Regina of Saxe-Meiningen was born in 1925 in Würzburg, the daughter of Prince Georg III of Saxe-Meiningen (1892-1946) and Countess Klara Marie (1895-1992). She spent her happy childhood with her parents and two brothers at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen and at Veste Heldburg, also owned by the family. At the end of the Second World War, however, the province of Thuringia, and thus the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, which was situated in its territory, came under Soviet influence. The ducal family was stripped of all its possessions; her father was taken prisoner by the Soviets in 1945, where he died in January 1946; her eldest brother had already been killed on the Western Front in 1940, and Regina, her mother and her younger brother found refuge in Bamberg after the war, where she was able to complete her studies.
Regina started working for Caritas in Munich in 1949, and in the summer of 1950 she was trying to talk to a Hungarian refugee when a sympathetic young man came to her aid: according to family tradition, this is how Otto von Habsburg met his future wife. Their marriage took place on 10 May 1951 in Nancy. We published an article on the event with related documents preserved in the archives of the Otto von Habsburg Foundation on the 70th anniversary of the wedding. Their harmonious marriage, which lasted almost 60 years, was not only filled with the loving upbringing of their seven children: Otto’s active role in shaping the political face of Europe was quietly supported by Regina, who remained in the background. She accompanied her husband on countless journeys around the world, and on these visits she was not only a spouse, but an educated, intelligent and inquisitive companion.
We prepared the exhibition together with Dr Philip Adlung, Director of the Meiningen Museum, and gained the support of Gabriela von Habsburg. She provided us with various objects from her mother’s estate: clothes, musical instruments, portraits, letters, and photographs – mainly from Regina’s childhood – which complemented the photographs in the Foundation’s archives. Our collection also includes many pictures of their wedding and later life, magazine reports and other documents: traces of the important turning points in their lives and their public appearances over several decades.
The opening ceremony took place in the chapel of Elisabethenburg, converted into a concert hall. The musical interludes – pieces by Beethoven, Bach and Franz Liszt – were performed by the talented young Korean-born pianist Deren Wang. In his welcoming address, Director Dr Philipp Adlung said that the town, the seat of the Saxe-Meiningen family, the castle and the long-standing theatre – the founder of which was the great-grandfather of Regina, Prince George II – were all closely linked to the cultural tradition of which Regina’s family had been the custodian and with which she had maintained close ties thanks to her personal friendships, even during the decades of German division. After the change of regime, she took part in the cultural life of the province. At the same time, she became a member of the Habsburg family through her husband, thus bringing the Otto von Habsburg Foundation into the picture. Given the vast amount of material available, only a limited selection could be displayed in the two rooms of the exhibition, therefore the organisers had sought to present some of the most important aspects of Regina’s personality – her family, her love of art and her sense of duty, her role as a devoted wife and mother to her children.
Gergely Prőhle, Director of the Foundation, was delighted to see how much had been renewed and realised in Thuringia’s historic cities since the change of regime. He stressed that it was very important to pass on the lessons of history to the next generations and to tell them about our personal experiences. In Otto von Habsburg, he believes, history sees not the heir to the throne of a powerful dynasty, but an intellectual thinker who took on a role as a Member of the European Parliament not for a state, but for the whole of Europe, and whose life’s work still demonstrates the importance of a vision for the future. In this he received great support from his wife. This way, Regina became part of the realisation of Otto’s plans: they could see the fall of the Berlin Wall, the restoration of German unity and the creation of European unity, as well as the possibility of further enlargement. Gergely Prőhle expressed his special thanks to Gabriela von Habsburg for her support and active help, and to Dr. Adlung for hosting the exhibition and for its excellent realisation.
Gabriela von Habsburg recalled personal memories of her mother. According to her, Regina did not make as many speeches as Otto, but humbly, in the background, she gave her husband the support he needed, was the centre and soul of the family, and set a convincing example to her children as a deeply devout Catholic. She never said bad things about others, she chose the means of kindness and love in difficult situations, and she often visited the abandoned sick and elderly. Her gentle sense of humour was the source of much laughter in the family – but never at the expense of others – and the singing together is a lasting memory for them all. Gabriela von Habsburg’s recollections can be read below:
Mama, Ausstellung Meiningen Nov. 2024
The Mayor of Meiningen, Fabian Giesder, stressed that Regina had been an important promoter of the cultural heritage created by the ducal family. Even in difficult times, she courageously kept alive her links from the old days and openly embraced the values she had inherited from her family. Her husband, Otto von Habsburg did an outstanding job as a bridge-builder and European above selfish national interests, and Regina did the same in her homeland by seizing the opportunities that presented themselves – and for that we can be grateful. Her role has been taken up and carried on by her daughter, Gabriela.
The exhibition is on display until 23 February 2025.
Photos by Sophie Morgenroth, Anna Zimmermann, Eszter Fábry, Szilveszter Dékány
