Luxarazzi 101: Wedding of Prince Hans-Adam and Princess Marie

Heute (that's German, Liechtenstein's official language, for today) the Prince Hans-Adam II and the Princess Marie are celebrating their 46th wedding anniversary, so in good new Luxarazzi 101 tradition, we will grab the chance to have a look at their nuptials and the events surrounding it.

Photo: Liechtensteiner Volksblatt

The engagement of then Hereditary Prince Hans-Adam and Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau was announced on 17 April 1966 after Liechtenstein's newspapers had speculated about an imminent engagement for quite a while. Some sources say that the couple already got privately engaged a year earlier.

The couple had first met in the summer of 1961 when the then twenty-one-year-old countess was visiting family members in the Principality and Princess Gina invited her to the castle. While Prince Hans-Adam II, just 16 at the time, claims that it was love at first sight for him, it took his chosen one a little longer. The engagement, however, did not come as a surprise as rumours were flying high in Liechtenstein after the couple had been spotted out and about a couple of times.

It was decided that the nuptials were to take place on 30 July 1967 in order to give the Hereditary Prince, just 21 at the time of his engagement, another year to advance with his studies. There were another few events held to celebrate the couple in advance to the wedding which was scheduled to take place on a Sunday. As it was the case with their oldest son's wedding, the population of the alpine Principality was also heavily involved in the celebrations.

Press reception and pre-wedding ball at Schloss Vaduz (Photos: Historischer Verein)

In rather small fashion, the couple welcomed the government at Schloss Vaduz on Wednesday to receive a few gifts, including a sapphire necklace for the future Hereditary Princess that could be converted into a tiara. (In case you have ever seen her with a sapphire necklace, make sure to send a picture in, please!) On Thursday there was the vernissage of an exhibition by local artists in Vaduz and a concert of chamber music in Balzers. A day later, on Friday, the couple met with the press at the Waldhotel Vaduz where they answered the questions of the international media.

On Friday night, the bridal soirée for members of the bridal couple's families, royal and noble relatives as well as politicians and diplomats was held at Schloss Vaduz. If media reports are to be believed, they partied until dawn. Countess Marie wore a white and yellow beaded gown by Balmain and a small bandeau tiara.

Photos: Historischer Verein / Getty Images

The day of the wedding of Prince Hans-Adam II and Princess Marie started with the bridal procession from Schloss to the government building in cars and from government building to the St. Florin church by foot. While then Hereditary Prince Hans-Adam was accompanied by his mother, then Countess Marie was led to the altar by her father, Count Ferdinand Kinsky. 

The couple had chosen to have bridal children from all of the eleven municipalities of the Principality though their most prominent one, the Kranzelkind, was Prince Wenzel, Hans-Adam's youngest brother.

Photos: Bunte / Historischer Verein

Princess Marie wore an empire-style gown by Parisian couturier Jacques Heim made of white silk and with a broad pearl beading along the edges of the train, sleeves and where the dress parted in the middle. She anchored her veil with the Habsburg Fringe Tiara, brought into the family by the groom's grandmother, Archduchess Elisabeth. In doing so, she was the first bride in the family to chose this tiara as her wedding tiara, an example later to be followed by her sister-in-law Princess Isabelle.

The Prince and the Princess were married by the bishop of Chur, Johannes Vonderach, with lots of other clergy also present. The witnesses to their marriage were the groom's brothers, Prince Philipp and Prince Nikolaus, as well as Count Ferdinand Kinsky, Count Hans Kinsky, Count Christian of Salen-Reifferscheidt-Raitz and Alexander Frick, deputy of the parliament. For the church service, music by Josef Gabriel Rheinberger, Alessandro Scarlatti and Johann Friedrich Fasch was chosen.

The guest list of the wedding events read like the who is who of German speaking nobility including the Houses of Habsburg-Lorraine, Bavaria, Hanover, Württemberg, Hesse, Baden and many more. In addition there were Queen Annemarie of the Hellenes, Princess Irene of Greece and Queen Sofia of Spain, at the time still princess of Spain.

Video: Critical Past

After the church service was over, the guest processed to the town hall of Vaduz from where the guests of the Princely Family departed via car to the castle for a reception including a seven course meal cooked by Felix Real. Meanwhile, the guests of the government went to a nearby hotel where another reception took place and was also attended the newly weds for a while.

Like it is a tradition in the Principality, a parade and public festival took place in the afternoon and evening hours of the day. To round off the celebrations, there was a fireworks display. Afterwards, the couple embarked on their honeymoon. While it was revealed that their first stop would be Paris, the other destinations were kept secret.