Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis

Princess Elisabeth
Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis
Full name
German: Elisabeth Margarethe Maria Anna Beatriz
House House of Thurn and Taxis
Father Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Mother Countess Gloria of Schönburg in Glauchau and Waldenburg
Born 24 March 1982 (1982-03-24) (age 29)
Schloss St. Emmeram, Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany
Religion Roman Catholic

Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis (born Elisabeth Margarethe Maria Anna Beatriz Prinzessin von Thurn and Taxis) is a princess of the German Thurn und Taxis House. She may have been the first member of nobility to personally write a regular blog, "The Princess Diaries", which appeared in the London-based "Finch's Quarterly Review", an online journal about high fashion, the arts and wealthy lifestyles, until October 2010. The blog contrasted her "relative normality" as a writer and editor, living and working in London, with a (sometimes) globetrotting socialite lifestyle. In her final blog entry, she promised a collection of her writings would shortly be published in a book form.[1]

Contents

Biography

Princely Family of Thurn and Taxis

HSH The Dowager Princess

Extended family

Elisabeth was born on 24 March 1982 at Schloss St. Emmeram in Regensburg, the daughter of Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis and Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis.

The Princess has two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother:

Elisabeth was educated in England in Sevenoaks, Kent and has a B.A. from the American University of Paris. She has lived in many countries and now resides in North-West London, where according to her blog, she is looking for a new flat.

In her childhood, the princess and her brother and sister were frequent guests of Michael Jackson, something Elisabeth recalled in her blog after his death, in which she strongly defends Jackson's reputation. "I couldn’t imagine Michael hurting a fly, let alone a friend."[2]

Elisabeth has frequently featured in socialite diary items and appears as an "heiress" in Vanity Fair's "Fortune's Children" piece in June 2009, photographed by Bruce Weber.[3] "I think it's a huge privilege to be able to use the access that we have in an interesting way" she said, discussing a book about art collectors she is writing in collaboration with Alex Flick.

Elisabeth has written for the British Catholic Herald about the revival of traditional religious communities in France.[4] She signed a 2008 petition asking the bishops of England and Wales to provide more Latin Sunday Tridentine Masses (authorized as an extraordinary form of the Roman Rite by the 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum).[5] The Princess was made a Dame of the Order of Malta in 2009, in which capacity she has several times accompanied the disabled and elderly on a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Elisabeth likes the form of Pilates known as "True Pilates". Speaking on their website, she said "I truly love this form of exercise and recommend it to anyone looking for a balanced workout and a healthy body awareness."[6] She is also fond of kitesurfing and waterskiing.

Blogger and writer

Elisabeth is Features Editor for Finch’s Quarterly Review, which is distributed worldwide and was a regular blogger in the journal, which is moving to print-only format, from February 2009 - October 2010. The blog light-heartedly contrasted the expectations, pleasures, difficulties and assumptions surrounding "princess" status with more "normal" issues like flat-hunting, London weather, writing and work. In addition to her blog, Elisabeth also writes freelance for several German and International art and style publications, including New York-based style magazine Quest and German art/culture publication Monopol. Her main writing interest is in the arts and her blog describes many visits to galleries and art exhibitions in various fields, including the Venice Biennale.

A recent liturgical volume written by Princess Elisabeth, with a foreword by the current Pope's elder brother, Georg Ratzinger, The Faith of Children: in Praise of the People's Devotion (La Fede dei Piccoli) has been published in Italian and German in December 2010.[7]

Ancestry

A Note on German titles

Styles of
Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis
Reference style Her Serene Highness
Spoken style Your Serene Highness
Alternative style Ma'am

Although the German Federal government does not recognize "noble" or "royal" status per se, members of the former royal, princely, and noble houses of German descent use their "titles" which the German government regards as last names. As a courtesy and for ease of use, female members of these families use the feminized version of the family name. There is no existing monarchical class system in Germany, Austria, or the nations once part of the former Habsburg empires.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Goodbye, Farwell, Aufwiedersehen, Adieu!". Finch's Quarterly. 2010-10-29. http://www.finchsquarterly.com/8452/goodbye-farwell-aufwiedersehen-adieu/. Retrieved 2011-01-17. 
  2. ^ Finch's Quarterly Review - Never Neverland Again! Article by Elisabeth Prinzessin von Thurn und Taxis about her childhood relationship with Michael Jackson, blogpost, 7 July 2009.
  3. ^ "Fortune's Children". Vanity Fair. 2009-06-01. http://www.vanityfair.com/style/features/2009/06/next-gen200906. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
  4. ^ "The return of the tonsure, wimple and soutane". Catholic Herald. 2007-11-23. http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/397/440/3169/3/8. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
  5. ^ "Leading Catholics petition for Latin Mass". The Daily Telegraph. 2008-07-24. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/4707125/Leading_Catholics_petition_for_Latin_Mass/. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
  6. ^ "True Pilates website" - True Pilates, London - testimonials and reviews.
  7. ^ "German Princess Thurn und Taxis presents book about her faith". Rome Reports. 19 December 2010. http://www.romereports.com/palio/German-Princess-Thurn-und-Taxis-presents-book-about-her-faith-english-3264.html. Retrieved 17 January 2011. 

External links