Princess Angela
Countess of Rietberg
BornAngela Gisela Brown
(1958-02-03) February 3, 1958
Bocas Town, Bocas del Toro, Panama
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2000)​
IssuePrince Alfons
HouseLiechtenstein (by marriage)
FatherJavier Brown
MotherSilvia Burke

Princess Angela of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg (Spanish: Ángela,[1] born Angela Gisela Brown; February 3, 1958) is a Panamanian-American fashion designer and member of the Liechtenstein princely family.[2] 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.[3] 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.[3]

Early life and education

Angela Gisela Brown was born on February 3, 1958, in Bocas Town, Bocas del Toro, Panama, to businessman Javier Francisco Brown and homemaker Silvia Maritza Burke.[2] The family moved to New York City, United States, when Angela was five years old.[4]

After finishing high school, Angela studied fashion at Parsons School of Design, where she received the Oscar de la Renta Gold Thimble Award and graduated in 1980.[4] She was a stylist for three years before partnered with a firm in Hong Kong to create her own fashion label named "A. Brown".[4][5] She became a creative director for the fashion brand Adrienne Vittadini, an American fashion house with a flagship in Beverly Hills at the time,[5] until September 1999.

Marriage

Angela met Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein, the second son of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, at a private party in New York in 1997.[4] In 1999, the Principality of Liechtenstein's Information Bureau announced the forthcoming nuptials of Prince Maximilian to Angela Brown.[6] Angela married Prince Maximilian civilly on January 21, 2000, in Vaduz, Liechtenstein,[7] and religiously on January 29, 2000, at 11:00 am, at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in New York City,[2] wearing a dress that she designed herself[5] and Kinsky tiara, an heirloom kept in the House of Liechtenstein since 1870.[4]

The marriage brought a person of Afro-Panamanian ancestry into one of the remaining reigning families of Europe. The groom obtained prior consent and full support of the sovereign, who also attended the wedding.[3][6] She is the first African descent woman to ever marry into a reigning European dynasty.[5] While some members of the princely house were said to be shocked and to consider the interracial marriage and the eleven years age gap (with Angela being older than Prince Maximilian) "the end of an era", others were said to have expressed support.[6][4][8]

Prince Maximilian and Princess Angela have a son:

  • Prince Alfons Constantin Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born on May 18, 2001, in London, England).[3]

Since her marriage, Princess Angela participates, sometimes with her son, in ceremonial events in the principality.[6] In 2006, Angela and her husband attended the wedding of Countess Elisabeth d'Udekem d'Acoz (sister of Queen Mathilde of Belgium) and Margrave Alfonso Pallavicini.[9] In 2015, Princess Angela gave an interview about Panama tourism.[10] She and her family also spent time in Pedasí, Panama.[11]

Prior to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, media outlets listed Princess Angela along with Princess Ariana Austin Makonnen of Ethiopia, Princess Keisha Omilana of Ipetu-Ijesha, Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini of Swaziland, Princess Sarah Culberson of Bumpe, Emma Thynn, Viscountess Weymouth, Cécile de Massy, and Monica von Neumann as modern examples of black royal and noble women. A resurgence of articles about African royalty and nobles of African heritage, including the princess, also occurred after the British royal wedding.[12][13]

Titles and styles

Styles of
Princess Angela of Liechtenstein
Reference styleHer Serene Highness
Spoken styleYour Serene Highness

Angela became a princess of Liechtenstein and Countess of Rietberg upon her marriage to Prince Maximilian, entitled to the style of Serene Highness. She also bears the coat of arms of the princely house.[14]

See also

References and notes

  1. ↑ Stoute, Valerie (28 March 2017). "Nido de amor millonario" [Millionaire Love Nest]. Panamá América (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XVI. "Liechtenstein". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp. 52-54. ISBN 3-7980-0824-8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal. Coutant de Saisseval, Guy. Le Petit Gotha. Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery, Paris 2002, pp. 632-634, 654-655 (French) ISBN 2-9507974-3-1
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fikes, Robert (September 8, 2020). "Princess Angela of Liechtenstein (née Angela Gisela Brown, 1958- )". Black Past. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Tregaskes, Chandler (June 12, 2020). "Royally stylish: The Princess of Liechtenstein whose wedding might have inspired the Duchess of Sussex". Tatler. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Beeche, Arturo (2009). The Gotha: Still a Continental Royal Family, Volume 1. US: Eurohistory. pp. 38, 41, 43 50.14, 244. ISBN 978-0-977-19617-3.
  7. ↑ William Bortrick. "HSH Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein. The Royal Family of Liechtenstein. House of Liechtenstein". Burke's Peerage. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  8. ↑ Paras, Paulina (February 27, 2018). "Meet the First European Princess of African Descent, Angela of Liechtenstein". Town & Country. Archived from the original on 2019-05-18. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Angela von und zu Liechtenstein — Die Undercover-Prinzessin" [Angela of Liechtenstein — The Undercover Princess]. gala.de (in German). June 15, 2020. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Panama Guide". World of Aerin. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022.
  11. ↑ Bercovitz, Vera (27 May 2018). "Angela de Liechtenstein, la otra princesa negra de Europa". Vanity Fair Spain. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022.
  12. ↑ Wade, Valerie (29 November 2017). "Does Meghan Markle Need to Be the Black Princess You Want Her to Be?".
  13. ↑ "Is the royal wedding a cause for feminist celebration or condemnation? Yes". 15 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "Hausgesetz des Fürstlichen Hauses Liechtenstein vom 26. Oktober 1993, Art. 2, Abs. 5" [House Law of the Princely House of Liechtenstein of October 26, 1993, Article 2, Part 5.]. Liechtensteinisches Landesgesetzblatt. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
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