The year 1969 marked a significant turning point in the history of the Thurn und Taxis dynasty, as a marriage between Prince Max Emanuel and Princess Anna Maria von Thurn und Taxis ended in divorce, sparking a media frenzy and public interest. The union, which was deemed morganatic due to the significant social and economic differences between the couple, was met with controversy and scrutiny from the press and the public.
As the details of the divorce became public, the couple held separate press conferences, with Prince Max Emanuel and his mother Princess Margarete presenting their side of the story at the Munich hotel Bayerischer Hof. Meanwhile, Countess Anna Maria von Pocci, who had been involved with Walter Stanner, an innkeeper and restaurateur, announced her plans to marry him in September 1970. The drama surrounding these events would continue to unfold in the years to come, with the Roman Catholic Church eventually granting an annulment to the Thurn Taxis/Pocci marriage in 1972[1].
what was the 1969 thurn and taxes marriage
The 1969 Thurn and Taxis marriage that ended with controversy and public interest was the union between Prince Max Emanuel and Countess Anna Maria von Pocci. The couple married civilly on May 20, 1969, at Schwangau, and then had a religious ceremony two days later at Saint Coloman's Church. The marriage was deemed morganatic due to the significant social and economic differences between the couple, with Prince Max Emanuel being a member of the former German princely House of Thurn and Taxis and Countess Anna Maria being a daughter of Count Konrad von Pocci.what was the reason for the dissolution of the 1969 thurn and taxes marriage
The reason for the dissolution of the 1969 Thurn and Taxis marriage between Prince Max Emanuel and Countess Anna Maria von Pocci was not publicly disclosed due to a penalty of DM 100,000 imposed on both parties, prohibiting them from discussing the specific issues that led to the breakdown of the marriage.were there any legal issues involved in the dissolution of the 1969 thurn and taxes marriage
The dissolution of the 1969 Thurn and Taxis marriage between Prince Max Emanuel and Countess Anna Maria von Pocci involved a penalty of DM 100,000 imposed on both parties, prohibiting them from discussing the specific issues that led to the breakdown of the marriage.
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| Prince Max Emanuel and Countess Anna Maria on their wedding day. Photograph (c) Getty Images / Hans Gregor. |
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| 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 "Mirzl" 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). The von Pocci comital family was not considered up to snuff for the Thurn und Taxis dynasty, and the marriage was deemed morganatic.
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| Photograph (c) Interfoto / Friedrich Rauch |
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| Photograph (c) Interfoto / Friedrich Rauch |
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| Photograph (c) Interfoto / Friedrich Rauch |
The wedded bliss of Max Emanuel and Anna Maria was of short duration. In April 1970, Anna Maria left her husband and took refuge at the Hohenschwangau home of her lover Walter Stanner. Mr Stanner was an innkeeper, wild-game dealer, and the local chairman of the Jung Union Deutschlands (Young Union of Germany) of the CSU (Christian Social Union in Bavaria). Max Emanuel's father Raphael was a district counsellor in Bavaria and also belonged to the CSU. 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 "Mirzl, what is the new price of french fries?" Police were on hand to guarantee that the situation did not escalate beyond the demonstrations.
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| Prince Max Emanuel and his mother Princess Margarete von Thurn und Taxis. Photograph (c) Keystone Press / Alamy. |
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| 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. Shortly before the TnT/Pocci press conferences, Walter Stanner was visited by the local chairman of the CSU. During an interview with Der Spiegel in June 1970, Stanner stated: "The chairman came to coffee and said it was a delicate matter. I should voluntarily quit the party because of the princess story." Indeed, there was a motion in the party to eject Stanner owing to "party-damaging behaviour." Stanner countered the chairman's proposal by noting: "my private life has nothing to do with my political activity." Stanner rejected the request to voluntary resign his CSU membership and stated that, since an arbitral tribunal was already entrusted with the case - if necessary, it would "go to the Federal Constitutional Court." Stanner then speculated, perhaps correctly, that the driving force behind the move to eject him from the CSU was Prince Raphael von Thurn und Taxis, the father of the abandoned Prince Max, "who plays a certain role in the matter." As mentioned above, Prince Raphael was a CSU district councillor. Stanner went on to say that "in the family's [Thurn und Taxis'] 1,000-year history, it has never happened to them that a princess leaves one of their own for a commoner."
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| Prince Max Emanuel and Princess Christa of Thurn and Taxis. Photograph (c) dpa / Alamy. |
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| 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 (1940-2003). The couple did not have children and divorced in 1997. The countess, a third cousin once removed of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, died in December 2008. 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.
As we conclude our exploration of the tumultuous 1969 Thurn and Taxis marriage, it is clear that the union between Prince Max Emanuel and Countess Anna Maria von Pocci was marked by controversy and public interest. The couple's decision to marry, despite significant social and economic differences, sparked a media frenzy and protests from the public. The union was deemed morganatic due to the vast disparities between the couple's backgrounds, with Prince Max Emanuel being a member of the former German princely House of Thurn and Taxis and Countess Anna Maria being a daughter of Count Konrad von Pocci[1].
Despite the challenges and criticisms they faced, both parties held separate press conferences to present their side of the story. Prince Max Emanuel and his mother Princess Margarete gave their point of view at the Munich hotel Bayerischer Hof, while Countess Anna Maria and her new partner Walter Stanner, an innkeeper and restaurateur, announced their plans to marry in September 1970. The drama surrounding these events would continue to unfold in the years to come, with the Roman Catholic Church eventually granting an annulment to the Thurn Taxis/Pocci marriage in 1972[1]. The Thurn and Taxis family's history is marked by numerous instances of marriage and divorce, but the 1969 union stands out for its unique circumstances and the intense media scrutiny it received. As we reflect on this chapter in the family's history, it is clear that the Thurn and Taxis name continues to captivate and intrigue us, offering a glimpse into the complexities and intricacies of aristocratic life.
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