Otto von Habsburg (referred to as Otto Habsburg-Lothringen by the Austrian government, although this is not his legal name, as he is a German citizen), sometimes known as Archduke Otto of Austria (Franz Josef Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xavier Felix René Ludwig Gaetano Pius Ignazius von Habsburg), born November 20, 1912, is the current head of the Habsburg family and the eldest son of Karl, the last Emperor of Austria and the last King of Hungary, and Empress/Queen Zita.

Otto and his great-granduncle Francis Joseph

Basic biography

Early life

Otto was born in Reichenau an der Rax, Lower Austria. In November 1916, Otto's father, Archduke Charles, on the death of his granduncle Franz Josef I, ascended to the throne and become Emperor Charles I of Austria and King Charles IV of Hungary while Otto himself, at the age of four, became Crown Prince of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. However, in 1918, at the end of the First World War, Karl had to abdicate, both monarchies were abolished, the Republics of Austria and Hungary founded instead, and the family were forced into exile.

Years in exile

Otto spent the following years in Switzerland and in Madeira, where Karl died prematurely in 1922, making Otto pretender to the throne at the age of ten. Meanwhile, the Austrian parliament had officially expelled the Habsburg dynasty and confiscated all the official property (Habsburgergesetz of April 3, 1919). In 1935 he graduated from the University of Leuven, having studied social and political science.

Opposed Nazi government

Otto spent most of the war years in Washington, D.C. (1940-1944), after escaping from Austria to Portugal with a visa issued by the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux Aristides Sousa Mendes. A fervent patriot, he had opposed the Nazi "Anschluss" of Austria of 1938 and also fought Hitler's regime from America. After the war, he lived in exile in France and Spain.

Early advocate of a United Europe

Well after the end of the Second World War, Otto finally renounced all claims to the Austrian throne (1961) and was eventually allowed to return to his home country in 1966. An early advocate of a unified Europe, he served from 1979 till 1999 as a Member of the European Parliament for the conservative German CSU party.

Family life

Otto has been married since 1951 to Princess Regina von Sachsen-Meiningen . The couple have seven children and 22 grandchildren. They reside at the "Villa Austria" in Pöcking , Bavaria, Germany.

Otto von Habsburg's oldest son Karl (Charles) Habsburg (born January 11, 1961), who is to be the future head of the Habsburg family, married Baroness Francesca of Thyssen-Bornemisza in 1993. They have three children and permanently live in Salzburg, Austria.

External links

• Erzherzog Dr. Otto von Habsburg (Autorisierte Ehrenseite)
• A Time Magazine essay by Otto Von Hapsburg, with his thoughts on democracy, the European Union, etc.