Francesca von Habsburg

Infobox Austrian Royalty|archduchess
name = Archduchess Francesca
title = Archduchess and Princess Francesca of Austria; Princess Francesca of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia


imgw = 150px
caption =
date of birth = birth date and age|1958|6|7
place of birth = Lausanne, Switzerland
spouse = Archduke Karl
issue = Archduchess Eleonore
Archduke Ferdinand
Archduchess Gloria
father =Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza
mother =Fiona Frances Elaine Campbell-Walter

Francesca von Habsburg (born 7 June 1958) is an art collector and the wife of Karl Habsburg-Lothringen heir to the headship of the House of Habsburg.

Life

She was born as Francesca Anne Dolores Freiin Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva in Lausanne the daughter of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and his third wife fashion model Fiona Frances Elaine Campbell-Walter. She was educated at Le Rosey in Switzerland and at the age of eighteen attended the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design but left after two years. After leaving the college she worked as an actress, singer and modelcite news | last = Milner | first = Catherine | title = 'It's like an invasion - without rape and pillage' | publisher = Daily Telegraph | date = 2006-05-13 | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/05/13/bahabs13.xml&sSheet=/arts/2006/05/13/ixartright.html |pages=1 | accessdate =2008-02-22 ] Her partying lifestyle in London in the 1980s earned her reputation as an It girl. For the ten years after she left Saint Matins college she lived in England, New York and Los Angeles before moving to Lugano to become curator for her father's art collection.cite news | last = Milner | first = Catherine | title = 'It's like an invasion - without rape and pillage' | publisher = Daily Telegraph | date = 2006-05-13 | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/05/13/bahabs13.xml&page=2 |pages=2 | accessdate =2008-02-22 ]

During the Yugoslav wars Francesca visited the country to help protect the countries heritage and artworks and to help restore churches and paintings damaged during the fighting.

Francesca is now a leading figure in the art world and regularly attends the major biennales and international art fairscite news | last = Byrnes | first = Sholto | title = Francesca von Habsburg: The It-girl who became an empress | publisher = The Independent | date = 2006-06-18 | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/francesca-von-habsburg-the-itgirl-who-became-an-empress-482269.html | accessdate =2008-02-22 ] and has built up her own art collection with over three hundred pieces of contemporary video and digital art.

She appeared as Queen Marie-Henriette in the production "Kronprinz Rudolf" (2006).

Personal life

Francesca who has previously been in relationships with Steve Strange and Dodi Al-Fayed married the heir to Habsburg family Archduke Karl, son of Dr. Otto von Habsburg, in Mariazell on 31 January 1993. They have three children.
*Archduchess Eleonore of Austria (born February 28 1994)
*Archduke Ferdinand Zvonimir of Austria (born June 21 1997)
*Archduchess Gloria of Austria (born October 15 1999)

Francesca and Karl are currently amicably separated since 2003.

References

ee also

*Thyssen
*Thyssen family
*Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza
*Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

External links

*
*
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/magazine/25stylefrancesca.t.html?pagewanted=1 We Are Not a Muse]
* [http://worldroots.com/~brigitte/famous/f/francescathyssenanc1958.htm Ancestors of Baroness Francesca Anne Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kaszon]
* [http://worldroots.com/~brigitte/famous/e/eleonoreaustriaanc1994.htm Ancestors of Archduchess Eleonore of Austria]
* [http://worldroots.com/~brigitte/famous/f/ferdinandaustriaanc1997.htm Ancestors of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria]
* [http://worldroots.com/~brigitte/famous/g/gloriaaustriaanc1999.htm Ancestors of Archduchess Gloria of Austria]
* [http://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/thyssen.html Thyssen-Bornemissza de Kászon et Impérfalva Family]