Isabella von Thurn und Valsássina-Como-Vercelli
Austrian model, socialite, and noblewoman
| Names | |
|---|---|
| Isabella Maria Prinzessin zu Hanover |
Hanover (by marriage)
Princess Isabella of Hanover (born Countess Isabella Maria von Thurn und Valsássina-Como-Vercelli, 12 February 1962 – 29 November 1988) was an Austrian model, socialite, and noblewoman. She was a princess of the House of Hanover through her marriage to Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover. She died of a drug overdose in 1988, which reportedly led to her husband's suicide later that day.
Biography
Isabella was the daughter of Count Ariprand Raimund von Thurn und Valsássina-Como-Vercelli (1925–1996) and Princess Maria Perpetua Euphemia von Auersperg (b. 1929), both members of the defunct Austrian high nobility. By birth she was a member of the Thurn und Valsassina family, a cadet branch of the Princely House of Thurn und Taxis that were made Imperial counts of the Holy Roman Empire in 1541 by Charles V. She worked as a fashion model before getting married. She spent her childhood between Burg Bleiburg and Castle Hagenegg, which were both owned by her family.
Marriage and family
She married Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover on 4 October 1987 at her family's castle in Bleiburg.[1] Isabella and Ludwig were distantly related (7th cousins), both sharing descent from Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg and his wife, Princess Marie Auguste of Thurn and Taxis.[2] The couple had one son, Prince Otto Heinrich Ariprand Georg Johannes Ernst August Vinzenz Egmont Franz of Hanover, who was born on 13 February 1988 in Gmunden.[3]
Death
On 29 November 1988 the princess was found dead in her bedroom at her home in Gmunden following a suspected drug overdose.[4][5] Authorities announced her death was likely caused by a cocaine overdose.[6] Later that day her husband shot himself.[7] They were buried together in Grunau im Almtal, Austria. Their orphaned son, Prince Otto, was raised by his maternal grandparents.
References
- ^ Gómez, Juan (26 April 2012). "Un Hannover con mucho arte". El País – via elpais.com.
- ^ https://www.genealogics.org/relationship.php?altprimarypersonID=I00031330&savedpersonID=&secondpersonID=I00058390&maxrels=1&disallowspouses=1&generations=8&tree=LEO&primarypersonID=I00031330.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Death Turns Out the Lights at a Noble Couple's Last Soiree". PEOPLE.com.
- ^ "Prince Commits Suicide After Wife's Drug Death". AP NEWS.
- ^ "OVERDOSE, SUICIDE CLAIM ARISTOCRATIC PAIR EUROPEAN NOBLES MOURN FAIRY-TALE COUPLE DESTROYED BY COCAINE INVOLVEMENT". DeseretNews.com. 3 December 1988.
- ^ Opfell, Olgs S. (2001). Royalty Who Wait: The 21 Heads of Formerly Regnant Houses of Europe. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 46. ISBN 0-7864-0901-0.
- ^ "German Prince Kills Himself After Wife Dies of Overdose". Reuters. 29 November 1988 – via NYTimes.com.
- v
- t
- e
Generations are numbered by husband's descent from the first king of Hanover, George III.
- Princess Caroline of Monaco
- Countess Isabelle of Thurn and Valsassina-Como-Vercelli
- Thyra von Westernhagen
- 1also a British princess by marriage
