[Beatification of John Paul II] Prince Hans-Adam and Princess Marie Aglaë of Liechtenstein

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Princess Marie Aglaë, Prince Hans-Adam, King Albert and Queen Paola

 Having a private moment. As we do not get to see them very often, I will treasure this special photograph.

source of the photos

[Beatification of Pope John Paul II] King Albert II of the Belgians with his wife, Queen Paola

Princess Marie Aglaë and Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein.

Talking to Silvio Berlusconi.

Always nice to see the Queen smile.

Seems to me that it was a beautiful and emotional ceremony on a sunny day. Both King Albert II and Queen Paola - who is originally Italian - seemed to be having a very nice moment together.

source of the photos

Royal weddings from the past - Prince Hans-Adam of Liechtenstein and Princess Marie Aglaë (1967)

Prince Hans-Adam, heir to the throne of Liechtenstein, married his Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau on July 30th, 1967.

[Liechtenstein] [VIDEO] Interview with Prince Hans-Adam II about The State

This video is a treasure and extremely interesting. We do not have much information (nor gossip) from the Liechtenstein royalty.

Peter Robinson hereby interviews His Serene Higness Prince Hans-Adam II. The journalist from Uncommon Knowledge presents the country firstly with its small size, borders (with Austria and Switzerland) and 35 000 inhabitants.

Prince Hans-Adam II has been reigning since 1989. He delegated some of his powers to his son, Prince Alois in 2004 - including day-to-day management of the principauté.

He wrote the book "The State in the Third Millenium".

He ask the monarch what the state is for, quoting his book "the objective must be to transform all states into peaceful service companies".

Prince Hans-Adam claims monarchies have to serve the people and reminds us of Prince Charles motto "Ich Dien", which means "I serve" in German, with the state serving the people, doing the best and better than anyone else. He also talks about his inspiration in US President John Kennedy, Christian origins, historical heritage and even a comparison with Sarah Palin.

This is a 5-part interview, do not hesitate to click on the other parts to see more of Prince Hans-Adam.

Hans-Adam II (Johannes (Hans) Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marko d'Aviano Pius von und zu Liechtenstein was born on February 14th, 1945 and is married to his second cousin, once removed, Marie Aglaë, Countess Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (born April 14th, 1940) who, upon marriage, became Her Serene Highness The Princess of Liechtenstein on 30 July 1967, at Vaduz. They have 4 children and 14 grandchildren.

Royal Birthdays in February

February 14th (Valentine's Day)

Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein (1945)

Liechtenstein announces 5-year austerity plan

As European countries struggle to rein in public spending in the face of mounting national debt, Liechtenstein's government said Wednesday it too plans budget cuts of $140 million a year.

That's million, not billion.

Still, for a country of just 35,000 people, that amount works out to about $4,000 per inhabitant -- far more than larger countries such as Britain or Germany.

By 2015 the tiny principality hopes to have plugged a budget gap of 15 percent by cutting back on government salaries, health expenditure and pension payments.

The measures will only affect the country's ordinary citizens. Liechtenstein's head of state, Prince Hans Adam II, and his family won't be asked to tighten their belts as they do not receive ANY allowance from the state (as specified in a comment on the comment box).

from businessweek.com

Biography of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein

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.

Powers

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 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 ($3.9 billion USD). He owns an extensive art collection, a part of which is on display for the public in museums in Vaduz and in Vienna, Austria. In December 2006 he was reported to be one of the worlds richest heads of state.

Personal life 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)

Prince Maximilian Nikolaus Maria (b. 16 May 1969)

Prince Constantin Ferdinand Maria (b. 15 March 1972)

Princess Tatjana Nora Maria (b. 10 April 1973)

The Prince is an honorary member of K.D.St.V. Nordgau Prag Stüttgart, a Catholic students' fraternity that is a member of the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen.