Alois | |||||
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Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein Count of Rietberg | |||||
Regent of Liechtenstein | |||||
Regency | 15 August 2004 – present | ||||
Monarch | Hans-Adam II | ||||
Prime Ministers | |||||
Born | Zürich, Switzerland | 11 June 1968||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue Detail |
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House | Liechtenstein | ||||
Father | Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein | ||||
Mother | Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau | ||||
Religion | Catholic | ||||
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Princely family of Liechtenstein |
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Alois, Hereditary Prince and Regent of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (Alois Philipp Maria; born 11 June 1968), is the eldest son of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau. The heir apparent to the throne of Liechtenstein, Alois has also been regent of the country (Stellvertreter des Fürsten) since 15 August 2004. He is married to Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, [1] who is a member of the House of Wittelsbach, and second in line for the Jacobite succession. [2]
Alois attended the Liechtenstein Grammar School in Ebenholz (Vaduz) and then the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. He served in the Coldstream Guards in Hong Kong and London for six months before entering the University of Salzburg, from which he earned a master's degree in jurisprudence in 1993. [1]
Until 1996, Alois worked at a firm of chartered accountants in London. In May of that year, he returned to Vaduz and became active in managing the princely families' finances. [1]
In the 2003 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum, Hans-Adam II retained his sweeping powers (the right to veto laws and elect judges). [3] On Liechtenstein Day in 2004, Hans-Adam II formally turned the power of making day-to-day governmental decisions over to Alois, preparing for the transition to a new generation. Hans-Adam II remains head of state. [1]
On 27 November 2005, Liechtenstein voters rejected an initiative that would prohibit abortion and birth control in the principality. The initiative was supported by Roman Catholic Archbishop Wolfgang Haas. Alois was initially sympathetic to the proposal, but he became neutral during the run-up to the vote. Instead, a government-sponsored counter proposal was ratified. [4]
In 2011, Alois threatened to exercise his princely veto if voters approved a forthcoming referendum to legalize abortion in the principality. [5] Such a veto was not necessary, as the voters rejected the proposal. [6]
Following the prince's threat, an initiative called "Damit deine Stimme zählt" ("So that your voice counts") was launched to change the constitution of Liechtenstein to prevent the prince from vetoing legislation approved in referendums. The referendum was held on 1 July 2012, and 76% of voters upheld the prince's power to veto referendum results. [7]
On 11 August 2022, Prince Alois said that same-sex marriage is "not a major problem". [8]
On 3 July 1993 at St. Florin's Cathedral in Vaduz, Alois married Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, now also Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein and Countess of Rietberg.
They have four children: [1]
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Ancestors of Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein [19] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Liechtenstein is a principality governed under a semi-constitutional monarchy. It has a form of mixed constitution in which political power is shared by the monarch and a democratically elected parliament. There is a two-party system and a form of representative democracy in which the prime minister and head of government is responsible to parliament. However the Prince of Liechtenstein is head of state and exercises considerable political powers.
Political identity came to the territory now occupied by the Principality of Liechtenstein in 814, with the formation of the subcountry of Lower Rhætia. Liechtenstein's borders have remained unchanged since 1434, when the Rhine established the border between the Holy Roman Empire and the Swiss cantons.
Hans-Adam II is the Prince of Liechtenstein. He is the son of Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife, Countess Georgina von Wilczek. He also bears the titles Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, and Count of Rietberg. Under his reign, a 2003 constitutional referendum expanded the powers of the Prince of Liechtenstein. In 2004, Hans-Adam transferred day-to-day governmental duties to his eldest son Hereditary Prince Alois as regent, like his father had granted him in 1984 to prepare him for the role.
Josef Wenzel I, often referred to as just Wenzel, was the Prince of Liechtenstein between 1712 and 1718, and 1748 and 1772, as well as regent of Liechtenstein between 1732 and 1745. He first succeeded his distant cousin Hans-Adam I, even though he was not next in line. The actual heir was his uncle Anton Florian, who was not very popular among the family. Therefore Hans-Adam chose Josef Wenzel as his heir. He later decided to hand over the Principality in exchange for him getting the Dominion of Rumburk in 1718. Thirty years later he inherited Liechtenstein again after his nephew Prince Johann Nepomuk Karl died without male issue. As a military figure, Wenzel is known for his command of the Austrians at the Battle of Piacenza.
Franz Joseph II was the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein from 25 July 1938 until his death in November 1989.
Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau was Princess of Liechtenstein from 13 November 1989 until her death in 2021 as the wife of Prince Hans-Adam II. By birth, she was a member of the House of Kinsky.
Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg was born a member of the House of Wittelsbach, with the courtesy title of Duchess in Bavaria, and second in line for the Jacobite succession. She is married to Alois, Hereditary Prince and Regent of Liechtenstein.
The House of Liechtenstein, from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by hereditary right over the principality of Liechtenstein. Only dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the throne. The dynasty's membership, rights and responsibilities are defined by a law of the family, which is enforced by the reigning prince and may be altered by vote among the family's dynasts, but which may not be altered by the Government or Parliament of Liechtenstein.
Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein is the fourth child and second and youngest daughter of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. As the sister of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and the sister-in-law of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, she is a princess of two current realms and a member of the Luxembourg and Liechtenstein reigning dynasties.
Prince Constantin of Liechtenstein, known professionally as Constantin Liechtenstein, was a member of the Princely House of Liechtenstein, and a businessman. He was the third son of Prince Hans-Adam II and his wife, Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau. He was the chief executive officer of the LGT Group from 2020 to 2023.
Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg, known professionally as Max von Liechtenstein, is a Liechtensteiner prince and businessman. He is the second son of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein and his wife, Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau.
Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg is the eldest child of Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, and his wife, Duchess Sophie Elizabeth Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria, He is also the eldest grandchild of the current ruling prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II, and Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau.
Princess Angela of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg is a Panamanian-American fashion designer and member of the Liechtenstein princely family. Born in Panama and raised in the United States, Angela became the first woman of primarily African descent to marry into a reigning European dynasty. She married Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein in January 2000 and the couple has a son, Prince Alfons, who is sixth in the line of succession to the Liechtensteiner throne.
Princess Gina of Liechtenstein was Princess of Liechtenstein from 1943 to 1989 as the wife of Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein. She was the mother of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein and was widely known as Gina.
Three referendums were held in Liechtenstein during 2011. The first on approving the registered partnership law was held between 17 and 19 June, and was approved by 68.8% of voters. The law went into effect on 1 September. The second was held on 18 September on allowing abortion within the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. Prince Alois had threatened to veto the result of the referendum should it have turned out in favour, but ultimately it was rejected by voters. The third was on building a new national hospital in Vaduz was held on 30 October, and was also rejected.
A constitutional referendum was held in Liechtenstein on 1 July 2012 concerning limiting the extensive veto powers held by the Prince of Liechtenstein. The proposals were rejected by 76% of voters.
The monarchy of Liechtenstein is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of Liechtenstein. The current monarch is Prince Hans-Adam II. The House of Liechtenstein, after which the sovereign principality was named in 1719, hails from Liechtenstein Castle in Lower Austria, which the family possessed from the middle of the twelfth century to the thirteenth century, and from 1807 onward. It is the only remaining European monarchy that practises strict agnatic primogeniture.
This is an index of Liechtenstein related topics.
Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein is a member of the princely family of Liechtenstein. He is a son of the late Franz Joseph II and the younger brother of current reigning prince Hans-Adam II.
Events in the year 2021 in Liechtenstein.
Princess Marie Caroline, born 17 October 1996