Princess Astrid of Liechtenstein (née Astrid Barbara Kohl; born 13 September 1968) is a German businesswoman, art collector, and interior designer. She married Prince Alexander of Liechtenstein, the nephew of

Hans-Adam II Hans-Adam II (Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius; born 14 February 1945) is the Prince of Liechtenstein, reigning since 1989. He is the son of Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife, Countess Georgina von Wilczek. He al ...

, in 2003 and became a member of the

Princely family of Liechtenstein The House of Liechtenstein (), from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by hereditary right over the principality of Liechtenstein. Only dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the throne. The dynasty ...

Biography

Astrid Barbara Kohl was born on 13 September 1968 in

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

to Theodor Kohl, a German businessman, and Ingrid Schlechta, a German art collector. Her father is an entrepreneur who founded and owned ''Theodor Kohl KG'' (gathering ''Kohlpharma'' and ''Th.Kohl'' companies), a leading German manufacturer of pharmaceutical design and distributor of pharmacy equipment. She studied economics at the Sorbonne. Upon graduating, she worked at a financial fund in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She moved back to Europe to run her father's company. In 1993, she met Prince Alexander of Liechtenstein, the son of

Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein (Philipp Erasmus Alois Ferdinand Maria Sebaldus; born 19 August 1946) is a member of the princely family of Liechtenstein. He is a son of the late Franz Joseph II and the younger brother of current reigning prince ...

and grandson of

Franz Joseph II Franz Joseph II (Franz Josef Maria Alois Alfred Karl Johannes Heinrich Michael Georg Ignaz Benediktus Gerhardus Majella; 16 August 1906 – 13 November 1989) was the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein from 25 July 1938 until his death in November ...

, in

Gstaad Gstaad ( , ) is a town in the German language, German-speaking section of the Canton of Bern in southwestern Switzerland. It is part of the municipality of Saanen and is known as a major ski resort and a popular destination amongst high society ...

. On 24 January 2003, she and Prince Alexander married in a civil ceremony in

Vaduz Vaduz (; or ; High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' ...

. Their Catholic wedding, officiated by Archbishop Wolfgang Haas, took place on 8 February 2003 in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

. Astrid wore a wedding dress by

Jean Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 June 1952) is a French haute couture and Ready-to-wear, prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs in ...

for the occasion, and 300 guests were present for the three-day celebrations. She gave birth to a daughter, Theodora Alexandra Isabella Antonia Nora Marie on 20 November 2004. Astrid and her husband own the Villa Sant'Andrea, an 1,000-year old former

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery overlooking

Lake Garda Lake Garda (, , or , ; ; ) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, between Brescia and Milan to the west, and Verona and Venice to the east. The lake cuts into the edge of the Eastern Alps, Italian Alp ...

near

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

. Their estate includes seventy-five acres of parkland, stables, a swimming pool, a church, a vineyard, and an olive grove, and an orchard. Her parents, who purchased the estate for Astrid, lived with them at the villa for twelve years. Astrid is an art collector and keeps a collection of

Meissen porcelain Meissen porcelain or Meissen china was the first Europe, European hard-paste porcelain. Early experiments were done in 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his death that October, Johann Friedrich Böttger continued von Tschirnhaus's ...

and her home. She and her husband own Pharmathek, a pharmaceutical company. Astrid is an interior designer and the founder of Crown Designs, which sells luxury interiors for boutiques and hotels. Her design company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Astrid of Liechtenstein, Princess Living people 20th-century German women 21st-century German businesswomen 21st-century Liechtenstein women German art collectors German women art collectors German emigrants to Italy German expatriates in the United States German interior designers German Roman Catholics Liechtenstein businesspeople Princesses of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein Roman Catholics People from Regensburg Princesses by marriage Women art collectors 1968 births