Mariano Hugo, Prince of Windisch-Graetz
| Mariano Hugo | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Windisch-Graetz[1] | |
 | |
| Head of the House of Windisch-Graetz | |
| Tenure | 1976 – present |
| Predecessor | Prince Maximilian Antonius |
| Heir apparent | Prince Maximilian Hugo |
| Born | 27 July 1955 Trieste, Italy |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Prince Maximilian Hugo Prince Alexis Ferdinando Princess Larissa Maria |
| House | Windisch-Graetz |
| Father | Maximilian Antonius, Prince zu Windisch-Graetz |
| Mother | Maria Luisa Serra di Gerace |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Occupation | Ambassador |
| Styles of The Prince of Windisch-Graetz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | His Serene Highness[1] / His Excellency |
| Spoken style | Your Serene Highness / Your Excellency |
| Alternative style | Sir |
Mariano Hugo, Prince of Windisch-Graetz (German: Mariano Hugo Fürst zu Windisch-Graetz, Italian: Mariano Ugo, Principe di Windisch-Graetz; born 27 July 1955) is the current head of the Austrian[1] or Italian[2] House of Windisch-Graetz. A former ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Slovak Republic, he is currently the Order's ambassador to Slovenia.[3]
Upbringing and family
Windisch-Graetz was born at Trieste[1] as the elder son of Maximilian Antonius, Prince zu Windisch-Graetz and Maria Luisa (Marlise) Serra di Gerace.[1] His mother was the legitimatised daughter of Gian Battista Serra, 12th Principe di Gerace by Donna Maria Grazia Carafa d'Andria.[2]
Windisch-Graetz was educated firstly in Rome at the school of the De La Salle Brothers. In 1975 he graduated from University College of Buckingham with a degree in Economics and Political Science.[4]
When his father died in 1976, Windisch-Graetz succeeded as head of a cadet branch of the House of Windisch-Graetz,[1][5] a mediatised house whose members historically bore the style of Serene Highness.[1]
On 11 February 1990 in Salzburg, Austria, Windisch-Graetz married Sophie Habsburg, daughter of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and Countess Helene zu Törring-Jettenbach,[1][5] daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark.
The couple have had three children:
- Prince Maximilian Hugo
- Prince Alexis Ferdinand (who died at Sant'Angelo d'Alife in a car accident in 2010),[6]
- Princess Larissa Maria Grazia Helen Leontina Maria Luisa.[1]
Windisch-Graetz and his family reside in Italy when he is not abroad on diplomatic appointment, maintaining a home in Rome and Il Palazzo in Sant'Angelo d'Alife.[1]
Activities and appointments
The business activities of Windisch-Graetz include the food production industry, notably biscuits and mozzarella cheese, and entrepreneurial finance.[2] In the early 1990s, he was a major shareholder in the Banco di Napoli and a holding company, Sogesco, of which he owned 82%, was capitalised at 10 billion lire.[7]
On 19 December 1987, Pope John Paul II appointed Windisch-Graetz a Gentleman of His Holiness,[8] a role which entails meeting visiting heads of state and ambassadors and escorting them to meet the pope.[9] He is also a Knight of Honour and Devotion in Obedience of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.[1]
In 2003, Windisch-Graetz was appointed Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Republic of Slovakia;[10] this appointment was renewed in 2006, until December 2009. In March 2009, he was appointed Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Republic of Slovenia.[11]
Honours and awards
SMOM:
- Knight of Honour and Devotion in Obedience of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta[1]
- Grand Cross of the Order pro merito Melitensi
Holy See: Knight Grand Officer of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Morocco: Grand Officer of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies: Knight of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George[1]
House of Braganza: Knight Grand Officer of the Order of Saint Michael of the Wing
House of Habsburg: Knight of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece[1]
House of Petrović-Njegoš: Knight Commander of the Order of Prince Danilo I
House of Savoy:
- Knight of the Collar of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation[1][12]
- Knight of Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus[12][1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XIX, "Windisch-Graetz" (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 2011), 431, 434–436.
- ^ a b c Les Manuscrits du CEDRE V, Le Royaume d'Italie I. Cercle d'Etudes des Dynasties Royales Europėennes (CEDRE), Paris, 1992, ISSN 0993-3964 pp. 196–197
- ^ Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Republic of Slovenia
- ^ www.indiatimes.com
- ^ a b Willis, Daniel. The Descendants of Louis XIII, Chapter 6: The Imperial Family of Austria (Clearfield Co., 1999), 508–509.
- ^ "Nel Casertano Funerali Secondogenito del Principe d'Hasburg", Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (11 February 2010)
- ^ "Grandi Battaglie tra ricchezza e nobilta", (in Italian), Corriere della Sera, 19 February 1994 (accessed 29 April 2011)
- ^ Annuario Pontificio 2011 (Città del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2011), 2320.
- ^ Hyginus Eugene Cardinale, The Holy See and the International Order (Gerrards Cross: Colin SMythe, 1976), 208.
- ^ Grand Master Greets the President of the Republic of Slovakia Archived 6 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Presentation of the Letters of Credentials
- ^ a b Leadership of the Savoy Orders Archived 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine