November 12, 1928
The Prince of Liechtenstein celebrated 70 years on the throne today, as he received felicitations from his subjects and from fellow sovereigns. The Prince is in Vienna, where he is expected to undergo cataract surgery.
In Liechtenstein, where the population hovers around 11,000, the country celebrated the the princely anniversary.
Prince Johannes, 88, is not married. The heir to the throne is his 75-year-old brother, Franz, who is also not married.
The succession, however, is expected to devolve on a cousin, Franz Josef, who was born in 1906 and is the eldest son of Prince Alois and his wife, Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria.
In 1923, Prince Alois renounced his rights in favor of his son.
(This renouncement was done in order to protect the family fortune. Five years later, when Franz Josef turned eighteen, he was named as heir apparent to Johann's estate. This action was taken to minimize the effect that death taxes would have on the family's wealth. Prince Johann died in 1929, and was succeed on the throne by his brother, Franz, who in 1938, turned the reigns of government over to Franz Josef, who had already inherited the bulk of the family's immense fortune.)
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