Hans Adam II

16th Liechtenstein ball .

February 14, 1945 Switzerland The eldest son of Duke Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein and Queen Gina of Zurich , he was designated as heir immediately after birth. The godfather was the Pope at the time. It was performed by Pius XII .[1] He began his studies by entering the Schottenginasium in Vienna in 1956, and in 1960 he transferred to the Richeum Alpinium Zuoz in Switzerland, and in 1965 he obtained qualifications to enter universities in both Switzerland and Germany. Before entering university, he worked as an intern at a bank in London , then entered the University of St. Gallen, majoring in business administration, and graduated with a master's degree in 1969.

In 1984, Franz Josef II maintained the legal status of head of state and the title of king, but officially transferred real power of daily state affairs to his eldest son, Hans Adam, effectively beginning the succession process. Five years later, on November 13, 1989, when Franz Josef II died, he was officially crowned as Prince of Liechtenstein.

From the moment Hans Adam II ascended the throne, he clashed with the government at every turn. Hans Adam II wanted Liechtenstein to join the European Economic Area (EEA), but the government opposed this.[2] When Hans Adam II tried to appoint someone he liked as a judge, the parliament and the executive branch put the brakes on the decision, saying it was an abuse of power by the archduke. Feeling fed up, Hans Adam II pushed for an imperial constitutional amendment in 2003 that greatly expanded the archduke's authority, specifying the archduke's right to veto bills, dissolve parliament, and appoint judges. Naturally, political circles, civic groups, and even the Council of Europe came forward to criticize the archduke. However, if Hans Adam II was not satisfied with the results of the vote, he made a strong promise that he would 'renounce the Grand Duchy and go into exile in Switzerland with all his possessions ', and eventually the referendum was passed with 64.3% in favor.[3]

In 1995, he suffered the humiliation of being brought before the European Court of Human Rights . When former Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein Herbert Biele argued in a lecture in the past that "the Liechtenstein court should have the final say in constitutional disputes with the Archduke," the Archduke took revenge and sent him a letter informing him that he would not appoint him to public office. Ultimately, in 1999, the European Court of Human Rights found Liechtenstein guilty, ruling that the vacancy violated freedom of expression .

On August 15, 2004, he officially passed on the day-to-day management of state affairs as regent to his eldest son, Prince Alois . However, Hans Adam II still maintains the legal position of head of state, following the way his father transferred power to him.

In 2012, another incident of threatening the public occurred. Liechtenstein, which had a strong Catholic flavor, was one of the few countries in Europe at the time to strictly prohibit abortion by law, and as a result of civil society's movement, a bill to legalize abortion was submitted to a referendum. Then, Crown Prince Alois, who was in charge of the regent, threw a bombshell declaration before the vote, saying, "I will unconditionally exercise my veto," and some politicians, angry at the duke's trampling on the will of the people, proposed a new referendum to limit the archduke's authority. Then, if Hans Adam II restricted the power of the Archduke again as he had done 9 years ago , the Liechtenstein family issued a counter-threat that they would abandon the throne and go into exile abroad . In the end, even the National Assembly took the King's side, and in July 2012, a referendum on limiting the Archduke's powers was rejected with 76% of the vote.

The richest of all European monarchs. The Liechtenstein family 's wealth consists of LGT Financial Group, the world's largest private bank headquartered in Liechtenstein, and is worth approximately 8 trillion won. It is nearly twice as rich as its in-laws , the Nassau Weilburg dynasty of Luxembourg , five times richer than the Grimaldi family of Monaco , and Norway. It is 400 times richer than the Glücksburg dynasty . Regent for Prince Alois[4] Although he was appointed and transferred full domestic authority and retired from the front line, the throne still belongs to Hans Adam II.

Even before his accession to the throne, Hans Adam II had demonstrated outstanding business acumen by growing the royal family-owned LGT Financial Group from a small bank to an international financial group. In the first place, immediately after World War II, all property in Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic , was confiscated by the communist regime.[5] Hans Adam II is the person who left behind the feat of saving the family that was on the verge of bankruptcy . His father, Franz Joseph II, did not have money to make a living right away, so he had to survive by selling famous paintings by Da Vinci and Rubens that had been passed down from generation to generation, but Hans Adam II came to the forefront with the practical skills he had acquired in London and achieved explosive growth. LGT Group developed by introducing a professional management system, specializing in PB, and expanding overseas branches.

As of 2003, the Liechtenstein family's assets amounted to $7.6 billion and personal assets amounted to approximately $4 billion, making him one of the richest heads of state in the world and Europe's richest monarch.

He inherited the main palace, Vaduz Castle in Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein Castle in Austria, Wilpersdorf Castle (including a winery), and the Liechtenstein Garden Palace and City Palace in Vienna. It is most prominent in real estate, winemaking, agriculture, and forestry, and also owns companies such as the American agricultural company RiceTec. He also inherited an extensive art collection, many of which are on display at the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna. Not only has he recovered a large number of works that his father once sold due to financial difficulties, but he is constantly expanding by acquiring works of art.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index as of July 2022, Hans Adam II's net worth is approximately $6.2 billion, ranking 380th in the world. However, all of these assets are managed in trust by the family foundation, the 'Grand Duke of Liechtenstein Foundation', and this Grand Duke Foundation maintains and repairs the castle, cultural assets, art collection, and museum of the Duke of Liechtenstein, and pays equal living expenses to members of the Duke of Liechtenstein every year. Furthermore, the foundation pays all of the royal family's operating expenses, including the salaries of Confucius serving as overseas ambassadors, thus making no effort to use taxpayers' money. It is thanks to this enormous wealth that the Archduke's family is able to wield enormous influence over parliament, the government, and the people.

In 1967, he married Fürstin Marie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau, who was six years his senior and had three sons and one daughter.

He is the great nephew of Charles I , the last emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire . Hans Adam's paternal grandmother, Archduchess Elisabeth Amali, was the half-aunt of Charles I.[9]