Felix of Austria

Born May 31, 1916 at the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. The third son of the last emperor of Austria-Hungary, Charles I (1887-1922) and his wife, Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma (1892-1989) ^[2] . The brothers are Archduke Otto , Robert, Karl Ludwig and Rudolph .

He was baptized in Schönbrunn on June 8, 1916 in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph I. His godfather was his uncle, King of Saxony, Frederick Augustus III , the brother of his grandmother, Princess Mary Joseph of Saxony ^[3] . On November 21, 1916, after the death of the 86-year-old Emperor Franz Joseph I, the new emperor of Austria-Hungary (Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary) became his grand-nephew Charles I (Felix’s father).

In 1918, Austria-Hungary was defeated in the First World War and broke up into separate states. Austria and Hungary were proclaimed republics. In 1919, the imperial family was forced to emigrate from Austria to Switzerland. In 1921, after the failed attempts of the deposed emperor Charles to gain power in Hungary, the imperial family was expelled to the Portuguese island of Madeira . On April 1, 1922, the 34-year-old Emperor Charles I, Felix's father, died of pneumonia in Madeira. In the same 1922, the widow Zita with children moved to Spain, and from there in 1929 she moved to Belgium. Archduke Felix studied at Catholic University of Leuven .

In the fall of 1937, Archduke Felix von Habsburg received permission to return to Austria, where he studied at the Theresian Academy in Wiener Neustadt . He became the first Habsburg after the liquidation of the monarchy, which continued his career as an officer in the Austrian army ^[4] . In 1938, after Anschluss, Archduke Felix and his sister Adelaide fled from Austria to Czechoslovakia ^{[5] [6]} .

In 1939, the Archduke visited the United States, where he made a political report at the University Club of Chicago. Already in February of next year, His Highness returned to Chicago, where he outlined the project for the creation of the Danube Federation, as the best option for resolving the cultural, economic and political problems of the Balkan states. He later visited Florida and Baltimore. In March, the elder brother of Archduke Crown Prince Otto arrived in the United States, with whom he met with President F.D. Roosevelt and visited the Senate.

During World War II, Archduke Felix and Karl Ludwig , who were then in the United States , volunteered to serve in the 101st Infantry Battalion, known as the "Free Austrian Battalion." But the unit was disbanded after Jewish volunteers who made up the majority of the battalion refused to confirm their enlistment. ^[7] .

Archduke Felix, unlike his brother Otto , refused to renounce his rights to the Austrian throne and declared that this would violate his rights. As a result, he was forbidden to enter Austria, with the exception of a short three-day stay in 1989 in order to attend the funeral of his mother Zita ^[8] . On March 10, 1996 , after Austria joined the European Union , border checkpoints on the Austrian border with other EU countries stopped working. Archduke Felix arrived from Germany the same day in Austria and held a press conference the next day to announce his illegal arrival in his homeland ^[9] . After his presence became known, he was warned by the Austrian authorities that he would be prosecuted if he ever again tried to illegally enter the country ^[10] . In the end, an agreement was reached between the Archdukes Felix and Karl Ludwig and the Austrian government. The brothers declared their allegiance to the republican form of government in Austria and refused to mention their claims to the imperial throne ^[9] .

In June 1998, Archduke Felix, as a result of joint actions with his brother Karl Ludwig, tried to secure the return of the property of their ancestors, Empress Maria Theresa and her husband Franz I , captured by the Nazis during Anschluss ^[11] .

Archduke Felix of Austria successfully engaged in business in Mexico and Brussels ^[9] , worked as a marketing consultant ^[12] .

During his exile, Archduke Felix lived in Portugal , Belgium , Mexico, and the United States ^[8] . He lived in the colony of San Angel in Mexico City , where he died on September 6, 2011 at the age of 95 years ^[13] . He was buried in a family crypt in the abbey of Muri , near Zurich . This abbey is a favorite burial place for members of the Habsburg dynasty ^[14] .

On November 18, 1952, in Beaulieu-sur-Mer (France), Archduke Felix of Austria married the princess and duchess Anna-Eugenia Arenbergskaya (July 5, 1925 - June 9, 1997), the youngest daughter of Robert-Prosper Paul, duke of Arenberg (1895-1972) and Gabriella von Wrede (1895-1971) ^[2] . They had seven children and twenty two grandchildren:

• Archduke Maria del Pilar of Austria (born October 18, 1953), husband since 1980 Folrad Joachim von Posinger (born January 2, 1952). Five children:
  • Kinga (born 1981)
  • Karl Ludwig (born August 11, 1982)
  • Maria Benedict (born September 2, 1983)
  • Maria Francis (born May 17, 1987)
  • Anthony Joseph (born October 30, 1991)
• Archduke Carl Philip of Austria (Spanish - Carlos Felipe) (born October 18, 1954), 1st wife (1994-1997) Martina Donat (born June 18, 1955), 2nd wife since 1998 Annie Claire Christine Lacramb (born February 15, 1959). Two sons, one from the first marriage, and the other from the second marriage:
  • Julien (born May 29, 1994)
  • Louis Damian (born September 23, 1998)
• Archduke King Barbara of Austria (born October 13, 1955), husband since 1985 Baron Wolfgang von Erff (born September 6, 1948). One son and four daughters:
  • Zita (born September 6, 1986)
  • Laszlo Hubert (born May 28, 1988)
  • Maria Assunta (born August 12, 1990)
  • Maria Isabelle (born January 22, 1993)
  • Constance (born October 23, 1999)
• Archduke Raimund of Austria (in Spanish, Ramon) (January 2, 1958 - April 24, 2008), was married since 1994 to Bettina Goetz (born September 25, 1969). One son and two daughters:
• Felix (born December 12, 1996)
• Sofia (born March 12, 1998)
• Maria (born April 8, 2000)
• Archduke Miriam of Austria (born September 21, 1959), married since 1983 to Jaime Corquerra Acheson (born January 12, 1955), Mexican descendant of the Earls of Gosford (son of Fernando Corcourre and Lady Mary Virginia Shirley Acheson, daughter of Archibald Goce Gosford). Four children:
• Carl Sebastian (born February 20, 1984)
• Pedro Johannes (born December 25, 1985)
• Felipe (born August 5, 1987)
• Andres (born December 20, 1988)
• Archduke Istvan of Austria (Esteban) (born September 22, 1961), married since 1993 to Paola de Temesvari (born June 4, 1971). Three kids:
  • Andras Francesco (born December 22, 1994)
  • Paul Cupronickel (born January 10, 1997)
  • Margareta (born March 25, 1999)
• Archduke Viridis of Austria (born September 23, 1961) is the twin sister of Instwan. Since 1990, married to Karl Dunning-Gribble (born May 29, 1961). Four children:
  • Karl-Leopold (born September 25, 1991)
  • Ferdinand (born October 1, 1992)
• Maximilian (born October 26, 1996)
• Maria Charlotte (born May 14, 2001)

So they all lived in Mexico , and some of them still live there, they are called the Spanish equivalent of their name.

• Maltese Knight ^[2]
• Cavalier of the Order of the Golden Fleece ^[2]

Together with his brothers Otto and Rudolph , Archduke Felix was the patron of the revived Gothic almanac ^[15] .

• May 31, 1916 - September 6, 2011 : " His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Felix of Austria, Imperial Prince of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia ."

• HAMANNOVÁ, Brigitte. Habsburkové. Životopisná encyklopedie. - Praha: Brána; Knižní klub, 1996 .-- 408 s. - ISBN 80-85946-19-X .