Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein

Princess Sophie is the eldest of the five daughters of Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria, and Princess Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria (née Countess Douglas),[1] as well as a patrilineal great-great-granddaughter of the last King of Bavaria, Ludwig III.[2] She was born in Munich on 28 October 1967 and baptised as Sophie Elizabeth Marie Gabrielle[2] in the chapel of her family's Kreuth home on 18 November. Her godparents were her maternal aunt the Duchess of Marlborough and Archduchess Gabriela of Austria.

Sophie spent her childhood together with her parents and sisters in Wildbad Kreuth. From 1978 to 1980, Sophie attended the Girls' Home Primary School of the English Lady in Heiligenstadt. She then moved to the Girls' Secondary Boarding School Hohenburg in Lenggries. Sophie then studied history and English language and literature at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.[2]

Sophie married Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein on 3 July 1993 at St. Florin's in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. The couple lived in London from September 1993 until May 1996, and have since then resided in Liechtenstein. They have four children:

• Prince Joseph Wenzel Maximilian Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 24 May 1995 at Portland Hospital in London).
• Princess Marie-Caroline Elisabeth Immaculata of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg (born 17 October 1996 in Grabs, Canton of St. Gallen).
• Prince Georg Antonius Constantin Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 20 April 1999 in Grabs).
• Prince Nikolaus Sebastian Alexander Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (born 6 December 2000, in Grabs).

At the beginning of 2003, it was made public that Sophie had been diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, from which she has recovered.[3]

Hereditary Princess Sophie serves as a patron for many organizations and events, often relating to children, education and the arts. The Hereditary Princess often accompanies her husband on foreign visits, as well as many events within Liechtenstein itself.

In 2006, the Hereditary Princess founded the Sophie von Liechtenstein Stiftung für Frau und Kind (Sophie of Liechtenstein Foundation for Woman and Child). The foundation's purpose is to give women who unintentionally became pregnant a more positive life perspective for themselves and their children.[4] The foundation is funded by the Liechtenstein princely family and by private donations, and the Hereditary Princess serves as president.

She served as a honorary president of the Liechtenstein Red Cross since 2015[5][6] and a patron of the Liechtenstein Animal Welfare Association.[7]

From her birth in 1967 Sophie was styled HRH Princess Sophie of Bavaria. In 1973 her father inherited the family name and style Duke in Bavaria from his great-uncle Duke Ludwig Wilhelm who had adopted him as heir in 1965; Sophie was then styled as HRH Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, Princess of Bavaria. On her marriage in 1993 she became HRH The Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg, the Principality of Liechtenstein recognising and retaining her use of the style Royal Highness.[2]

• Princely Family of Liechtenstein
• Jacobite Succession

• H.R.H. Hereditary Princess Sophie - official website of the Princely House of Liechtenstein