Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein

Infobox Person
name = Alois,
Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein
other_names = Alois Philipp Maria

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image_size = 180px
birth_date = bda|1968|06|11|df=y
birth_place = Zurich, Switzerland
title = Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein
Count of Rietberg
religion = Roman Catholic
parents = Prince Hans-Adam II
Princess Marie Aglaë
spouse = Hereditary Princess Sophie
children = Prince Joseph Wenzel
Princess Marie Caroline
Prince Georg Antonius
Prince Nikolaus Sebastian
Infobox Royal styles
royal name = Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein


dipstyle = His Serene Highness
offstyle = Your Serene Highness
altstyle = Sir

Alois Philipp Maria, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (German: "Erbprinz Alois Philipp Maria von und zu Liechtenstein") (born 11 June 1968 in Zürich) is the eldest son of Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein and his wife/cousin Marie Aglaë, Countess Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau. He has been Regent of Liechtenstein ("Stellvertreter des Fürsten") since 15 August 2004. He will be expected to become prince as Alois III, while his son, Josef Wenzel, will be eventually expected to become prince as Josef Wenzel II. His marriage to Sophie will unite the thrones of the Jacobite succession, the Duchy of Bavaria and the principality of Liechtenstein to one end

Education & military

He attended the Liechtenstein Grammar School in Vaduz-Ebenholz and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. He served in the Coldstream Guards in Hong Kong and London for six months before entering the University of Salzburg, from which he earned a Master's degree in Jurisprudence in 1993.

Duties

Until 1996, Alois worked at a London auditing company. In May of that year, he returned to Vaduz and became active in managing his father's finances and took an increasingly active role in political discussions and consultations, and in assuming representative duties for Liechtenstein.

On Liechtenstein Day, (15 August) in 1990, he and his father publicly and jointly swore to uphold the Constitution.

Hans-Adam II won sweeping new powers (the right to veto laws and elect judges) in a Constitutional referendum in 2003.

On Liechtenstein Day, 2004, Prince Hans-Adam II formally turned the power of making day-to-day governmental decisions over to his son, Erbprinz Alois, as a way of preparing for the transition to a new generation. (Hans-Adam remains Head of State).

On 27 November, 2005, Liechtenstein voters rejected an initiative that would prohibit abortion and birth control in the principality. Instead, a government-sponsored counterproposal was ratified. The pro-life initiative was supported by Roman Catholic Archbishop Wolfgang Haas. Hereditary Prince Alois was initially sympathetic to the pro-life proposal, but became neutral during the run-up to the vote.

Marriage & children

On 3 July 1993, at St. Florin's in Vaduz, Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein married HRH Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, Princess of Bavaria, now also Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein and Countess of Rietberg. They have four children:
* HSH "Prince Joseph Wenzel Maximilian Maria of Liechtenstein", Count of Rietberg (born 24 May 1995 in London)
* HSH "Princess Marie-Caroline Elisabeth Immaculata of Liechtenstein", Countess of Rietberg (born 17 October 1996 in Grabs, Canton of St. Gallen)
* HSH "Prince Georg Antonius Constantin Maria of Liechtenstein", Count of Rietberg (born 20 April 1999 in Grabs)
* HSH "Prince Nikolaus Sebastian Alexander Maria of Liechtenstein", Count of Rietberg (born 6 December 2000, in Grabs)

See also

* List of Princes of Liechtenstein
* Line of succession to the Liechtensteinian Throne
* Princely Family of Liechtenstein