Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Albert | |||||
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Prince of Thurn and Taxis | |||||
Prince Albert in 2011 | |||||
Head of the House of Thurn and Taxis | |||||
Period | 14 December 1990 – present | ||||
Predecessor | Johannes | ||||
Heir presumptive | Prince Max Emanuel | ||||
Born |
Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany | 24 June 1983||||
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House | Thurn and Taxis | ||||
Father | Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis | ||||
Mother | Countess Gloria of Schönburg in Glauchau and Waldenburg | ||||
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Albert Maria Lamoral Miguel Johannes Gabriel, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis (Albert Fürst von Thurn und Taxis;[1] born 24 June 1983), is a German aristocrat, businessman and race car driver.[2][3]:540[4] He has been listed as the world's youngest billionaire many times since his father's death in 1990,[5] first appearing on the list when he was age eight.[2]
Biography
Family
The House of Thurn und Taxis is a German family whose fortune derives from the appointment of an ancestor, Leonhard von Taxis, as hereditary postmaster general of the Holy Roman Empire in 1595.[4] Albert's father preceded him as the head of this family, which has several branches.[4] The family of Thurn und Taxis remains well known as owners of breweries and former builders of castles.[5]
His father, Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, an internationally renowned boulevardier, died in 1990 when he was seven years old, leaving Albert to inherit a US$3 billion fortune and US$500 million in debts.[5] His mother, Gloria (née Countess von Schönburg-Glauchau), a popular media figure since marriage to his 53-year-old father as a 20-year-old, was instrumental in preserving the family fortune until Albert became of legal age to take over its management.[5] He has two older sisters: Princess Maria Theresia and Princess Elisabeth.[5]
Education
Thurn und Taxis completed his high school education in Rome and then, after his military service, he studied economics and theology at the University of Edinburgh. He is an enthusiastic racing driver, vice-champion (2007/2008) and champion (2010) of the German GT Championship ADAC GT Masters with the German Team Reiter Engineering.
Media attention
In 2008 Albert was included as 11th on the list of the Forbes Magazine's List of The 20 Hottest Young Royals as compiled by Forbes magazine.[2]
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Since former hereditary titles are only recognised in German law as part of the surname, in accordance with the Weimar Constitution of 1919, family members include the title as an integral part of their name in the form, Prinz von Thurn und Taxis. According to family tradition Albert Prinz von Thurn und Taxis followed his father, in accordance with the rules of the legal affairs committee of the Association of German Nobility (Deutscher Adelsrechtsausschuß), in the nominal succession as "head" of the former German princely House of Thurn and Taxis. As such, he is sometimes styled by the traditional title, Fürst von Thurn und Taxis (Prince of Thurn and Taxis).
Titles and styles
Traditional:[4]
- 28 June 1983 – 14 December 1990: His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Thurn and Taxis
- 14 December 1990 – present: His Serene Highness Albert, the Prince of Thurn and Taxis
National dynastic honour
- House of Thurn und Taxis: Grand Master Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Parfaite Amitié[6][7][8][9]
Foreign honour
- Calabrian House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies: Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Calabrian Two Sicilian Order of Saint George[10][11]
Ancestry
Through descent from king Miguel I of Portugal he is related to several reigning hereditary heads of state in Europe. He also descends from the dynasties of Wittelsbach, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Braganza, Wurttemberg, Mecklenburg, House of Habsburg-Lorraine, Liechtenstein and Oldenburg.[3]:536-540, 778[4]
Ancestors of Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis |
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Racing record
Complete GT1 World Championship results
Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Reiter Engineering | Lamborghini | NOG QR 3 |
NOG CR 8 |
ZOL QR Ret |
ZOL CR 8 |
NAV QR 12 |
NAV QR 14 |
SVK QR 2 |
SVK CR Ret |
ALG QR 13 |
ALG CR Ret |
SVK QR 11 |
SVK CR Ret |
MOS QR |
MOS CR |
NUR QR |
NUR CR |
DON QR |
DON CR |
18th | 18 |
References
- ↑ In 1919 royalty and nobility were mandated to lose their privileges in Germany, hereditary titles were to be legally borne thereafter only as part of the surname, according to Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution. Styles such as majesty and highness were not retained.
- 1 2 3 "The 20 Hottest Young Royals - 11. Prince Albert". Forbes. 27 May 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
- 1 2 Willis, Daniel. The Descendants of Louis XIII. Clearfield, 1999, Baltimore, US. ISBN 0-8063-4942-5.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels: Furstliche Hauser Band XIX. Limburg an der Lahn: C. A. Starke Verlag. 2011. pp. 369, 382–383, 385–386. ISBN 978-3-7980-0849-6.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "The Conversation of Gloria TNT". Vanity Fair. June 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ↑ "Photographic image" (JPG). S-media-cache-ak0.pinig.com. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
- ↑ "altro - die fotoagentur : 01468-08". Altrofoto.de. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
- ↑ "altro - die fotoagentur : 01446-08". Altrofoto.de. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
- ↑
- ↑ "Photographic image" (JPG). S-media-cache-ak0.pinig.com. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
- ↑ "09/10/2008 (London) Mass and Investiture at the". Constantinianorder.org. 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis. |
- Thurn and Taxis Family Homepage
- Richest Germans: Silver Spoon Baby^
- Homepage of Albert of Thurn und Taxis
Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis Cadet branch of the House of Tassis Born: 24 June 1983 | ||
German nobility | ||
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Preceded by Johannes |
Prince of Thurn and Taxis 14 December 1990 – present |
Incumbent Heir: Prince Max Emanuel |
Sporting positions | ||
Preceded by Christian Abt |
ADAC GT Masters Champion 2010 with: Peter Kox |
Succeeded by Dino Lunardi Alexandros Margaritis |