The Principality of Liechtenstein — Europe's fourth-smallest country at 25,000 people — has been ruled by the House of Liechtenstein since the principality was founded in 1719. Prince Hans-Adam II, who has reigned since November 1989, is the 14th Prince of Liechtenstein and oversaw the most consequential constitutional reform in Liechtenstein's modern history with the 2003 referendum that significantly expanded the monarch's powers.

The Family's Roots: The House of Liechtenstein

The House traces back to the 12th century in modern-day Austria. The family bought the Lordships of Schellenberg (1699) and Vaduz (1712) to qualify for a seat in the Holy Roman Empire's Imperial Diet, leading to the Holy Roman Emperor's establishment of the Principality of Liechtenstein in 1719.

Hans-Adam was born in Zurich on 14 February 1945.

His Parents

Father: Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein (1906 – 1989) — reigned 1938 to 1989. Mother: Countess Georgina von Wilczek (1921 – 1989).

His parents both died within months of each other in 1989.

His Siblings

Hans-Adam has four siblings: Prince Philipp Erasmus (b. 1946), Prince Nikolaus (b. 1947, married Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg), Princess Nora (b. 1950), and Prince Wenzel (1962, deceased).

His Wife: Princess Marie

Princess Marie of Liechtenstein, born Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau on 14 April 1940 in Prague, is of Bohemian-Czech nobility. She and Hans-Adam married on 30 July 1967.

Their Children

Hans-Adam and Marie have four children:

Hereditary Prince Alois, born 11 June 1968 — Regent of Liechtenstein since 2004 (handling day-to-day affairs while his father retains the throne). Married Duchess Sophie in Bavaria in 1993; they have four children: Prince Joseph Wenzel (1995), Princess Marie-Caroline (1996), Prince Georg (1999), Prince Nikolaus (2000).

Prince Maximilian, born 16 May 1969 — CEO of LGT Group; married American actress and lawyer Angela Gisela Brown in 2000.

Prince Constantin, born 15 March 1972 — married Princess Marie Kálnoky de Köröspatak in 1999; they have three children.

Princess Tatjana, born 10 April 1973 — married Philipp von Lattorff in 1999; they have seven children (the largest of any of the four).

The Liechtenstein Family Tree at a Glance

Dynasty

  • House of Liechtenstein
  • Principality founded 1719

Parents

  • Father: Prince Franz Josef II (1906 – 1989)
  • Mother: Countess Georgina von Wilczek (1921 – 1989)

Prince Hans-Adam II

  • Born 14 February 1945, Zurich
  • Gymnasium in Vaduz; St. Gallen University (MA Business and Economics, 1974)
  • Hereditary Prince from 1945
  • Prince of Liechtenstein from 13 November 1989
  • Since 2004, day-to-day duties delegated to Hereditary Prince Alois

Wife: Princess Marie

  • Born Countess Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau, 14 April 1940, Prague
  • Czech-Bohemian noble family
  • Married Hans-Adam on 30 July 1967

Children

  • Hereditary Prince Alois (b. 11 June 1968) — Regent since 2004; wife Duchess Sophie in Bavaria
  • Prince Maximilian (b. 16 May 1969) — CEO, LGT Group; wife American Angela Gisela Brown
  • Prince Constantin (b. 15 March 1972)
  • Princess Tatjana (b. 10 April 1973)

What the Liechtenstein Family Story Teaches Us

Parents who died within months of each other in 1989. Four children spread across business, governance, and big personal families. A son who has been Regent for two decades while his father retains the throne. A daughter with seven of her own children. A family that quietly runs both a country and one of the world's largest private banking groups (LGT).

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Liechtenstein story carries the same lesson. Some families create regency arrangements that share authority across generations. The Liechtenstein arrangement — where Hans-Adam holds the throne while Alois runs day-to-day government — is a model of partial succession. Most families have similar arrangements at smaller scales (the elderly grandparent who is still the head of the family, but whose son or daughter actually runs the business). Write down those arrangements honestly. They are the architecture of how families share power.

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