Archduke Karl von Habsburg

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Happy Birthday to Archduke Karl von Habsburg, who turns 60th today! The sixth child and eldest son of Archduke Otto von Habsburg, the last Austrian Crown Prince, and Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen, Archduke Karl grew up at the Villa Austria in Pöcking, Germany as the family was prohibited from entering Austria until 1966. After serving with the Austrian Army, he served as a Member of the European Parliament for the Austrian People’s Party and is an advocate for the Pan-European movement. Archduke Karl has been committed to protecting the world’s cultural heritage from threats such as armed conflict and natural disasters, and, as President of the Blue Shield International, vigorously advocates international humanitarian law, the right of peoples to self-determination and the protection of ethnic minorities worldwide. In 1993, he married Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza and the couple had three children, before separating in 2003 and divorcing 2017.  Though he does not like to use his Imperial Titles, as Head of the illustrious House of Habsburg, Archduke Karl is the Sovereign of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece, and undertakes a variety of cultural, historical, scientific, political, and chivalric engagements dealing with the legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. We wish HI&RH a very Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns! 

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