The 1969 Thurn and Taxis Marriage That Ended with Protestors and Press Conferences

  Prince Max Emanuel and Countess Anna Maria on their wedding day. Photograph (c) Getty Images / Hans Gregor. The wedding card of Prince Max Emanuel and Princess Anna Maria von Thurn und Taxis. Prince Max Emanuel "Nini" von Thurn und Taxis (1935-2020) and Countess Anna Maria "Mirzi" von Pocci (1944-2008) married civilly at Schwangau on 20 May 1969. The couple celebrated their religious union two days later on 22 May 1969 in a ceremony at Saint Coloman's Church; Father Emmeram of Thurn and Taxis, the uncle of the groom, presided over their Roman Catholic nuptials. The wedding festivities were attended by nearly three thousand guests. The prince was the son of Prince Raphael Ranier von Thurn und Taxis (1906-1993) and his wife and second cousin Princess Margarete "Rita" (1913-1997; née Princess von Thurn und Taxis). The countess was the daughter of Count Konrad von Pocci (1904-1985) and his first wife Countess Anna-Elisabeth (1908-1964; née Hartmann).  Photograph (c) Interfoto / Friedrich Rauch Photograph (c) Interfoto / Friedrich Rauch Photograph (c) Interfoto / Friedrich Rauch The wedded bliss of Max Emanuel and Anna Maria was of short duration. During the couple's honeymoon, Anna Maria left her husband and took refuge at the Hohenschwangau home of her lover Walter Stanner. Quite bizarrely, looking back from the lenses of today, a number of protestors positioned themselves outside of the residence. The signs that the protestors carried bore such slogans as: "Adulteress Out!" and "We want justice for our Nini!" and "Mirzi, what is the new price of french fries?" Police were on hand to guarantee that the situation did not escalate beyond the demonstrations. Prince Max Emanuel and his mother Princess Margarete von Thurn und Taxis. Photograph (c) Keystone Press / Alamy. Countess Anna Maria von Pocci and Walter Stanner. Photograph (c) Keystone Press / Alamy. The union of Prince Max Emanuel and Princess Anna Maria von Thurn und Taxis was dissolved by divorce on 6 July 1970. A penalty of DM 100,000 prohibited both parties from discussing the specific issues that caused the breakdown of the marriage. Nonetheless, shortly after the divorce, both sides held duelling press conferences. Prince Max Emanuel and his mother Princess Margarete gave their point of view at the Munich hotel Bayerischer Hof. When asked of his future marital plans, the prince responded: "I've had it for awhile." Countess Anna Maria and Walter Stanner, an innkeeper and restauranteur, held their press conference at a Munich biergarten. They announced that they intended to marry in September 1970, after which time the countess would help her new husband with his restaurant. Prince Max Emanuel and Princess Christa of Thurn and Taxis. Photograph (c) dpa / Alamy. Countess Anna Maria von Pocci. The Roman Catholic Church granted an annulment to the Thurn Taxis/Pocci marriage in 1972. Despite the fallout from this coupling, it is fair to say that the couple lived happily ever after, just not together. On 6 November 1970, Countess Anna Maria von Pocci married Walter Stanner (b.1940). The couple did not have children. The countess, a third cousin once removed of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, died in December 2008; she was survived by her husband Walter. In March 1973, Prince Max Emanuel von Thurn und Taxis married Christa Heinle (b.1941); the couple had two sons. The prince, a first cousin of Fürst Johannes von Thurn und Taxis, died in March 2020; he was survived by his wife Princess Christa.______________ For further news and articles about Europe's imperial, royal, and noble families, join Eurohistory: Subscribe to the European Royal History Journal!
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