Mariano Hugo, Prince of Windisch-Graetz
| Mariano Hugo | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Windisch-Graetz[1] | |
| File:2019 Mariano Hugo zu Windisch-Graetz.jpg | |
| Head of the House of Windisch-Graetz | |
| Tenure | 1976 – present |
| Predecessor | Prince Maximilian Antonius |
| Heir apparent | Prince Maximilian Hugo |
| Born | 27 July 1955 Trieste, Italy |
| Spouse | Archduchess Sophie of Austria (m. 1990) |
| Issue | 3 |
| House | Windisch-Graetz |
| Father | Prince Maximilian Antonius |
| Mother | Donna Maria Luisa Serra di Gerace |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Occupation | Ambassador |
Mariano Hugo, Prince of Windisch-Graetz (German: Mariano Hugo, Fürst zu Windisch-Graetz, Italian: Mariano Ugo, Principe di Windisch-Graetz; born 27 July 1955) is the current head of the Austrian[1][2] House of Windisch-Graetz. He is currently a member of the Grand Magisterium of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. A former ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to Slovakia, he is also currently the Order's ambassador to Slovenia.[3] He also sits on the council of the Dynastic orders of knighthood for the Royal House of Savoy.[4]
Upbringing and family
Windisch-Graetz was born at Trieste[1] as the elder son of Maximilian Antonius, Prince of Windisch-Graetz and Donna Maria Luisa "Marilise" Serra di Gerace.[1] His mother was the legitimatised daughter of Gian Battista Serra, 12th Prince of Gerace and Donna Maria Grazia Carafa d'Andria.[2] He has two sisters and one brother: Christiana "Irma" married to Don Augusto Ruffo di Calabria (nephew of Queen Paola of Belgium), Maximiliane married with Prince Heinrich zu Fürstenberg and Manfred married with Maria Vittoria Lepri di Rota.[5]
Windisch-Graetz was educated in Rome at the school of the De La Salle Brothers. In 1975 he graduated from University College of Buckingham with a degree in Philosophy, Economics and Political Science.[6]
When his father died in 1976, Windisch-Graetz succeeded as head of a cadet branch of the House of Windisch-Graetz,[1][7] a mediatised house whose members historically bore the style of "Serene Highness".[1]
On 11 February 1990 in Salzburg, Austria, Windisch-Graetz married Archduchess Sophie of Austria, daughter of Archduke Ferdinand Karl Max of Austria and Countess Helene zu Toerring-Jettenbach,[1][7] daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark. The couple have had two sons and one daughter.[8][1]
Windisch-Graetz and his family reside in Italy when he is not abroad on a diplomatic appointment, maintaining a home in Rome and another in Sant'Angelo d'Alife.[1]
Activities and appointments
The business activities of Windisch-Graetz include the food production industry, notably biscuits and mozzarella cheese, and entrepreneurial finance.[2] In the early 1990s, he was a major shareholder in the Banco di Napoli and a holding company, Sogesco, of which he owned 82%, was capitalised at 10 billion lire.[9]
On 19 December 1987, Pope John Paul II appointed Windisch-Graetz a Gentleman of His Holiness,[10] a role which entails meeting visiting heads of state and ambassadors and escorting them to meet the pope.[11] He is also a Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion in Obedience of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.[1]
In 2003, Windisch-Graetz was appointed Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Republic of Slovakia;[12] this appointment was renewed in 2006, until December 2009. In March 2009, he was appointed Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Republic of Slovenia.[13]
On 9 June 2021, Windisch-Graetz was appointed to the Grand Magisterium of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem by the Grand Master of the Order, Fernando Cardinal Filoni. Windisch-Graetz has been a Knight Grand Officer of the Order since 1980.
Honours and awards
- SMOM:
- Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion in Obedience of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta[1]
- Grand Cross of the Order pro Merito Melitensi
- Holy See: Grand Officer of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
- Morocco: Grand Officer of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite
- House of Habsburg-Lorraine: Knight of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece[1]
- House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies: Knight of Gr.Cr. of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George[1]
- House of Braganza: Grand Officer of the Order of Saint Michael of the Wing
- House of Petrović-Njegoš: Knight Commander of the Order of Prince Danilo I
- House of Savoy:
- Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation[1][14]
- Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus[14][1]
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Savoy
References
- Back to citation occurrence 1.00 Back to citation occurrence 1.01 Back to citation occurrence 1.02 Back to citation occurrence 1.03 Back to citation occurrence 1.04 Back to citation occurrence 1.05 Back to citation occurrence 1.06 Back to citation occurrence 1.07 Back to citation occurrence 1.08 Back to citation occurrence 1.09 Back to citation occurrence 1.10 Back to citation occurrence 1.11 Back to citation occurrence 1.12 Back to citation occurrence 1.13 Back to citation occurrence 1.14 Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XIX, "Windisch-Graetz" (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 2011), 431, 434–436.
- Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 Les Manuscrits du CEDRE V, Le Royaume d'Italie I. Cercle d'Etudes des Dynasties Royales Europėennes (CEDRE), Paris, 1992, ISSN 0993-3964 pp. 196–197
- Back to citation "Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Republic of Slovenia". Archived from the original on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- Back to citation "Ordini dinastici – Ordini Dinastici della Real Casa di Savoia" (in Italian). Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- Back to citation "Genealogia di Mariano Hugo von Windisch-Graetz". Geneanet (in Italian). Retrieved 9 June 2021; "Family tree of Manfred zu Windisch-Graetz". Geneanet. Retrieved 9 June 2021; "TV: DOMANI SU CANALE ITALIA 'COPIA&INCOLLA'". www1.adnkronos.com. 8 May 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- Back to citation www.indiatimes.com
- Back to citation occurrence 7.0 Back to citation occurrence 7.1 Willis, Daniel. The Descendants of Louis XIII, Chapter 6: The Imperial Family of Austria (Clearfield Co., 1999), 508–509.
- Back to citation M.Hugo Windisch-Graetz (PDF).
- Back to citation "Grandi Battaglie tra ricchezza e nobilta", (in Italian), Corriere della Sera, 19 February 1994 (accessed 29 April 2011)
- Back to citation Annuario Pontificio 2011 (Città del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2011), 2320.
- Back to citation Hyginus Eugene Cardinale, The Holy See and the International Order (Gerrards Cross: Colin SMythe, 1976), 208.
- Back to citation Grand Master Greets the President of the Republic of Slovakia Archived 6 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Back to citation Presentation of the Letters of Credentials
- Back to citation occurrence 14.0 Back to citation occurrence 14.1 Leadership of the Savoy Orders Archived 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine