] He is also a former member of the Vienese Scout Group "Wien 16-Schotten".[7] He is a member of the World Scout Foundation.[8]

Today he and his wife are patrons of Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Liechtensteins.

He is the 1,305th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Austria.

Viewpoints and book

Prince Hans-Adam II has written the political treatise The State in the Third Millennium (ISBN 9783905881042), which was published in late 2009. In it, he argues for the continued importance of the nation-state as a political actor. He makes the case for democracy as the best form of government, which he sees China and Russia as transitioning towards although the path will be difficult for these nations. He also declared his role in a royal family as something that has legitimacy only from the assent of the people. He stated that government should be limited to a small set of tasks and abilities, writing that people "have to free the state from all the unnecessary tasks and burdens with which it has been loaded during the last hundred years, which have distracted it from its two main tasks: maintenance of the rule of law and foreign policy.”[9]

In an interview, recorded in November 2010, Hans-Adam said that he saw certain problems with aspects of the U.S. Constitution, such as the lack of direct democracy. He also said, "I am sitting here and that’s because Americans saved us during World War II and during the Cold War. So I am very grateful to them."

Titles

According to their House Laws,[10] the Reigning Prince shall bear the title:

Reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, Count of Rietberg, Sovereign of the House of Liechtenstein

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. ^ Liechtenstein prince wins powers BBC News Online, 16 March 2003. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
  2. ^ Country profile: Liechtenstein - Leaders BBC News, 6 December 2006. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
  3. ^ Fleck, Fiona (2003-03-17). Voters give billionaire prince new powers. The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/liechtenstein/1424873/Voters-give-billionaire-prince-new-powers.html. Retrieved 2009-10-23 
  4. ^ Liechtenstein redraws Europe map BBC News Online, 28 December 2006. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
  5. ^ http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/kalnoky.html Countly House of Kálnoky
  6. ^ Fürst Hans-Adam II. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
  7. ^ Brósch-Fohraheim, Eugen (October 2008). "Schwedischer König als Pfadfinder in Wien-Zusammenkunft der "Weltpfadfinderstiftung" in Wien 2008" (in German). 29 live: 21. 
  8. ^ Seine Majestät Carl XVI Gustaf König von Schweden zu Gast in Wien Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  9. ^ "H.S.H. Prince Hans-Adam II – The State in the Third Millennium". Uncommon Knowledge. November 22, 2010. http://www.hoover.org/multimedia/uncommon-knowledge/57561. Retrieved December 2, 2010. 
  10. ^ Liechtenstein House Laws

External links

Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
Born: 11 June 1968
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Franz Josef II		 Prince of Liechtenstein
1989–present		 Incumbent
Heir apparent:
Alois