Alois
Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein
Count of Rietberg
Alois in 2018
Regent of Liechtenstein
Regency15 August 2004 – present
MonarchHans-Adam II
Prime Ministers
See list
Born (1968-06-11) 11 June 1968
Zürich, Switzerland
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1993)​
Issue
Detail
Names
Alois Philipp Maria
HouseLiechtenstein
FatherHans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
MotherCountess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau
ReligionCatholic
SignatureAlois's signature

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]

Life and career

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]

Marriage and issue

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]

  • Prince Joseph Wenzel Maximilian Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 24 May 1995 at the Portland Hospital in London)
  • Princess Marie-Caroline Elisabeth Immaculata of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg (born 17 October 1996 in Grabs, Canton of St. Gallen)
  • Prince Georg Antonius Constantin Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 20 April 1999 in Grabs, Canton of St. Gallen)
  • Prince Nikolaus Sebastian Alexander Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 6 December 2000 in Grabs, Canton of St. Gallen)

Honours

National

Foreign

Arms

Coat of arms of Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein
Coronet
Ducal hat of Liechtenstein
Escutcheon
Quarterly: I Or, an eagle displayed Sable crowned and armed Or charged with a crescent treflée, issuing from the middle thereof a cross pattée Argent (Silesia); II barry of eight Or and Sable, a crown of rue bendways throughout Vert (Kuenring); III per pale Gules and Argent (Duchy of Troppau); IV Or, a harpy displayed Sable the human parts Argent crowned and armed Or (Cirksena); on a point entée Azure, a bugle-horn stringed Or (Duchy of Jägerndorf); en surtout, an inescutcheon per fess or and Gules (House of Liechtenstein).[14]

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hereditary Prince Alois". Fuerstenhaus.li. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  2. ↑ Giles Hattersley (16 October 2011). "Sorry, Wills, Franz gets the crown". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  3. ↑ Liechtenstein prince wins powers BBC News Online, 16 March 2003. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
  4. ↑ Rosenbaum, Harry (28 November 2005). "Voters defeat restrictive initiative". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Liechtenstein prince threatens to veto referendum". HuffPost. 7 July 2013. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  6. ↑ Zeldin, Wendy (27 September 2011). "Liechtenstein: No to Legalized Abortion". Global Legal Monitor. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Liechtenstein, 1. Juli 2012 : Vermindertes Vetorecht des Fürsten" (in German). Sudd.ch. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  8. ↑ ""Die 'Ehe für alle' an sich dürfte kein grösseres Problem sein"". Volksblatt (in German). 11 August 2022.
  9. ↑ Coronation of Willem Alexander of the Netherlands
  10. ↑ Parliamentary question, page=1381
  11. ↑ eliechtensteinensia
  12. ↑ Vanitatis
  13. ↑ Sovereign Military Order of Malta
  14. ↑ "The Emblems". The Princely House of Liechtenstein. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  15. ↑ "H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois". The Princely House of Liechtenstein. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
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