The Liechtenstein family once again gathered in Vienna to experience a happy event this Saturday, June 10, 2023. The princely family stood alongside the royal family of France to celebrate the marriage of Prince Johann-Wenzel of Liechtenstein and of Countess Felicitas von Hartig. The groom is the nephew of the Count of Paris, the current head of the Royal House of France, and the cousin of the ruler of Liechtenstein.
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Prince Johann-Wenzel and Feliciats von Hartig married in Vienna
In the very large princely family of Liechtenstein, one can hope to attend one or more weddings each year, from the start of the summer season. In 2021 and 2022, the princely family celebrated alongside the Grand Ducal family of Luxembourg to celebrate the weddings of Princess Marie-Astrid in Italy, Princess Maria Anunciata in Vienna and Prince Josef-Emanuel in Colombia. In 2023, it is Prince Johann-Wenzel who opens the way and it is the Orléans family who have found their place alongside the Liechtenstein family to celebrate this marriage.
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Prince Johann-Wenzel, who has just celebrated his 30th birthday, religiously married Countess Felicitas von Hartig, 29, in the Servite Church in Vienna. It was in Austria, the cradle of the princely family, that the wedding was celebrated in the presence of representatives of foreign royal families.
The Liechtenstein family took the name of their castle, built in the 12th century by a certain Hugo von Petronell, probably a henchman of the lords of Schwarzenburg-Nöstach. The castle was located on the edge of the Wienerwald (the woods of Vienna). The Liechtenstein family is a noble family of the Holy Empire who owned many territories, mainly in Moravia, without having sovereignty. It was in 1719 that Prince Antoine-Florian of Liechtenstein saw his recently purchased territory, made up of the county of Vaduz and the county of Schellenberg, raised to the rank of principality by Emperor Charles VI. The principality took the name of the reigning family.
Johann-Wenzel is the first son and third child of Prince Gundakar and Princess Marie of Orléans, sister of Prince Jean, Count of Paris. Prince Gundakar is a cousin of the ruler of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Prince Hans-Adam II. Johann-Wenzel is currently 35th in line to the throne.
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The royal guests at the wedding of Prince Johann-Wenzel and Princess Felicitas
The religious wedding of Prince Johann-Wenzel took place in the presence of many members of the sovereign princely family, a month and a half after their civil marriage which took place on April 30 at the town hall of Vaduz, the capital of the principality of Liechtenstein. The groom is a cousin of the sovereign Hans-Adam II. He is currently ranked 35th in the order of succession to the Principality’s throne.
Prince Johann Wenzel, born in March 1993 in Vienna, son of Prince Gundakar and Princess Marie. Gundakar of Liechtenstein married Marie d’Orléans, in Dreux, in 1989. The couple are parents of five children: Princess Léopoldine, Princess Maria-Immaculata, Prince Johann Wenzel, Princess Marguerite and Prince Gabriel Karl, born between 1990 and 1998.
Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, heir and regent of the Principality, was present at the wedding with his wife, Hereditary Princess Sophie. Other guests from foreign royal or princely families were present at the wedding, such as Prince Paul-Anton Esterházy de Galántha and his wife, Princess Franziska, young parents for a month of little Prince Miklos. Hereditary Prince Heinrich-Donatus of Schaumbourg-Lippe was present, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Braganza or Archduchess Éléonore de Habsbourg-Lorraine and her husband, Jérôme d’Ambrosio.
Prince Gundakar is a cousin of the family currently reigning over the Principality of Liechtenstein. He is the great-great-grandson of the Sovereign Prince Alois II, whose daughter, Princess Henriette, had married his cousin, Prince Alfred. Henriette and Alfred are the grandparents of the sovereign prince François-Joseph II, father of the current sovereign Hans-Adam II.
On the maternal side, Prince Johann-Wenzel descends from the royal family of France. His mother, Princess Marie, is the eldest daughter of the five children of Prince Henri of Orléans and Marie-Thérèse of Württemberg. She is therefore the sister of the current Count of Paris, head of the Royal House of France.
Prince Jean d’Orléans was at his sister’s side to experience this great moment. Several engaged couples were also spotted in the assembly. There was notably Prince Amaury de Bourbon-Parme and his future wife, Pélagie de Mac Mahon. Pélagie was also accompanied by her brother, the Duke of Magenta. Other fiancés, Archduke Alexander of Habsburg-Lorraine and his bride, Countess Natacha Roumiantzoff-Pachkevitch, were present.
A sumptuous Viennese wedding in the presence of the whole Gotha
Prince Johann-Wenzel made his engagement proposal on August 25, 2022 during their wonderful vacation in Sicily. Felicitas, born in April 1994, studied law in Vienna, Austria. She currently works for the Austrian Ministry of the Interior. At the same time, she is completing additional studies in Art History. Countess Felicitas is the daughter of Count Lukas von Hartig and his wife, Countess Claudia, née noble von Toperczer. Their engagement was made public in September.
Prince Wenzel studied politics and economics in Montreal, Canada. He then joined the prestigious Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, England. His military experience continued with two years with the Coldstream Guards. The prince obtained a master’s degree in agro-business management and he now works in Austria, in the family business Liechtenstein’sche Forst- und Gutsverwaltung.
Prince Johann-Wenzel and Countess Felicitas have known each other for 10 years. Their first meeting was at a party in 2012. It wasn’t until 2017 that their paths crossed again in London. Felicitas was interning at Sotheby’s while Johann-Wenzel was also in the UK, where he joined the Coldstream Guards. Cosmopolitan life led them to live between Paris and Lisbon during the first years of their relationship. Their respective work in Austria allowed them to settle in Vienna.
Nicholas Fontaine
Chief Editor
Nicolas Fontaine has been a freelance web editor since 2014. After having been a copywriter and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media, he specialized in royalty news. Nicolas is now editor-in-chief of Histoires royales. [email protected]
