| Princess Elisabeth | |||||
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%2c_2016_(cropped).jpg) Princess Elisabeth in 2016 | |||||
| Born | (1982-03-24)24 March 1982 (age 43) Schloss Thurn und Taxis, Regensburg,Bavaria,Germany | ||||
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| House | Thurn and Taxis | ||||
| Father | Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn und Taxis | ||||
| Mother | Countess Gloria von Schönburg-Glauchau | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||
| Occupation | Journalist, author, socialite | ||||
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Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis (Elisabeth Margarete Maria Anna Beatriz Prinzessin von Thurn und Taxis; born 24 March 1982) is a German journalist, author, socialite, and art collector. By birth, as the daughter ofJohannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, she is a member of the German princelyHouse of Thurn and Taxis. Since 2012 Elisabeth has worked as a style editor-at-large forVogue. ACatholic traditionalist, she has written as a columnist forVatican Magazine and authored a book on Catholic spirituality calledThe Faith of Children: in Praise of the People's Devotion. She has been referred to in the press asPrincess TNT, a nickname once associated with her mother,Gloria, Princess of Thurn und Taxis.
Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis was born on 24 March 1982 atSchloss Thurn und Taxis, a 500-room palace inRegensburg owned by her family, thePrincely House of Thurn and Taxis. She is the second child ofJohannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis andCountess Gloria von Schönburg-Glauchau.[1] She has an older sister,Princess Maria Theresia, and a younger brother,Prince Albert, who succeeded their father in 1990 as the 12th Prince of Thurn und Taxis.
Until 1918, theHouse of Thurn and Taxis held the rank ofroyalty in theGerman Empire, where they once owned the continental postal system as an Imperialfief.[1] As they wererequired to intermarry with other reigning or once-reigning dynasties, Elisabeth's mother is of similar background.[1] Through her father, she is a descendant ofLeopold II, Holy Roman Emperor,John VI of Portugal,Louis Philippe, King of the French andCharles IV of Spain. Through her mother, by birth a member of amediatisedcomital dynasty, Elisabeth descends from the houses of the Russian princely familiesGolitsyn andMeshchersky and the German princes ofReuss.[1] The House of Thurn and Taxis is one of Germany's wealthiest and most prominent families. From her maternal side, she is a descendant of theHouse of Schönburg. Her mother is the daughter of the politician and journalistJoachim, Count of Schonburg-Glauchau, as well as the sister of socialiteCountess Maya von Schönburg-Glauchau and authorAlexander, Count of Schonburg-Glauchau, a grandnephew by marriage of QueenElizabeth II.[2] Through her maternal grandmother,Countess Beatrix Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék, she is a descendant ofCount István Széchenyi.
During her childhood, Elisabeth and her siblings were frequent guests ofMichael Jackson at hisNeverland Ranch, visits she recalled in her blog after his death in 2009. Describing Jackson as "excruciatingly shy," she defended his reputation, writing, "I couldn't imagine Michael hurting a fly, let alone a friend."[3]
Elisabeth was educated atSevenoaks School inKent, England, and has a bachelor's degree in media and communication studies from theAmerican University of Paris.[4]
Elisabeth worked as a features editor for the London-basedFinch’s Quarterly Review and penned a blog, "The Princess Diaries," forFinch's until departing in 2010.[5] The blog contrasted the expectations, pleasures, difficulties and assumptions surrounding "princess" status with more "normal" issues like flat-hunting, London weather, and work. Elisabeth also contributed a monthly column inVogue and articles for German and international art and style publications, including New York-based style magazineQuest.[6]
A devout Roman Catholic, Elisabeth has written for the BritishCatholic Herald about the revival oftraditional religious communities in France, as well as a monthly column inVatican Magazine.[7][8][9] She signed a 2008 petition asking the bishops of England and Wales to provide more Latin SundayTridentine Masses.[10] In December 2010, she published a liturgical volume titledThe Faith of Children: in Praise of the People's Devotion. The book, which featured a foreword byPope Benedict XVI's elder brother,Georg Ratzinger, was published in Italian and German.[11]
In 2011, her blog posts fromFinch’s Quarterly Review were translated into German and published as a book titledTagebuch einer Prinzessin.[12][13]
In 2012, she began working as a contributing style editor for fashion magazineVogue.[6][14] In March 2015, she drew media criticism when she shared a photo onInstagram of what appears to be a homeless woman in Paris reading an issue of Vogue, which she posted with the comment, "Paris is full of surprises....and @voguemagazine readers even in unexpected corners!" She later deleted the photo and apologised on Twitter for causing any offense.[15]
In October 2019 Elisabeth curatedSotheby'sMagnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale inGeneva.[16][17]
Elisabeth has frequently featured in socialite diary items and appeared in aVanity Fair article entitled "Fortune's Children" in June 2009, photographed byBruce Weber.[18] "I think it's a huge privilege to be able to use the access that we have in an interesting way," she said, discussing a book about art collectors she is writing in collaboration with her cousin, photographerAlex Flick.
In 2009, she was made aDame of the Order of Malta.[19]
Elisabeth has resided in New York City, London, and Rome.[8][16]
Dame of Honour and Devotion in Obedience of theSovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta.
Dame Grand Cross of theOrder of Perfect Friendship.| International | |
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