Regina, Crown Princess of Austria
Encyclopedia
Regina, Crown Princess of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia (née Princess Regina Helene Elizabeth Margarete of Saxe-Meiningen
) (6 January 1925 – 3 February 2010), was a member of the House of Wettin.
She was in effect only the titular Crown Princess of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, since the titles of nobility were abolished in these countries and law forbids their usage in Austria
. The law, however, does not forbid the use of such titles in Germany
, where she was born.
, the youngest of the four children born from the marriage of Prince Georg of Saxe-Meiningen (titular Duke of Saxe-Meiningen) and Countess Klara Maria of Korff genannt Schmissing-Kerssenbrock. Regina was the only one of her siblings to have children: of her two older brothers, Anton Ulrich died aged twenty, killed in action during World War II
, and Frederick Alfred became a Carthusian
monk who renounced his succession rights. Regina's only sister, Marie Elisabeth, died aged three months in 1923, before Regina's birth.
On 10 May 1951 Regina married Otto von Habsburg
, son of Emperor Charles I of Austria and former crown prince, in the Église of the Cordeliers in Nancy, France, with the blessing of Pope Pius XII
. After her marriage she used the names Regina, Crown Princess of Austria or Regina von Habsburg. From 10 May 1954 until her death Regina and Otto lived together at his official residence in the Villa Austria, also called the "Kaiservilla" (Emperor's Villa), in Pöcking
near Lake Starnberg.
On 2 December 2005 she suffered a brain injury and was taken to a hospital in Nancy. Nevertheless, by 22 February 2006 she had recovered sufficiently to participate in the transfer of the remains of her mother, Duchess Klara, and her older brother Anton Ulrich, to the vault of the Veste Heldburg in the Churchyard of Heldburg
in the district of Hildburghausen
. The transfer of the remains of her father Duke Georg III from Tscherepowez
(Russia), where he died as a prisoner of war in 1946, took place in the spring of 2007.
Regina von Habsburg died in Pöcking on 3 February 2010, aged 85, from undisclosed causes and was entombed at Veste Heldburg on 10 February. Her sarcophagus will be transferred to Mariazell and then to the Imperial Crypt in Vienna at the same time as the funeral of her husband, which is scheduled to take place on 16 July 2011.
Saxe-Meiningen
The Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin dynasty, located in the southwest of the present-day German state of Thuringia....
) (6 January 1925 – 3 February 2010), was a member of the House of Wettin.
She was in effect only the titular Crown Princess of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, since the titles of nobility were abolished in these countries and law forbids their usage in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The law, however, does not forbid the use of such titles in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where she was born.
Life
She was born in WürzburgWürzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
, the youngest of the four children born from the marriage of Prince Georg of Saxe-Meiningen (titular Duke of Saxe-Meiningen) and Countess Klara Maria of Korff genannt Schmissing-Kerssenbrock. Regina was the only one of her siblings to have children: of her two older brothers, Anton Ulrich died aged twenty, killed in action during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and Frederick Alfred became a Carthusian
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
monk who renounced his succession rights. Regina's only sister, Marie Elisabeth, died aged three months in 1923, before Regina's birth.
On 10 May 1951 Regina married Otto von Habsburg
Otto von Habsburg
Otto von Habsburg , also known by his royal name as Archduke Otto of Austria, was the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary from 1916 until the dissolution of the empire in 1918, a realm which comprised modern-day Austria, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia,...
, son of Emperor Charles I of Austria and former crown prince, in the Église of the Cordeliers in Nancy, France, with the blessing of Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. After her marriage she used the names Regina, Crown Princess of Austria or Regina von Habsburg. From 10 May 1954 until her death Regina and Otto lived together at his official residence in the Villa Austria, also called the "Kaiservilla" (Emperor's Villa), in Pöcking
Pöcking
Pöcking is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria in Germany. Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, consort of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria-Hungary, grew up here in the Possenhofen Castle as daughter of Duke Max in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Otto von Habsburg, Crown...
near Lake Starnberg.
On 2 December 2005 she suffered a brain injury and was taken to a hospital in Nancy. Nevertheless, by 22 February 2006 she had recovered sufficiently to participate in the transfer of the remains of her mother, Duchess Klara, and her older brother Anton Ulrich, to the vault of the Veste Heldburg in the Churchyard of Heldburg
Bad Colberg-Heldburg
Bad Colberg-Heldburg is a municipality in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 16 km south of Hildburghausen, and 18 km west of Coburg.- Heldburg history:...
in the district of Hildburghausen
Hildburghausen
Hildburghausen is a town in Thuringia in central Germany, capital of the district Hildburghausen. It is situated on the river Werra, 20 km south of Suhl, and 25 km northwest of Coburg....
. The transfer of the remains of her father Duke Georg III from Tscherepowez
Cherepovets
Cherepovets is the largest city in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the bank of the Rybinsk Reservoir of the Sheksna River, a tributary of the Volga River. Population: 311,869 ; It is served by Cherepovets Airport.-Location:...
(Russia), where he died as a prisoner of war in 1946, took place in the spring of 2007.
Regina von Habsburg died in Pöcking on 3 February 2010, aged 85, from undisclosed causes and was entombed at Veste Heldburg on 10 February. Her sarcophagus will be transferred to Mariazell and then to the Imperial Crypt in Vienna at the same time as the funeral of her husband, which is scheduled to take place on 16 July 2011.
Issue
Regina and Otto have seven children; two sons and five daughters:- Archduchess Andrea (born 1953), married Karl Eugen, Hereditary Count of Neipperg, has issue (three sons and two daughters)
- Archduchess Monika (twin, born 1954), married Luis Gonzaga de Casanova-Cárdenas y Barón, Duke of Santangelo, Marquess of Elche, Count of Lodosa and Grandee of Spain, who is a descendant of Infanta Luisa Teresa of Spain, Duchess of Sessa and sister of Francis, King-Consort of Spain, has issue (four sons)
- Archduchess Michaela (twin, born 1954), married firstly to Eric Alba Teran d'Antin (divorced) and secondly to Count Hubertus of Kageneck (divorced), has issue by Eric Alba Teran d'Antin (two sons and a daughter)
- Archduchess GabrielaGabriela von HabsburgGabriela von Habsburg, , also known as Archduchess Gabriela of Austria, is the Ambassador of Georgia to Germany since 2009. She is best known as the granddaughter of Charles I, the last Emperor of Austria...
(born 1956), married Christian Meister (divorced), has issue (a son and two daughters) - Archduchess Walburga (born 1958), married Count Archibald Douglas, has issue (a son)
- Archduke KarlKarl Habsburg-LothringenKarl von Habsburg , referred to in Austria as Karl Habsburg-Lothringen, in France as Charles de Habsbourg-Lorraine, in the Czech Lands as Karel Habsbursko-Lotrinský, in Hungary as Habsburg Károly, and by his royal name as Archduke Karl of Austria, is an Austrian politician,...
(born 11 January 1961), married Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, has issue (a son and two daughters), current Head of the House of Habsburg - Archduke Georg (born 1964), married Duchess Eilika of OldenburgArchduchess Eilika of AustriaDuchess Eilika of Oldenburg is the wife of Georg von Habsburg, the third in the line of succession to the titular Austro-Hungarian throne. She is currently 794th in line for the British throne. She is a daughter of Duke Johann of Oldenburg and his wife Countess Ilka of Ortenburg...
, has issue (a son and two daughters)