Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
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Hans-Adam II (Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marko d'Aviano Pius von und zu Liechtenstein, styled HSH The Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein, (born February 14, 1945, Zurich), is the son of Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1906-1989) and his wife Countess Georgina von Wilczek (1921-1989). He also bears the titles Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, Count of Rietberg.
The Prince of Liechtenstein has sweepingly broad powers; a referendum to adopt Hans-Adam's revision of the constitution to expand his powers passed in 2003. The changes also included a republican option, whereby the Prince was henceforth formally barred from vetoing any bill to establish a republic. In addition, the right to secede for the parishes which make up the Principality was recognized. Prince Hans-Adam had threatened that he and his family would move to Austria (and, it was rumoured, sell the Royal Palace to Bill Gates and rename the country Microsoft[link]) if the referendum had failed. Despite opposition from Mario Frick, a former Prime Minister, the Prince's referendum motion was carried by the electorate.
On 15 August, 2004 Prince Hans-Adam II formally turned the power of making day-to-day governmental decisions over to his son Prince Alois, as a way of transitioning to a new generation. Formally, Hans-Adam remains Head of State.
Prince Hans-Adam owns LGT banking group and has a personal fortune of more than £2 billion. He owns an extensive art collection, a part of which is on display for the public in museums in Vaduz and in Vienna, Austria.
Hans-Adam's mother tongue is German but he is also fluent in English, French and Italian.
On 30 July, 1967 at Vaduz, Liechtenstein he married his cousin Marie Aglaë, Countess Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (born 1940).
Their children are:
- Hereditary Prince Alois (b. 11 June, 1968)
- Maximilian Nikolaus Maria (b. 16 May, 1969)
- Constantin Ferdinand Maria (b. 15 March, 1972)
- Princess Tatjana of Liechtenstein (b. 10 April, 1973)
See also
- Princely Family of Liechtenstein
- List of Princes of Liechtenstein
- Line of succession to the Throne of Liechtenstein
- [The Official Site of the Princely Family]
| Styles of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Serene Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Serene Highness |
| Alternative style | Sir |
|- style="text-align: center;"
| Current Monarchies |
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| Andorra(!) | Belgium | Denmark | Liechtenstein(⁂) | Luxembourg | Monaco(⁂) | Kingdom of the Netherlands | Norway | Spain | Sweden | Vatican City (Holy See)(*!) | Bahrain(⁂) | Bhutan(*) | Brunei(*) | Cambodia(!) | Japan | Jordan(⁂) | Kuwait(⁂) | Lesotho | Malaysia! | Morocco(⁂) | Nepal | Oman(*) | Qatar(*) | Saudi Arabia(*) | Swaziland(*) | Thailand | Tonga | United Arab Emirates! |
| Commonwealth Realms: Antigua & Barbuda | Australia | Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Canada | Grenada | Jamaica | New Zealand | Papua New Guinea | St. Kitts & Nevis | St. Lucia | St. Vincent & the Grenadines | Solomon Islands | Tuvalu | United Kingdom |
| * - Absolute monarch, ⁂ - Semi-constitutional monarch, ! - elected |
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