Mariano Hugo, Prince of Windisch-Graetz

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]

Mariano Hugo
Prince of Windisch-Graetz[1]
Head of the House of Windisch-Graetz
Tenure1976 – present
PredecessorPrince Maximilian Antonius
Heir apparentPrince Maximilian Hugo
Born (1955-07-27) 27 July 1955
Trieste, Italy
Spouse
(m. 1990)
IssuePrince Maximilian Hugo
Prince Alexis Ferdinando
Princess Larissa Maria
HouseWindisch-Graetz
FatherMaximilian Antonius, Prince zu Windisch-Graetz
MotherMaria Luisa Serra di Gerace
ReligionRoman Catholic
OccupationAmbassador
Styles of
The Prince of Windisch-Graetz
Reference styleHis Serene Highness[1] /
His Excellency
Spoken styleYour Serene Highness /
Your Excellency
Alternative styleSir

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

Mariano Hugo Prince of Windisch-Graetz (in the Vatican, 2019)

References

Serra di Gerace family tree
  1. Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XIX, "Windisch-Graetz" (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 2011), 431, 434–436.
  2. 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
  3. Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Republic of Slovenia
  4. www.indiatimes.com
  5. Willis, Daniel. The Descendants of Louis XIII, Chapter 6: The Imperial Family of Austria (Clearfield Co., 1999), 508–509.
  6. "Nel Casertano Funerali Secondogenito del Principe d'Hasburg", Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (11 February 2010)
  7. "Grandi Battaglie tra ricchezza e nobilta", (in Italian), Corriere della Sera, 19 February 1994 (accessed 29 April 2011)
  8. Annuario Pontificio 2011 (Città del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2011), 2320.
  9. Hyginus Eugene Cardinale, The Holy See and the International Order (Gerrards Cross: Colin SMythe, 1976), 208.
  10. Grand Master Greets the President of the Republic of Slovakia Archived 6 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Presentation of the Letters of Credentials
  12. Leadership of the Savoy Orders Archived 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
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