Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was a descendant of a German royal family who traces their history back to 1153. The family came out of the Second World War badly, losing their considerable possessions in Bohemia to the new communist government. However, they were hardly destitute and were now settled comfortably in Madrid. In 1947 Alfonso was driving along the Spanish coast when he came across the tiny fishing village of Marbella. At the time he was a twenty-three-year-old playboy with money, contacts, and the looks of a film star — more the bad boy looks of Clark Gable than the clean-cut hero type, but film star looks nonetheless. He also had that extra touch of the exotic, perhaps inherited from his mother, who was half-Mexican
Whether he saw a business opportunity, or the village touched his heart, is uncertain but Alfonso started buying land and in 1954 opened the Marbella Club (something like Los Cabos’ Palmilla hotel). In 1955, with Marbella established, Alfonso produced another surprise. At the age of thirty-one, he got married. His bride, Ira von Fürstenberg, was only 15 but the pope himself gave his blessing and 400 guests and TV crews from around the world descended on Venice for the 16-day wedding party. Although Italian, Ira could also trace her heritage back to German aristocracy and her family had a lot more money, her uncle Gianni Agnelli being the chairman of Italian car giant FIAT.
Princess von Fürstenberg was a mother at 16 to Christoph “Kiko” Humberto and seemed happy in her role as the biggest and brightest star in the now glittering world of Marbella. By the time her second son Hubertus was born the family was living in Mexico, where Prince Alfonso was involved in opening Puebla’s legendary Volkswagen factory. It is unlikely that the task of ‘opening the factory’ saw him standing on the shop floor with plans in his hands — more likely he and his glamorous wife staged a series of parties and meetings to ease through all the necessary paperwork and permits.
Unfortunately, it was then that Ira met Francisco “Baby” Pignatari, with whom she had a brief and intense affair, leaving Alfonso and moving to Brazil. There was a struggle over the children which made headlines around the world with Prince Alfonso snatching the boys and fleeing to Europe and his wife putting out a million-dollar reward for their return.
If Alfonso was heartbroken at losing his young wife, he hid it well. Once they could come out of hiding he threw himself into promoting Marbella. He dated film stars Kim Novak and Ava Gardner, and married a third, Jocelyn Lane. While Kiko gravitated toward his mother and a life in Hawaii, Hubertus was brought up in Marbella where he would join his father for dinner with Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot. One night he sat at the edge of the pool with David Bowie as the superstar wrote a song.
Life was easy for Hubertus and this might have caused problems. His father, perhaps seeing the danger of such a lifestyle, sent him to a monastery school in Austria. Whether the harsh routine did Hubertus good or not, it did allow him access to some of the best ski slopes in the world. He became ill and had to take a rest from alcohol. He discovered he didn’t need it — and a man who would go on to throw some of the most extravagant parties in the world never touched alcohol again.
Just as he was about to graduate from university with a degree in business administration Hubertus rebelled, dropping out of University and setting up a photography studio in Vienna. Perhaps sensing this would not be enough of a challenge he considered other options. He was a very good skier, but not good enough to get a place on the Austrian team. However, he had been born in Mexico and had a Mexican grandfather — could he compete for Mexico?
He flew to Mexico City, where his family name and his contacts helped him gain access to influential members of the Mexican Olympic committee. A Mexican ski federation was formed and in 1984 Hubertus von Hohenlohe paraded in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. He was the first Mexican representative since the bobsleigh team of 1928.
Hubertus competed in the three Alpine races at the 1984 Games with his highest finish, 26th, coming in the slalom. Critics point to how far he was behind the leaders. Supporters instead pointed to the fact that he had finished in the middle of an international field and had completed two runs on a steep, tight course made even more tricky by the icy conditions where half the field crashed out of the competition.
Having ticked off the Olympics von Hohenlohe might have hung up his skis but he was doing something he loved and was having fun. For the next eighteen years, he represented Mexico in the ski world championships and as he attended the 1988, 1992, and 1994 Olympics other targets. By now, the titles of “most Olympic games competed in” and, “oldest Olympian” had come into reach.
Life off the slopes was not standing still either and the skier-prince-photographer was approached by the Austrian singer Falco to work his next album. Having edged through the door into the world of music Hubertus did what he did best and charmed people. He is credited as a co-producer for a song by the Swiss band Jello, recorded in collaboration with Shirley Bassey. Musician was now added to his extensive resumé, and he formed several bands, most notably Royal Disaster.
He was still skiing and represented Mexico for the sixth time at the 2014 games in Sochi. This time though, he gained fame not for his skiing but for his mariachi-inspired ski suit. Reporters across the games wanted to interview the Mexican mariachi prince. The razmataz hid his most impressive achievement — at fifty-five he was still competing in one of the Olympics’ most demanding sports.
It was through skiing that the Prince found his wife Simona Gandolfi, a cousin of the great Italian skier Alberto Tomba. It was a true romance but — as with much in Hubertus’ life — it did not follow a conventional course. Simona wanted children, he did not, so she left him and had two children with another partner. Hubertus was her real passion, and she returned to him. In an interview with the luxury magazine Hochedel, Hubertus admitted there was something of an overlap in the relationships, and the younger child could possibly be his.
It is hard to assess the totality of Hubertus von Hohenlohe’s achievements. He is a good skier who, had he not been a prince in a mariachi suit, would not have attracted any attention. His singing is not as good as his skiing, but his photography is perhaps better. He is not as famous at being famous as his mother, but never wanted to be either. If he has done anything well, it is perhaps finding a path through life. Adapting a line from a bad movie, “the thing he is most successful at is life itself.” He also, of course, throws excellent parties.
Bob Pateman is a Mexico-based historian, librarian and a life term hasher. He is editor of On On Magazine, the international history magazine of hashing.
Source: Mexico News Daily
