# Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein

Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg (Joseph Wenzel Maximilian Maria; born 24 May 1995) is the eldest child of Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, and his wife, Duchess Sophie Elizabeth Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria, He is also the eldest grandchild of the current ruling prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II, and Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau.
He is second in the line of succession to the Liechtensteiner throne through his father.

## Biography

Prince Joseph Wenzel was born on 24 May 1995 at the Portland Hospital in the West End of London to Hereditary Prince Alois and his wife Hereditary Princess Sophie (née Duchess Sophie in Bavaria). He has three younger siblings: Princess Marie Caroline, Prince Georg and Prince Nikolaus. The Prince is named Joseph Wenzel Maximilian Maria after Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, his maternal grandfather Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria, his paternal uncle and godfather Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein. He is informally known as Prince Wenzel.
Prince Joseph Wenzel was educated at Malvern College, a coeducational boarding school in Worcestershire, England. He graduated from Malvern College in 2014. He spent a gap year pursuing an internship at the United States Senate and travelling to Peru and Bolivia.

## Dynastic ties

Since birth, Joseph Wenzel has borne the titles "Prince of Liechtenstein" and "Count of Rietberg." He is second in line for the throne of Liechtenstein, preceded only by his father, who has been regent since 15 August 2004. However, Joseph Wenzel's grandfather Prince Hans-Adam II formally remains head of state and of the Princely House of Liechtenstein. Upon the accession of his father, Joseph Wenzel would become the hereditary prince (Erbprinz), i.e. the heir apparent to the throne.
Joseph Wenzel is also third in line in the Jacobite succession as successor to the current heir, his maternal grand-uncle Franz, Duke of Bavaria.

## References and notes

* ↑ B. Turner, ed., The Statesman's Yearbook 2008: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World (Springer, 2008), p. 795
* 1 2 3 4 William Bortrick. "HSH Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein. The Royal Family of Liechtenstein. House of Liechtenstein". Burke's Peerage. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
* 1 2 Storoschuk, Jessica (20 April 2021). "Grandchildren of monarchs: Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein". Royal Central. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022.
* 1 2 "Thronfolger feiert seinen 20. Geburtstag" [Heir to the throne celebrates his 20th birthday]. Liechtensteiner Vaterland. 23 May 2015. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Am Sonntag kann Prinz Wenzel auf seinen 20. Geburtstag anstossen. ... [Prince Wenzel can toast his 20th birthday on Sunday. ...]
* 1 2 Country profile: Liechtenstein – Leaders BBC News, 6 December 2006. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
* ↑ Giles Hattersley (16 October 2011). "Sorry, Wills, Franz gets the crown". The Sunday Times.
Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein House of LiechtensteinBorn: 24 May 1995 :
| Lines of succession |||
| Preceded byThe Hereditary Prince | Line of succession to the Liechtensteiner throne 2nd position | Succeeded byPrince Georg |
| Preceded byThe Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein | — TITULAR — Jacobite succession 3rd position | Succeeded byPrince Georg |