Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau

Birthday April 14, 1940

Birth Sign Aries

Birthplace Prague, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

DEATH DATE 2021-8-21, Grabs, St. Gallen, Switzerland (81 years old)

Nationality Germany

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1868

Her paternal grandparents were Count Ferdinand Vincenz Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau and Princess Aglae Franziska von Auersperg (1868-1919).

Her maternal grandparents were Count Eugen Rudolf Maria von Ledebur-Wicheln and Countess Eleonore Larisch von Moennich, great-granddaughter of Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei, Prince of Wallachia.

Countess Marie spent the first five years of her life in the Horažďovice family estate in Bohemia.

1940

Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (14 April 1940 – 21 August 2021) was Princess of Liechtenstein from 13 November 1989 until her death in 2021 as the wife of Prince Hans-Adam II.

By birth, she was a member of the House of Kinsky.

Countess Marie was born on 14 April 1940 in Prague as the daughter of Count Ferdinand Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau (1907–1969) and his wife, Countess Henriette Caroline of Ledebur-Wicheln (1910–2002) in the Nazi-run Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (now the Czech Republic).

1945

In 1945, her family fled to Germany where Marie began her education in Ering am Inn from 1946 to 1950.

Then she attended Lioba Sisters' boarding school at the Wald Monastery in Baden-Württemberg for eight years.

1957

In 1957, she spent an extended period of time in England to improve her English.

1961

She then attended the Academy for Applied Arts at the University of Munich, graduating in 1961.

1965

Following some time in Paris to improve her French, she began working as a commercial artist for a printing house in Dachau, Germany until 1965.

1966

In 1966, Countess Marie became engaged to Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, her second cousin once removed.

1967

The couple married at Cathedral of St. Florin in Vaduz, Liechtenstein on 30 July 1967.

They had four children and fifteen grandchildren:

Princess Marie was involved in many organizations within Liechtenstein, with her focus being on education, culture and the arts.

1968

In 1968, after Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, Princess Marie became one of the signatories of a protest telegram to the Soviet Union Embassy in Bern titled "Freedom for ČSSR".

She also took part in a protest demonstration in Vaduz.

1970

In 1970s, Princess Marie became the patron and member of the board of Liechtensteinische Gesellschaft für Umweltschutz (LGU), Liechtenstein's society for environmental protection.

She also chaired the honorary committee of the Internationalen Meisterkurse, which held in Vaduz every year since 1970 as a further education and concert platform for music students from all over the world.

1983

She was the president of Society for Orthopaedic Aid from 1983 to 2005 and an honorary president since 2005.

She was also a patron of Verband Liechtensteinischer Familienhilfen, a family support organisation.

Princess Marie was a member of the historical society of Liechtenstein.

On 18 August 2021, Princess Marie suffered a stroke.

She died three days later at 16:43 (CEST) in the Cantonal Hospital in Grabs, Switzerland, at the age of 81.

A seven-day mourning period was declared in Liechtenstein upon her death, and flags were flown at half mast.

Her body lay in state at the Cathedral of St. Florin from 26 to 27 August, and her funeral on 28 August was broadcast on Landeskanal.

1985

Princess Marie served as president of the Liechtenstein Red Cross from 1985 to 2015.

1990

Under her presidency, in addition to its domestic activities, the Liechtenstein Red Cross contributed to foreign aid, especially during the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s.

As president and patron of the Association for Curative Education in Liechtenstein (German: Verein für Heilpädagogische Hilfe), a foundation for people in Liechtenstein with special needs, she promoted the inclusion of people with disabilities.