Karl von Habsburg

This article is about the living politician. For other uses, see Archduke Charles of Austria (disambiguation).
Karl Habsburg-Lothringen
Imperial Prince and Archduke of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, Titular Duke of Teschen[1]
Head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Period 1 January 2007 – present
Predecessor Crown Prince Otto
Heir apparent Archduke Ferdinand
Born (1961-01-11) 11 January 1961
Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany
Spouse Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza
Issue Eleonore Habsburg-Lothringen
Ferdinand Zvonimir Habsburg-Lothringen
Gloria Habsburg-Lothringen
Full name
Karl Thomas Robert Maria Franziskus Georg Bahnam
House House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Father Otto von Habsburg
Mother Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen
Religion Roman Catholicism

Karl von Habsburg (Karl Thomas Robert Maria Franziskus Georg Bahnam; born 11 January 1961), referred to in Austria as Karl Habsburg-Lothringen, in France as Charles de Habsbourg-Lorraine, in the Czech Republic as Karel Habsbursko-Lotrinský, in Hungary as Habsburg Károly, and by his royal name as Archduke Karl of Austria,[1] is an Austrian politician, the current Head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and the Sovereign (i.e. Grand Master) of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Born in Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany, he is the son of Otto von Habsburg and Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen, and the grandson of the last Austrian emperor, Charles I. He served as a Member of the European Parliament for the Austrian People's Party 1996–1999.

Habsburg's full lawful name in Austria is Karl Thomas Robert Maria Franziskus Georg Bahnam Habsburg-Lothringen. All noble, royal, and imperial titles have been abolished and are forbidden in Austria and in Hungary, and the family does not use them in these countries.[fn 1]

Political career

Since 1986, Karl Habsburg has been president of the Austrian branch of the Paneuropean Union. After studying law for 12 years, in 1992/1993, he had a TV game show with Austrian public TV broadcaster ORF, called Who Is Who.[2][3] In October 1996, he was elected to the European Parliament for the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). Two years later, it emerged that the ÖVP's election campaign had benefitted from 30,000 euros of World Vision donation money via Paneurope Austria while Karl Habsburg sat on the board of World Vision Austria, apparently without noticing the director's dubious activities.[4]

His father exacerbated the controversy when he complained that his son was being attacked unfairly and drew a parallel between the name "Habsburg" and a yellow badge.[4] ÖVP did not nominate Karl Habsburg again for the 1999 elections.[2][5] In 2004, Karl Habsburg paid 37,000 euros to the new World Vision Austria branch.[5]

On 19 January 2002, he was appointed Director General of UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization) by the UNPO Steering Committee.[6] Since 7 December 2008, he is the President of the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield.[7]

House of Habsburg

Austrian Imperial Family

HI&RH Archduke Karl
HI&RH Archduchess Francesca

In 1961, his father Otto von Habsburg renounced all claims to the Austrian throne, as a necessary legal condition to being allowed to return to Austria.

On 30 November 2000, Karl's father transferred over to him the position of Head and Sovereign of the Order of the Golden Fleece.[8]

In 2005, Karl Habsburg filed an unsuccessful suit before Austria's constitutional court after a failed attempt to have former properties of the Habsburg family returned. The family's estates had been expropriated by the First Republic; this had in part been reverted under Austrofascism, and then the Nazis had expropriated them again. The family tried to get their former property returned under rules for victims of the Nazi regime. The attempt failed because the law of expropriation still has constitutional status.[9]

On 1 January 2007, his father relinquished his position as the head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, a status which then devolved on Karl.[10]

Business career

Karl Habsburg is one of the three co-founders of BG Privatinvest, a Vienna-based investment company. In December 2010 the company acquired the two most important Bulgarian daily newspapers, Dneven Trud and 24 Chasa.[11] After ongoing conflicts with Bulgarian partners, BG Privatinvest sold the newspapers in April 2011.[12] Since 2009, Karl Habsburg is a shareholder in a media group in the Netherlands, consisting of radio stations, a magazine and a music television channel.

Private life

Karl Habsburg was born in Germany. He was baptised in Pöcking, Bavaria, as Archduke Karl of Austria (Erzherzog Karl von Österreich), the name entered in the baptismal records.[13] At the time of his birth, his father was de facto stateless and possessed a Spanish diplomatic passport, while his mother was a German citizen. Like his father and siblings, he was banished from Austria for the first years of his life.

He has lived in Salzburg, Austria, since 1981. He resides in Casa Austria, formerly called Villa Swoboda, in Anif, near the city of Salzburg.[14]

On 31 January 1993 in Mariazell, he married Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, the only daughter of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon, a European industrialist, and his third wife, the fashion model, Fiona Frances Elaine Campbell-Walter.[15] The marriage received the dynastic authorization of Karl's father, as head of the House of Habsburg, despite objections from some members of the family inasmuch as the bride, although a baroness in the nobility of pre-republican Hungary and Transylvania, did not descend in the canonically legitimate male line from a family of dynastic, mediatised or alter Adel status.[16][17] Karl and Francesca have three children:

Karl and Francesca separated in 2003.[19]

In July 1998 an Austrian court fined Karl Habsburg 180,000 schillings ($14,300); he had failed to declare immediately to customs officials that he had an antique diadem in his luggage when he crossed the border from Switzerland in July 1996.[20] The diadem belonged to his wife who intended to wear it at a wedding ceremony.

Ancestry

Notes

  1. ↑ Royal and noble titles were abolished in Austria and Hungary by the Adelsaufhebungsgesetz of 3 April 1919. The family name of Karl Habsburg's father was claimed to be Habsburg-Lothringen by an Austrian ministerial decision in 1957 and by a German court (Landgericht Würzburg) on 16 July 1958. However, Otto was at the time de facto stateless, living in Germany with a Spanish diplomatic passport, and was denied both entry to Austria and an Austrian passport. Otto's official name as a German citizen from 1978 was Otto von Habsburg.

References

  1. 1 2 For some examples of this usage, see Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, edited by Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, published by Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, p. 240. ISBN 0-220-66222-3; Nicolas Enache's La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg, published by ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 44, 50; Chantal de Badts de Cugnac and Guy Coutant de Saisseval's Le Petit Gotha, published by Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery, Paris 2002, pp. 201–202. ISBN 2-9507974-3-1; the Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser, Band XVI, published by C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp. 87–90. ISBN 3-79800824-8; and Richard Kay (27 March 2002) "Charles, Camilla and a concert date with the Queen", Daily Mail p. 11. He was baptised as Archduke Karl of Austria, and in 2011, Pope Benedict XVI referred to him several times as (His Imperial Highness) Archduke Karl of Austria in public statements. He has also been consistently referred to as such by the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna and the papal nuncio in the country.
  2. 1 2 "Beruf: Enkel", Die Presse, 3 April 2011
  3. ↑ Ansichtssache: Ranking der Absonderlichkeiten im ORF, 27 December 2005
  4. 1 2 Martin, Hans-Peter (21 December 1998), "Österreich : Gelber Stern", Der Spiegel (52)
  5. 1 2 Schüller, Rainer (2005), "25. November 1998: Der Spendenskandal um "World Vision Österreich" bringt den ÖVP-Politiker Karl Habsburg in Bedrängnis. Volkspartei und Adel: ein schwieriges Verhältnis?", Datum (10).
  6. ↑ UNPO. "UNPO Steering Committee appoints Karl Habsburg as the organizations new Director-General". UNPO Website. Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2011. This position is separate from the "Secretary General" as the UNPO Website explains "This is a newly created senior position within the UNPO, aimed at further enhancing the fundamental rights of its Members world-wide."
  7. ↑ Blue Shield. "ANCBS – An organization for protection of culture in danger". Blue Shield Website. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  8. ↑ Schatz des Ordens vom Goldenen Vlies
  9. ↑ Karl Habsburg will Vermögen vor VfGH erkämpfen
    Habsburger mit Entschädigungs-Forderung beim VfGH abgeblitzt.
  10. ↑ "Die vielen Pflichten des Adels". Wiener Zeitung (in German). 5 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  11. ↑ "German media group sells its newspaper and publishing business in Bulgaria", Associated Press Newswire (15 December 2010).
  12. ↑ "Sopharma Owner, Partner Win Battle for WAZ Asssets in Bulgaria", Novinite (18 April 2011).
  13. ↑ http://diepresse.com/home/politik/innenpolitik/675151/Habsburgs-Erbe-zerfiel-und-erlebte-dennoch-eine-Renaissance?_vl_backlink=/home/politik/innenpolitik/index.do
  14. ↑ "Villa Swoboda", SalzburgWiki.
  15. ↑ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser, Band XVI. C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp. 87–90. (German). ISBN 3-79800824-8.
  16. ↑ Enache, Nicolas. La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg. ICC, Paris, 1996, p. 50. (French). ISBN 2-908003-04-X
  17. ↑ de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal and Coutant de Saisseval, Guy. Le Petit Gotha. Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery, Paris 2002, pp. 201–202 (French). ISBN 2-9507974-3-1.
  18. ↑ "le baptême de Gloria, archiduchesse d'Autriche", Point de Vue, no. 2688 (26 janvier au 1 fevrier 2000): 32–35.
  19. ↑ Shaw, William, "We Are Not a Muse", New York Times, 25 February 2007.
  20. ↑ "Member of Habsburg family fined for smuggling", Reuters News (21 July 1998).
Karl von Habsburg
Cadet branch of the House of Lorraine
Born: 11 January 1961
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Otto von Habsburg		 — TITULAR —
Emperor of Austria,
King of Hungary and Bohemia etc
4 July 2011 – present
Reason for succession failure:
Austro-Hungarian Empire abolished in 1918		 Incumbent
Heir:
Ferdinand Zvonimir Habsburg-Lothringen
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