Austria-Hungary Happy Birthday, Crown Prince Otto

[Mike Dwyer]

I almost let it slip by, yesterday, 20 November, was the 95th birthday of Archduke Franz Joseph OTTO Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xaver Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius von Habsburg, Crown Prince of Austria, who was six years old when his father, Kaiser Karl of Austria fled the country in 1918. I believe he is the last living immediate family member of a ruling house of a major WW1 power. All of Kaiser Wilhelm II's children are gone, all of Czar Nicholas II's children are gone, and all of King George V's children are gone.

[Guest Rick Research]

I was wondering recently whether Otto was still alive. When the Iron Curtain rusted, there were news reports of traveling back and forth to Hungary (his dad's undoing) and it looked for a brief moment as if some sort of English-style ceremonially neutral monarchy might have been restored to overcome the yawning political divide.

Just think-- if the Allies had not been so implacibly petty about routing out the enemy royals in 1918 to divert domestic rage over the mutual slaughter--

Germany and Austria with kings in the 1930s would have been...

our world would have been VERY different.

Otto MIGHT have made all the difference.

[paul wood]

He is still Grand Master of the Orden vom Goldenen Vlies and still can bestow it as it is a dynastic order rather than a national order. Nice to know he is still allive and kicking must have his mother's, Zita's, blood has she was well in he 90s when she died.

Paul

[Mike Dwyer]

I was wondering recently whether Otto was still alive. When the Iron Curtain rusted, there were news reports of traveling back and forth to Hungary (his dad's undoing) and it looked for a brief moment as if some sort of English-style ceremonially neutral monarchy might have been restored to overcome the yawning political divide.

Just think-- if the Allies had not been so implacibly petty about routing out the enemy royals in 1918 to divert domestic rage over the mutual slaughter--

Germany and Austria with kings in the 1930s would have been...

our world would have been VERY different.

Otto MIGHT have made all the difference.

I fully agree, Rick. You know Germany made peace feelers in 1917, but the allies insisted the Kaiser had to go and at the time that was unacceptable to the German authorities. Perhaps if peace had come in 1917 the Kaiser, or if he was forced to abdicate, his son, Willy, would have been on the throne and there would have been no place in the government for a former Bavarian army corporal.

[Mike Dwyer]

He is still Grand Master of the Orden vom Goldenen Vlies and still can bestow it as it is a dynastic order rather than a national order. Nice to know he is still allive and kicking must have his mother's, Zita's, blood has she was well in he 90s when she died.

Paul

Actually, Paul, he gave that up to his son a couple of years ago. Archduke Karl is now the Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

[Christian Zulus]

Gentlemen,

the fact is, that Otto Habsburg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Habsburg had during WW II good relations and rather free access to President Roosevelt.

Another fact is, that Hitler called the occupation of Austria in 1938 "Operation Otto", due to the fact, that Otto Habsburg tried to get head of the Austrian State just before the occupation.

There had been big events around Otto's 95th birthday in Vienna the last days and he had been invited by the Austrian President Heinz Fischer (Socialdemocratic Party - SP?): http://www.hofburg.at/modules/bildgalerie/....php?gi_id=2814 and a video of that event: http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=3117760%26_seite=3%26sap=2 .

Best regards

Christian

I was wondering recently whether Otto was still alive. When the Iron Curtain rusted, there were news reports of traveling back and forth to Hungary (his dad's undoing) and it looked for a brief moment as if some sort of English-style ceremonially neutral monarchy might have been restored to overcome the yawning political divide.

Just think-- if the Allies had not been so implacibly petty about routing out the enemy royals in 1918 to divert domestic rage over the mutual slaughter--

Germany and Austria with kings in the 1930s would have been...

our world would have been VERY different.

Otto MIGHT have made all the difference.

Edited November 30, 2007 by Christian Zulus

[sambolini]

WOW!

Thanks for the thread I did not realize he was still alive. Rick's musings on alternative history lines has always intriqued me as well. To go back even further; What if Kaiser Friedrich had not passed away from throat cancer, maybe no WW1 at all and perhaps a constitutional monarchy in Germany similar to Englands......

Regards,

Sam