Ira von Fürstenberg

Princess Ira von Fürstenberg
Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Pictured in 1975 in the film I baroni
Born (1940-04-18) 18 April 1940
Rome, Italy
Spouse Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (m. 1955–1960)
Francisco Pignatari (m. 1961–1964)
Issue Prince Christoph of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Prince Hubertus of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Full name
Virginia Carolina Theresa Pancrazia Galdina
House Fürstenberg
Father Prince Tassilo zu Fürstenberg
Mother Clara Agnelli

Princess Virginia von Fürstenberg (Virginia Carolina Theresa Pancrazia Galdina Prinzessin zu Fürstenberg; born 18 April 1940), known professionally as Ira von Fürstenberg, is a European socialite, actress, jewelry designer and former public relations manager for the fashion designer Valentino Garavani. She is a member by birth of the princely family of Fürstenberg and a former member by marriage of the princely family of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Background

The daughter of Prince Tassilo zu Fürstenberg and his first wife, Clara Agnelli,[1] she was born in Rome, Italy. Her maternal great-grandmother was an American heiress, Jane Campbell (Princess di San Faustino, by marriage), and the elder of her two brothers was Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, a fashion designer.[1] She also has a younger brother, Prince Sebastian.[1]

Her former sister-in-law is the fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg, and an uncle was Gianni Agnelli, the chairman of FIAT.[1] She is a first cousin of Prince Karel Schwarzenberg, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. She speaks several languages, including Italian, French, German, Spanish and English.

She was reportedly an occasional companion and potential consort of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco after the death of his wife, the former Grace Kelly, but premature speculation in the press by her son about the marriage apparently dissuaded the prince from making a proposal. Like the late ruler of Monaco, who was her second cousin, she is a great-grandchild of the Scottish aristocrat Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, the first wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco. However, Princess Ira is descended from Lady Mary's second marriage with Tassilo Festetics von Tolna, a Hungarian count and later prince. Tassilo's sister, Countess Georgine Ernestine Festetics von Tolna, was the great-grandmother of the current ruler of Liechtenstein, making Princess Ira a third cousin of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein.

The princess is patron of a number of charities, including the Children of Africa Foundation set up by Dominique Ouattara.

First marriage

Ira von Fürstenberg with her brothers in 1955

Her first husband, whom she married at Venice, Italy, on 17 September 1955, was Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1924–2003), who founded the Marbella Club, a Spanish resort. At the time of the wedding, the bride was 15 and the groom was 31. They were divorced in 1960, and the marriage was annulled in 1969.

They had two children:

  • Christoph Victorio Egon Humberto (known as "Kiko"; 8 November 1956 – 5 August 2006), who died of massive organ failure a few days after being imprisoned in Klongprem Central Prison in Bangkok on charges of suspicion of illegally altering a visa. His health had been weakened from a weight-loss regimen at a Thai wellness center.[2][3]
  • Hubertus Rudolph (born 2 February 1959), a musician and photographer who was on Mexico's Olympic skiing team in 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 2010 and 2014.[4]

Second marriage

Her second husband was Francisco "Baby" Pignatari (1916–1977), a Brazilian industrialist. They married in Reno, Nevada, on 12 January 1961. They divorced in Las Vegas in January 1964, and they had no children.

Film career

Known for her plush silhouette, sloe eyes, and gift for light comedy, Ira von Fürstenberg (she and her brother Egon changed the zu to von for use in their public lives, although the former predicate historically implied a noble family's retention of ancestral estates, whereas von only suggests family origin) was a sumptuous star of European-made B-movies in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Her film appearances included the spy spoof Matchless (1968, co-starring Patrick O'Neal), I Killed Rasputin (1967), Dead Run (1967, co-starring Peter Lawford), My Bed Is Not for Sleeping (1968), The Vatican Affair (1968), The Battle of El Alamein (1969), Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970), No desearás al vecino del quinto (1970) and The Fifth Cord (1971).

Titles and styles

  • Her Serene Highness Princess Virginia of Fürstenberg (1940–1955)
  • Her Serene Highness Princess Virginia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Princess of Fürstenberg (1955–1960)
  • Her Serene Highness Princess Virginia of Fürstenberg (1960–1961)
  • Her Serene Highness Princess Virginia of Fürstenberg, Mrs. Pignatari (1961–1964)
  • Her Serene Highness Princess Virginia of Fürstenberg (1964–present)

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Clara Agnelli, car magnate's daughter – obituary". The Telegraph. 2016-08-04. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  2. ↑ Fujimori, Leila. (16 August 2006) News | /2006/08/16/. starbulletin.com. Retrieved on 2015-07-27.
  3. ↑ Marrone Cristina (8 August 2006) Ira Fürstenberg’s Son Dies In Prison. Corriere.it. Retrieved on 27 July 2015.
  4. ↑ http://www.hubertushohenlohe.com/
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.