Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis

Gloria, Dowager Princess of Thurn and Taxis (Mariae Gloria Ferdinanda Joachima Josephine Wilhelmine Huberta; born Countess Gloria von Schönburg-Glauchau, 23 February 1960) is a German socialite, businesswoman, art collector, artist, and traditionalist Catholic activist. In the 1980s, Gloria was a member of the European jet-set, known as "Princess TNT" for her extravagant, punk-inspired style. After the 1990 death of her husband, Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, she took on the management of Schloss St. Emmeram and the enterprises of the House of Thurn and Taxis, and became a leading patron of the European traditionalist Catholic movement. Gloria was baptized as an infant and raised in the Catholic faith. Upon their marriage Gloria became the Hereditary Princess of Thurn and Taxis. When her father-in-law, Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, died in 1982, her husband became the 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis.

The couple had three children: They have two daughters. Princess Elisabeth Margarete Maria Anna Beatrix, born 24 March 1982 in Regensburg. Prince Albert Maria Lamoral Miguel Johannes Gabriel, born 24 June 1983 in Regensburg, who succeeded his father in 1990 as both principal heir at law and nominal head of the former German princely House of Thurn und Taxis according to the traditional rules of the legal affairs committee of the Association of German Nobility.

Later life

Gloria and her husband were known for their lavish lifestyle, becoming social and fashion icons in the 1980s. She became part of the European jet set and was referred to in the media as the "punk princess" and "Princess TNT".

She went into isolation from society, studying finance, accounting, and estate management and selling off family property, including art, jewelry, castles, cars, and land to preserve the family fortune. During this time she undertook a spiritual pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France, emerging as a Roman Catholic activist.

After her sister, Maya, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2012, Gloria accompanied her on pilgrimages to Lourdes and Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain.

Gloria has become a successful artist, focusing mainly on oil paint and pastel portraits. The Hotel Chelsea asked her to do a series of pastels of its most famous denizens—a gallery show that brought her much acclaim as a painter. She has called herself a "dilettante" and cited her art collection as inspiration for her style of portraiture. In 2015 she had a solo show at the National Exemplar Gallery in New York. She also paints freelance. Bannon suggested her palatial home, Schloss Thurn und Taxis, as a potential site for a school to educate and train right-wing Catholics, but no firm plans have been made. In July 2025, she described abortions as “infanticide” in an interview with the right-wing populist broadcaster Nius.

Princess Gloria is a personal friend of Hillary Clinton, and was one of a dozen women to attend her 2016 birthday party. (Austrian Imperial and Royal Family)

National

Foreign 60x60px Knight Grand Officer of the Order of St. Gregory the Great

Notable published works Unsere Umgangsformen. Die Welt der guten Sitten von A-Z - with Princess Alessandra Borghese - (2000). Gloria: Die Fürstin - Im Gespräch mit Peter Seewald (2005). Die Fürstin und der Kardinal - with Cardinal Joachim Meisner - (2008).