Vincenz Liechtenstein (30 July 1950 in Graz – 14 January 2008 in Deutschfeistritz, Styria) was an Austrian politician (ÖVP). He was a grandson of Charles I of Austria, the last Austrian Emperor. He was born as a Prince of Liechtenstein, but the nobility in Austria was officially abolished in 1919, after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Since then, no citizen of Austria can have any noble titles or even particles such as von and zu in his or her name. If he was a German citizen, he would be named simply as Vinzenz Prinz von und zu Liechtenstein.
He was born as His Serene Highness Prince Vincenz Karl Alfred Maria Michael of Liechtenstein (Germ. Seine Durchlaucht Vincenz Karl Alfred Maria Michael Prinz von und zu Liechtenstein), the first child of HSH Prince Heinrich of Liechtenstein and HI&RH Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, Princess Imperial, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia. Prince Heinrich was a son of Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein (himself a son of Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein) and Princess Theresia Maria of Oettingen-Oettingen. Vincenz Liechtenstein was a male-line great-great-great-grandson of Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein's mother, Archduchess Elisabeth, was the youngest daughter of Charles I, the last Emperor of Austria, and his wife Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Vincenz Liechtenstein is a female-line great-grandson of Robert I, the last sovereign Duke of Parma and Piacenza.
Vincenz Liechtenstein studied at the Bundesrealgymnasium in Graz (1960–1969) and subsequently studied law at the University of Graz (1969–1975). He worked at a forestry company before becoming a politician.
Vinzenz Liechtenstein was 1,300th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Austria. From his first marriage (1981–1991) with Hélène de Cossé-Brissac (1960–) he had two daughters:
He married Roberta Valeri Manera (1953–) in 1999 though the two had no children.
He was co-founder of the 1974 JES students initiative. He was a member of the board of the Catholic Family Association and the Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft.
Liechtenstein was a member of the Nationalrat from 1988–1996 and again from 1997–2004. From 2004–2006 he was a member of the Bundesrat. He caused a mini-scandal in 2005 when he interrupted a Nationalrat meeting because of his drunkenness. He apologised shortly afterward.[1]
Liechtenstein died unexpectedly on 14 January 2008 at his house near Graz.[2]