Karl von Habsburg
Karl Habsburg-Lothringen | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 11, 1961 |
| Other names | Karl Thomas Robert Maria Franziskus Georg Bahnam |
| Title | Archduke of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia |
| Spouse | Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza |
| Children | Archduchess Eleonore, Archduke Ferdinand, Archduchess Gloria |
| Relatives | Otto, Crown Prince of Austria and Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen |
Archduke Karl of Austria (Karl Thomas Robert Maria Franziskus Georg Bahnam von Habsburg-Lothringen) Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, (born January 11, 1961 at Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany) is the son of Otto von Habsburg and Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen and the grandson of the last Austrian emperor, Charles I. Karl is the current head of the Austrian branch of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
None of Habsburg's titles are recognised in Austria, where he is referred to as Karl Habsburg or Karl Habsburg-Lothringen, which is his legal name. (See Austrian nobility)
Private life
Habsburg has lived in Salzburg, Austria, since 1981. On 31 January 1993, he married Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, the only daughter of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, a European industrialist known for his art collecting and multiple marriages, and his second wife, Fiona Campbell Walter, a leading British fashion model of the 1950s and 1960s. They have three children:
- HI&RH Archduchess Eleonore Jelena Maria del Pilar Iona of Austria (born February 28, 1994)
- HI&RH Archduke Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michal Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard of Austria (born June 21, 1997), who is heir after his father of the House of Habsburg-Lothringen.
- HI&RH Archduchess Gloria Maria Bogdana Paloma Regina Fiona Gabriela of Austria (born October 15, 1999), whose godmother is Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis.
None of these titles are recognised in Austria.
Political career
Habsburg has been the president of the International Paneuropean Union since 1986. From 1996 till 1999, he was a member of the European Parliament for the Austrian People's Party. Habsburg drew attention with some moral conservative opinions, such as when he compared the abortion drug Mifegyne with the death penalty. He also served as the Director General of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization.
In Austria Habsburg's name is closely connected with the so called World Vision scandal. The then Secretary General of the Paneuropean Movement, Wolfgang Krones, had misled funds from World Vision to the Paneuropean Movement. (World Vision Austria was dissolved due to irregularities in 1998, and its president, Maria Taurer-Krones was given a suspended sentence of three years in jail in 2004, with an appeal pending). The main accusation against Karl Habsburg was that he had not monitored his secretary general closely enough.
Facing intensive pressure from other parties, the Austrian People's Party did not put Habsburg on the ballot again in the 1999 European Elections, in which then he then ran unsuccessfully with his own list.
Habsburg was also mentioned in the media for importing jewelry from Switzerland to Austria without disclosing it to customs officials. The jewelery belonged to his wife and she was supposed to wear it at a wedding ceremony. Habsburg has also had a short lived career as a host of a TV game show with Austrian public TV broadcaster ORF, called Who-is-Who.