Prince Alexander of Saxony Duke of Saxony
Prince Alexander of Saxony Duke of Saxony (* 12 February 1953) is a member and the Head of the former ruling House of Wettin, which governed Saxony from 1089 to 1918. He was adopted by his maternal uncle, Margrave Maria Emanuel of Meissen, the former Head of the Royal House, on 26 May 1999. Two years before, Margrave Alexander had been named his personal heir. When Margrave Maria Emanuel of Meissen died on 23 July 2012, Prince Alexander became Head of the Royal House of Wettin.
Biography
Prince Alexander of Saxony was born in Munich as eldest son of Doctor Prince Roberto Alexander de Gessaphe and Princess Maria Anna of Saxony Duchess of Saxony. He attended the Jesuit College “Instituto Patria” in Mexico and the Jesuit boarding school “Kolleg St. Blasien” (grammar school) in the Black Forest, Germany. Margrave Alexander studied Business Economics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich. Together with his family, he lived for 30 years in Mexico. There he is managing partner of “apycsa logistics, s.a. de c.v. Logistics Group”. In 1994, he studied at the top management university “Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa” (IPADE) in Mexico City and subsequently took over an honorary teaching assignment at this institute for five years.
Margrave Alexander is married to Princess Gisela of Bavaria (* 10 September 1964) since 1987: They married civilly on 3 April 1987 in Mexico City; the religious marriage ceremony took place on 29 August 1987 in Andechs Abbey, Upper Bavaria. Together, they have four children:
- Prince Georg Philipp Antonius of Saxony Duke of Saxony (* 24 May 1988, Mexico City)
- Prince Mauricio Gabriel Robert of Saxony Duke of Saxony (* 14 September 1989, Mexico City)
- Prince Paul Clemens Bernard Mansur of Saxony Duke of Saxony (* 23 March 1993, Mexico City)
- Princess Maria Teresita Anna Luise Caroline Lucardis of Saxony Duchess of Saxony (* 7. July 1999, Dresden)
In addition to his business activities, Prince Alexander operates as adviser to establish German companies in Central America as well as in Latin America. He furthermore advises German and European companies in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico and the Arab Emirates in the fields of market expansions and market development. From 2003 to 2008, he worked at the Saxon State Chancellery as an adviser to Professor Doctor Georg Milbradt, dealing with issues related to international, diplomatic and cultural affairs of the Prime Minister of Saxony.
Margrave Maria Emanuel of Meissen had no children, he nominated the son of his sister Princess Maria Anna – Margrave Alexander – for his immediate successor on 18 May 1997. Furthermore, Margrave Maria Emanuel legally adopted his nephew, the current Margrave Alexander, on 26 September 1999.
All members of the Royal House of Wettin, in person or validly represented, agreed to this decision. Margrave Maria Emanuel’s ruling corresponds to the requirements established by the Statute of the “Verein Haus Wettin Albertinische Linie e.V.” (House of Wettin Albertine Line Association). This Statute has validly replaced the former House Law of 1837. Therefore, the regulation of succession is consistent with the Civil Code of Germany, the traditional Statutes of the Princes of the German Empire as well as the House Law of the House of Wettin.
Margrave Alexander of Meissen became Head of the House of Wettin upon the death of Margrave Maria Emanuel of Meissen on 23 July 2012.
Orders and memberships
Margrave Alexander belongs to the founding circle and is President of the „Freunde des Grünen Gewölbes e.V.“ (Friends of the Green Vault Association). Amongst the goals to be targeted there is the acquisition of fine art objects in order to provide them to the museum as permanent loan. Margrave Alexander is President and Chancellor of the Order of St. Henry.
Prince Alexander is an Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Spain in Dresden, Germany. By his work as Honorary Consul he wants to improve the communication between Saxony / Thuringia / Germany and Spain as well as the states and regions of Central und Latin America, with whom he is strongly associated due to his personal history. In addition to his native languages German and Spanish, Margrave Alexander is fluent in French and English. He is member of the Academie des Lettres et des Arts in Versailles, France, und Chevalier de la Confrérie de Tastevin, Beaune, Burgundy, France. In 2012, he was appointed Knight and Bearer of the Order of the Golden Fleece by its Sovereign, Archduke Karl of Habsburg.
Parents
Prince Roberto Alexander de Gessaphe (* 30 November 1916,
† 13 December 1978 in Mexico City). He married on 1 May 1952 in Paris
Princess Maria Anna Josefa of Saxony Duchess of Saxony
(* 13 December 1929 in Bad Wörishofen, † 13 March 2012 in Munich).
Brothers
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Saxe-Gessaphe
(* 5 October 1955 in Mexico City), interior designer, art expert and decorator
Prince Karl August of Saxe-Gessaphe (* 1 January 1958 in Mexico City), University Professor of Law