Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis

Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis (5 June 1926 – 14 December 1990) was a German businessman and head of the House of Thurn und Taxis from 1982 until his death.[1][2][3]

Johannes
Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Pictured with his wife in 1981
Head of the House of Thurn and Taxis
Period26 April 1982 – 14 December 1990
PredecessorKarl August
SuccessorAlbert II
Born(1926-06-05)5 June 1926
Schloss Höfling, Regensburg, Bavaria, Weimar Republic
Died14 December 1990(1990-12-14) (aged 64)
Munich, Germany
Burial
Gruftkapelle, St. Emmeram's Palace, Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany
Spouse
IssuePrincess Maria Theresia
Princess Elisabeth
Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Full name
German: Johannes Baptista de Jesus Maria Louis Miguel Friedrich Bonifazius Lamoral
HouseThurn and Taxis
FatherKarl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
MotherInfanta Maria Anna of Portugal
ReligionRoman Catholic

Early life

Johannes was born at Schloss Höfling in Regensburg, Germany, to Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, and Infanta Maria Anna de Braganza.[2] He had two older sisters and one younger brother.

Marriage and family

In the 1970s Johannes threw avant-garde parties and, because he was bisexual,[4][5] he was often seen in gay discos.[6] Before he was married, his "constant companion" was Princess Henriette von Auersperg, later von Bohlen und Halbach.

On 31 May 1980 he married the much younger Countess Gloria of Schönburg-Glauchau (born 1960). The pair were fourth cousins twice removed, both descended from Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis. The Schönburg-Glauchaus were a mediatised branch of the Schönburg dynasty of counts, which still possessed large estates in Germany after World War I,[2] but became refugees in Africa under the Nazi regime and fell on hard times. The couple attracted massive media attention into the mid 1980s, with a haut bohème lifestyle locating them among the jet set and the Princess Gloria's over-the-top appearance (characterized by bright hair color and flashy clothes) prompted Vanity Fair to describe her as "Princess TNT, the dynamite socialite", a sobriquet that stayed with her a long time.[7] The couple had three children:[2]

Upon the death of his father in 1982, Johannes became the head of the Thurn and Taxis family. He died on 14 December 1990 after two unsuccessful heart transplants within two days, in Munich-Großhadern. With a legacy of U.S. $500 million in debts, his widow was forced to simplify her way of life to master the fiscal responsibilities of probating his estate and securing what remained of her husband's fortune.[7]

Honours

Dynastic honours

Dynastic orders of non-reigning families:

National and foreign honours

Ancestry

Sources
Styles of
Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Reference styleHis Serene Highness
Spoken styleYour Serene Highness
Alternative styleSir
  • Wolfgang Behringer. Thurn und Taxis: Die Geschichte ihrer Post und ihrer Unternehmen. München/Zürich: 1990. ISBN 3-492-03336-9
  • Martin Dallmeier and Martha Schad. Das Fürstliche Haus Thurn und Taxis, 300 Jahre Geschichte in Bildern. Regensburg: 1996. ISBN 3-7917-1492-9
  • Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller. Mann für Mann. page 689

References
  1. Willis, Daniel. The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain. Clearfield, 2002, Baltimore, US. p. 516. ISBN 0-8063-5172-1.
  2. Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels: Furstliche Hauser Band XIX. Limburg an der Lahn: C. A. Starke Verlag. 2011. pp. 365, 367, 369, 382–383, 385–386. ISBN 978-3-7980-0849-6.
  3. In 1919 royalty and nobility were mandated to lose their privileges in Germany, hereditary titles were to be legally borne thereafter only as part of the surname, according to Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution. Styles such as majesty and highness were not retained. Archived 2015-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Gloria in Extremis, Horacio Silva, New York Times Style Magazine, 6 December 2008
  5. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2006/06/princesstnt200606
  6. Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller. Mann für Mann. page 689
  7. "The Conversion of Gloria TNT". Colacello, Bob. Vanity Fair (magazine). June 2006. retrieved 26 June 2015.
  8. Tutzing, Jana Stegemann (14 September 2014). "Hochzeits-Ausflug in die Provinz" – via Sueddeutsche.de.
  9. "Hochzeit im Hause Thurn und Taxis - Maria Theresia heiratet Hugo Wilson".
  10. Alamy, Orders shown at Johannes funeral
  11. RoyaltyGuide, Johannes seen wearing the Necklet and medal
  12. seen wearing the sash and star of the order
  13. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VwCYQz2eY-I/VBs16zzsIpI/AAAAAAAAOKY/xtBji0ymeU4/s1600/Scan0040.jpg
  14. wearing the Grand Cross' star on his stomach
  15. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/412712753323873814/
  16. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_uWBHkd4c3U/UIBnJftxRpI/AAAAAAAAIJ4/GQbD7kZ7ZHE/s1600/28s4gmr.jpg
  17. http://imagecollect.com/picture/prince-photo-2254969/archival-pictures-globe-photos-49698
  18. Royal Magazin
  19. http://c8.alamy.com/comp/CPW6HX/thurn-taxis-johannes-prince-of-561920-14121990-german-businessman-CPW6HX.jpg

Media related to Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis at Wikimedia Commons

Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Cadet branch of the House of Tassis
Born: 5 June 1926 Died: 14 December 1990
German nobility
Preceded by
Karl August		 Prince of Thurn and Taxis
26 April 1982 – 14 December 1990		 Succeeded by
Albert II
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