Papal order bestowed on Gloria

The Bishopric of Regensburg yesterday announced that the former wild-child-turned-devout-Catholic Fürstin Gloria von Thurn und Taxis has been appointed Dame Commander with Star (DC*SG) of The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Benedictus XVI.

“Particularly impressive is her great interest in the theory and tradition of the church, as well as her natural loyalty towards the Pope and Bishop. Furthermore Gloria is a role model for many people through her charity commitments“, Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Bishop of Regensburg, said in a statement.

The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great was founded in 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI and today it belongs to one of five pontifical orders of knighthood conferred by the Holy See. Since 1994 it can be conferred also upon women and it is given to Catholics “in recognition of their service to the Church, unusual labors, support of the Holy See, and the good example set in their communities and country”.

Fürstin Gloria’s Catholic awakening

She’s a familiar face to so many. The vivacious countess who married an over thirty years older prince in 1980’s, became the Glamour Queen of the decade and later turned businesswoman when she single-handedly had to care for their children and grab hold of the family’s assets and tax debts when her husband died. Today Fürstin Gloria von Thurn und Taxis is a well-respected businesswoman who has not only managed to keep the family’s property together (although some concessions has had to be made) but also made the family name into a brand of its own by opening up residences and organising events for the public to name a few things. After everything Gloria has experienced, she has came out of it all as a devout catholic, and she’s not quiet about her religiosity or religious convictions.

Soon approaching the age of 50, Gloria has even co-authored a book on faith together with her good friend Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Köln. “The Princess and the Cardinal: A Discussion over Faith and Tradition” (original title: “Die Fürstin und der Kardinal: Ein Gespräch über Glauben und Tradition”) which came out on 1 September in Germany. The book poses some basic questions like what values are important, how does it work with praying and what about doubt? As a part of selling the book, both the Fürstin and the Cardinal are doing appearances for PR purposes. Today Gloria and Joachim held a book reading and signing in Cologne, yesterday evening they were guests on the popular program “Menschen bei Maischberger” on ARD.

On the television program, Gloria showed that she is not afraid to show what she stands for. In a very personal way she shared with the audience her experiences on the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of her good friend Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as his replacement during the conclave. Also on the more controversial issues, the Fürstin showed that she is indeed a convinced and deeply faithful catholic Christian who does not approve of either birth-control pills or condoms.
- I recommend my daughters not to take the pill. The pill is a form of abortion. Life is the will of God, she said.

Also on the issue of preventing HIV/AIDS with condoms, the Fürstin was clear:
- Condoms against AIDS does not help, she established.

Glamorous summer nights

Every summer music lovers from all over the world flock to the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but not just for his sake – but to attend the famous Salzburger Festspiele (Salzburg Festival). The unique event that offers a vast program of opera, drama and concerts, opened this weekend and as always it attracts music-loving royals, nobles and public officials from near and far. When the opera premiere of Don Giovanni took place on Saturday, Fürstin Gloria von Thurn und Taxis was in the audience, as was Prince Leopold and Princess Ursula von Bayern.

Princess Marie Louise of Preussen, Countess of Schönburg-Glauchau, this weekend hosted the annual Concordia charity gala at the Marbella Club in the south of Spain. The granddaughter of the last German Kaiser and King of Preussen, who lives in Marbella together with her husband Count Rudolf of Schönburg-Glauchau, stood host to the many generous guests who had paid high ticket prices to get a table or a seat at the candle-lit tables nicely decorated with flowers. After a formal sit-down dinner entertainment and dancing followed, Fürst Ferdinand von Bismarck was one of the guests seen shaking is loose in high spirits. Other royal family and friends who attended were Count Friedrich of Schönburg-Glauchau, Prince Georg Friedrich of Preussen, Princess Maja of Hohenzollern, Princess Ira zu Fürstenberg and Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia. Other attendants were cystal-heiress Maya Swarovski, actor Chris Tucker and music maestro Quincy Jones.

Princess Marie-Louse started the aid foundation together with two friends during the mid 1990’s when alarming numbers of people were affected with the AIDS virus in the south of Spain. Since then she has been the organisation’s untired president and today heads a range of fundraising activities to benefit the work of Concordia. Today they run day centers for HIV positives in need of support for families or medical, social and psychological help for themselves. Not only the virus in itself but also working around the issue of acceptance and tolerance of the disease is something that the organisation feel is very important. Through meetings with school kids, societies and other organisations, plus public promotion in connection to the World AIDS Day, Concordia tries to bring the disease closer to people in order to spread information and knowledge.

Rainy festival opening in Regensburg

Thunder, lightning and rain was over the Bavarian city of Regensburg yesterday evening as the annual Thurn und Taxis Castle Festival (Thurn und Taxis Schlossfestspiele) premiered Bizet’s opera Carmen at the courtyard of St. Emmeram. Fürstin Glora von Thurn und Taxis, dressed in a traditional dirndl for the evening, did her best to keep the VIP guests happy and tried to meet the weather conditions with a happy smile. Though the audience did its best to cover themselves in raincoats and umbrellas, the downfall was so heavy and the thunderstorm and lightning so severe that some chose to go home within the first few minutes of the performance. Over 200 cast members from the Staatsoper Breslau stayed put and carried out the premiere until the end.

Glorai was joined by her two daughters, Princesses Elisabeth and Maria Teresia, as well as her mother Countess Beatriz, brother Count Carl-Alban with wife Juliet with sons Hubertus and Benedikt, sister Maya Flick with daughter Charlotta and Prince Friedrich of Thurn und Taxis. Among other VIP guests were Countess Cecilia von Bismarck and the Chairman of the FDP, Guido Westerwelle.

The Thurn und Taxis Castle Festival, which attracts more than some thirty thousand people to its musical performances every year, has become a very popular attraction both for music enthusiasts, tourists and VIP’s since it started in 2003. Many big musical stars are always on the schedule; this year Montserrat Caballé and Liza Minelli are the biggest names.