House Thurn and Taxis Grandchildren Mafalda Wilson Role Businessman | Name Johannes, Prince Religion Roman Catholic | |
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Born 5 June 1926Regensburg, Germany ( 1926-06-05 ) Issue Princess Maria TheresiaPrincess ElisabethPrince Albert Mother Infanta Maria Anna de Braganca Spouse Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis (m. 1980–1990) Children Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis Parents Princess Maria Anna of Braganza, Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis Similar People Gloria - Princess of Thurn an, Albert - 12th Prince of Thurn an, Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis, Princess Maria Theresia, Alexander - Count of Schonburg‑Glauchau | ||
Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis (5 June 1926 – 14 December 1990) was a German businessman and head of the immensely wealthy, formerly princely Thurn und Taxis family from 1982 until his death.
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Early life
Johannes was born 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.
On 31 May 1980 he married the much younger Countess Gloria of Schönburg-Glauchau (born 1960). They were 4th cousin 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 (characterized by bright hair color and flashy clothes) 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. On 14 December 1990 he died, after two heart transplants within 2 days, in Munich-Großhadern. He left U.S. $500 million in debts and his widow sobered her lifestyle to master the fiscal responsibilities of probating his estate and securing what remained of her son's fortune.
Dynastic honours
Dynastic orders of non-reigning families: