Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis


Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis was a German businessman and head of the House of Thurn und Taxis from 1982 until his death.

Early life

Johannes was born at Schloss Höfling in Regensburg, Germany, to Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, and Infanta Maria Anna de Braganza. He had two older sisters and one younger brother.

Marriage and family

In the 1970s Johannes threw avant-garde parties and, because he was bisexual, he was often seen in gay discos. Before he was married, his "constant companion" was Princess Henriette von Auersperg, later von Bohlen und Halbach.
On 31 May 1980 he married the much younger Countess Gloria of Schönburg-Glauchau. The pair were fourth cousins twice removed, both descended from Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis. The Schönburg-Glauchaus were a mediatised branch of the Schönburg dynasty of counts, which still possessed large estates in Germany after World War I, but became refugees in Africa under the Nazi regime and fell on hard times. The couple attracted massive media attention into the mid 1980s, with a haut bohème lifestyle locating them among the jet set and the Princess Gloria's over-the-top appearance prompted Vanity Fair to describe her as "Princess TNT, the dynamite socialite", a sobriquet that stayed with her a long time. The couple had three children:
Upon the death of his father in 1982, Johannes became the head of the Thurn and Taxis family. He died on 14 December 1990 after two unsuccessful heart transplants within two days, in Munich-Großhadern. With a legacy of U.S. $500 million in debts, his widow was forced to simplify her way of life to master the fiscal responsibilities of probating his estate and securing what remained of her husband's fortune.

Honours

Dynastic honours

Dynastic orders of non-reigning families: