Archduke Otto (1912 -), Head of the Imperial House, and Archduchess Regina (1925 -)

[flcty]

Otto's back in the spotlight, with his new book, The Habsburg Factor: Visions for the New Millennium.
ImageShack - Hosting :: visionottovc9.jpg
Getty Images.

[fanletizia]

Otto Habsburg (L) and his wife Regina attend a mass led by Pope Benedict XVI in Mariazell September 8, 2007

Papacy and the Vatican on Yahoo! News Photos

[RubyPrincess168]

They look like homeless people! Why wasn't this indoors?

[HMTLove23]

Nice day, i guess

[Warren]

Originally Posted by RubyPrincess168

They look like homeless people! Why wasn't this indoors?

The Archduke Otto is just a couple of months short of his 95th birthday and is surely deserving of the privilege of shelter.

[Jo of Palatine]

Tomorrow is not only the diamond wedding anniversary of the British queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, it's the 95. birthday of Dr. Otto von Habsburg. If Austria was still an empire, he would be emperor for 85 years... way to go for queen Elizabeth...

Congratulations to a great European!

[Warren]

de juré Emperor of Austria, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Bohemia etc etc, and Head of the Imperial House of Habsburg since the death of his father the Emperor Karl on 1 April 1922 - 85 years. Congratulations indeed. Apart from one pharoah, surely a record!

[maidmarion]

Congratulations indeed! The world could use more men such as he!
MM

[Avalon]

Congratulations to Otto von Habsburg!
A very memorble date indeed, to be an Emperor (de jure) for 85 years.

There was quite a big birthday party, to celebrate his 95th Birthday Party.
Here are some pictures:

# Otto von Habsburg, in front of a painting of his father emperor Karl (the European flag behind him is symbolic, as he was the head of the Paneuropean Union and member of the European Parliament)

# Three generations - Archduke Otto von Habsburg, his son archduke Karl and his grandson Ferdinand Zvonimir

# Otto von Habsburg on the way to his birthday party


# Archduke Karl von Habsburg with his wife archduchess Francesca and their children Eleonore and Ferdinand Zvonimir


# Archduchess Andrea von Habsburg with her husband Karl Eugen von Neipperg and their children Philipp, Benedikt, Dominik, Hemma and Katharina

# Archduchess Francesca von Habsburg, with her mother Fiona Thyssen

# Archduke Karl von Habsburg with his wife archduchess Francesca

# Archduke Paul Georg von Habsburg with his wife archduchess Eilika

[Marengo]

Thanks for reminding us Avalon! It looks as if only his family attended or does anybody know if other Habsburgs showed up too (they usually do, en masse)? Nice to see Karl and Fransesca together btw, I recall some divorce rumours 2 years ago or so, but the couple still seems to be together (Archduches Fransesca looks good btw).

Where was his wife Regina btw? Just no pictures or was her health too frail to attend?

[Harold]

Where was the party? In Austria or Bavaria?

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by Harold

Where was the party? In Austria or Bavaria?

The pics were taken at the Hofburg in Vienna, where the Archduke and his family were received by the president of the republic of Austria. Before that there was a service of thanksgiving at the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Vienna, afterwards the family travelled to Sarajewo in Bosnia to celebrate.

[Avalon]

Originally Posted by Marengo

Thanks for reminding us Avalon! It looks as if only his family attended or does anybody know if other Habsburgs showed up too (they usually do, en masse)? Nice to see Karl and Fransesca together btw, I recall some divorce rumours 2 years ago or so, but the couple still seems to be together (Archduches Fransesca looks good btw).

Where was his wife Regina btw? Just no pictures or was her health too frail to attend?

It was a family affair with closest family members and friends only. There weren't any pictures of other Habsburgs, so I assome they weren't there. Perhaps they will celebrate the memorable anniversary all together at some different time (perhaps in Sarajevo, where, according to Jo of Palatine, the family later travelled to celebrate).
I'm not sure whether Regina attended or not. There weren't any pictures of her anywhere, so I'm more inclined to think she didn't.

Originally Posted by Harold

Where was the party? In Austria or Bavaria?

As Jo said, the party was in Vienna, in Hofburg.

[Harold]

Wow. He was received by the President? The days of the expulsion law are gone?

[Hanna Regina]

Archduke Otto visited the Herend porcelain factory in Hungary, south-west of Budapest, on the 16th of november. There he was presented with a big 95th-birthday cake. He was joined by his wife Regina and their second son Georg and his wife Eilika and three children.

ANP Beeldbank
ANP Beeldbank

[Harold]

I have always been interested in the practical side of royalty. After WWI, Otto and his family were broke, correct? How did Zita and the children survive after Karl's death? Otto seems to be a very unique person - in a very positive way. If only more of our real politicians were like him!

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by Harold

I have always been interested in the practical side of royalty. After WWI, Otto and his family were broke, correct? How did Zita and the children survive after Karl's death? Otto seems to be a very unique person - in a very positive way. If only more of our real politicians were like him!

I doubt they were ever broke. The Habsburg had not only possessions in Austria-Hungary, but in Switzerland, Germany and other countries who did not dispossess them like Austria and the communist countries. They were not longer that enormously rich but they still have enough to cope.

[Marengo]

Here an article from the German Bunte about the birthday celebrations. It shows a picture of Otto and Regina so it seems that she was there!