World's youngest billionaire is from Bavaria - Germany

[floatright][/floatright]Last week Forbes published their 2007 list of the world's billionaires. Same as last year, they give the youngest as Albert II, Prince of Thurn and Taxis. The 23 year old has a net worth of $2.0 billion. Being the only son of his late father, Johannes, he is sole heir to the family fortune.

The Thurn and Taxis family are well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles. The family home is a 500-room castle in Regensburg, Bavaria. Prince Albert himself is currently at Edinburgh University where he is studying economics and theology.

According to an article in Bild Zeitung (so it must be true) the prince is currently single. See: Ein Milliardär zum Verlieben. They don't mention the status of his sisters Elisabeth (24) and Maria (26) however.

They say money doesn't make you happy, but he looks pretty pleased with himself in every photo I've seen.

He's so cute he makes me happy.

[floatright][/floatright]I'm a little surprised about this, actually; apparently the family hit upon hard times a decade ago or so when one of them died, revealing very large debts. But I guess they had enough money stashed away; their dynasty goes back centuries. They did, however, sell their brewery - the Turn und Taxis Brauerei - to Paulaner of Munich in 1996. Paulaner was in turn bought up by Brau (Heineken) in 2003. According to the Good Beer Guide Germany, "It's widely assumed that Thurn und Taxis beers also originate here [Paulaner in Munich] but we think they may well be brewed elsewhere". But no longer in Regensburg.

The money wasn't stashed away - Gloria von Thurn & Taxis turned out to be quite the financial manager instead, taking the time to learn business law and economics.

The family owns Europe's largest privately-owned forest and she chose to sell off the family silver and underperforming business interests as her son could "always go out and buy another tureen but not another forest."
Well-chosen real estate has also added to the family's wealth.

Following her punk princess days (complete with Warhol painting), she became quite the conservative with her investments, lifestyle and strong Catholicism.
And apart from the "Der Schwarze schnackselt gern" bit years back, she's been a smart cookie. And her son looks just so much like her too.

Or as I like to say, money can't buy happiness but poverty can't buy anything.

I can only imagine the amount of 'ginas' tossed his way without him even trying.

so the family fortune was cleverly salvaged by the shrewd investments of a woman but it all goes to the son and not the daughters...why doesn't that surprise me...

Is that Ant or is it Dec? I always get those two muddled up.

This thread should be retitled: "World's youngest billionaire is a douche"

What a douche.

I just gotta mention that their family home is certainly not a castle. It is quite the impressive palace, though.

Cos he looks like Justin Timberlake?

If so I applaud your reasoning.

Worth a shag whilst you're waiting for the night bus I 'spose.
Wonder if he's gonna turn out a racist conservative like his bloody mother?

Cos she's successful and not a bleedin' waster?

If so at least your reasoning is consistent.

Let them share the same fate as the Romanovs.

Followed by a revolution?

Nah, other way round. The Bolshevik offed the Romanovs becasue they were becoming a pole for counter-revolution after the Russian Revolution happened.

I 'spose when the glorious day comes, leaches like the Turn und Taxis will get a flat in one of the dreary run down public housing schemes in Regensburg while their palaces are put to use for wider benefit of society. But if they did become a focus for counter-revolution, then maybe it would be one aristo, one bullet.
But that would be for the local soviet to democraticly decide.

Looks like a wooftah to me.

Surely no self-respecting heema would make the fashion mistake he did in that picture above? C'mon, the shirt is like, so totally wrong!

Not even a local politician in Ireland could manage to put that shirt/tie combination together.

I totally agree about that stripe shirt and polka dot tie...should use some of those Eurobacks to get a professional sylist. Image is everything...even when you're rich, but not so famous.

Ive got a shirt like that

There are many items that determine douchdom. Looking like JT is one of them.

The shirt in itself isn't bad.
Couple it with a pair of jeans and its great for say a summer garden party.
A bit metrosexual, but there you go.

It's just the combination with the blue suit and ties that's wrong.
The suit jacket should be a touch darker and I'd say go for a royal blue plain shirt with the tie.

Anyway, worth a shag as long as you don't drop your chips in the process.

Wouldn't be seen dead in the shirt. Tie's OK. Suit is too light blue. Looks like a cinema attendant. From memory, his mother was into bondage way before punk started. I seem to remember some pages in Paris Match in the mid 70's which got slightly well thumbed.

Harumph...

2 Billion or not he still looks like a badly dressed puddle jumping pencil neck to me.

If I had a sex change op I would look something like this - do you think I stand a chance?

That isn't surprising, but what about the dad? I was studying in Regensburg when Gloria was popping out offspring like popcorn in a pan and vox populi had it that the footmen would "relieve" the "Fürscht" when he got tired of having to beget a son.
The Fürscht died of heart failure sometime around 1992 (I really cannot be bothered to google it) on the transplant waiting list for a second transplant (under the name of Bauer, so amusing!) and punk princess Tut und Taugt Nix Gloria turned into a ruthless business woman whose avarice surpassed expectations. Arch-Catholic racist nouveau-riche (her family is only minor aristocracy), I wouldn't be in her place for a pound of tea.

No-one should have that much money, it's stupid and it makes me really angry. And Yeti's right about the shirt and tie, shocking.

In you considered opinion, what is the maximum amount of money that anyone should have, and why?

25p

and a maximum of two pieces of pocket lint.

have to hope they reform the German inheritance tax laws in time...that'll wipe the smile off his face...

and hopefully the shirt off his back.

At which point he'll move out of the country to a place that doesn't have inheritance taxes. You can't get at people like this by raising taxes. In fact, what you have to do is the opposite and lower taxes so they stay and invest their money in your country and not someone elses.

How long before you are old money?

not if that money's in property. it's not as easy to jump ship then.

Tut und Taugt Nix is fairly old money, they owe their rise in importance and fortune to receiving the monopoly to transport letters in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and outlying territories in 1490 (and spying for the Kaiser while doing so, of course). They invested the income in real estate and became the first German private courier service after 1802, a business they were forced to abandon to Prussia in 1867 after the Prussian-Austrian War (for which they received a considerable compensation). So we are looking at about five and a half centuries of money, while Gloria's family, Schönburg-Glauchau that dates back to the 12th century, used to have considerable tracts of land in Saxony but went into a non-too-slow decline after WW II. Her sister, by the way, married one of Friedrich Karl Flick's sons. That is what I would call young money.

So he comes from a long line of postmen? Would explain the shirt I suppose.

I dont have an opinion, considered or otherwise but according to this randomly googled site,


I wonder what constitutes as the "upper 20%", I suspect a good bit of TT users could fall into that category, ie most people with steady jobs and disposable incomes are rich in comparison to the majority of the world, but I have no clue.

PS: Getting back on topic. I have a huge ass turnip that I dont know what to do with. I really envy you oirish with your poncy potatoes and sour cream dollops...seriously.

Nice box. Is that your postal horn or are you just pleased to see me? etc etc

Is yer box full or could you handle another package? And so on.

my what a big box you have, oh and nice cones. yada, yada.

sent to me via pm from someone who cant post...

pm titled: "albrecht the hottie"

please post: "Yeah baby, next time you're riding through the forest I'll be glad to blow your horn"

There's a wooded section in the Englische Garten for that. Allegedly.

The minature tab on my windows control bar reduces the text for this thread to "World's youngest bi...".

Why: It just seems socially wrong to me for someone to be born into such absolutely mind-blowing wealth. That money could make hundreds of thousands of peoples lives significantly better, but instead it's sitting in this families off-shore accounts.

How much: No idea. €10 million? I'm not against personal wealth to a certain degree, but you reach a limit where it just feels perverse. Especially where inheritances are concerned => families who have been incredibly rich for many generations. Does that make me a socialist?

Oh, I do hope so! Gotta get myself back to Uni!!
He's hot! <swoon>

Am looking forward to that. I'm just a little bit kinky at the moment.

I bet he has a really hard time getting a date.

It's a shame his sisters are so dog-fugly.