Fritz von Thurn und Taxis (born Prince Friedrich Leonhard Ignatius Josef Maria Lamoral Balthasar of Thurn and Taxis [full German name: Friedrich Leonhard Ignatius Josef Maria Lamoral Balthasar, Prinz von Thurn und Taxis] on 22 June 1950 in Linz

Linz

Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...

, Upper Austria

Upper Austria

Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...

, Allied-occupied Austria) is an Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n journalist and a member of the Bohemian line of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis

Thurn und Taxis

The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis is a German family that was a key player in the postal services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of many castles.- History :...

. He became well-known as a longtime sportscaster

Sportscaster

In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...

 on the Bayerisches Fernsehen television channel

Television channel

A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...

. Since 1993, Thurn und Taxis has been a football commentator

Sports commentator

In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...

 on the pay television channel Sky Deutschland.

Family

Thurn und Taxis was the third child and second son of Prince Johann von Nepomuk of Thurn and Taxis and his wife Princess Maria Julia of Lobkowicz.

Career

His journalistic career began in 1971 with the Bayerischen Rundfunk

Bayerischer Rundfunk

Bayerischer Rundfunk [Bavarian Broadcasting] is the public broadcasting authority for the German Freistaat of Bavaria, with its main offices located in Munich. BR is a member of ARD.- Legal foundation :...

. There, Thurn und Taxis worked in both television and in radio programs as a sports reporter and commentator and reported on several Olympic Games, football, skiing

Skiing

Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

, and Ice Hockey World Championships

Ice Hockey World Championships

The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...

 events.

In honor of his years of reporting on the Ice Hockey World Championships

Ice Hockey World Championships

The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...

, the International Ice Hockey Federation

International Ice Hockey Federation

The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...

 (IIHF) awarded Thurn und Taxis with an IIHF gold medal. Later, he hosted the sports magazine show Blickpunkt Sport on Bayerischen Rundfunk and moderated the Sportschau on ARD

ARD (broadcaster)

ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...

. Beginning in August 1993, Thurn und Taxis began hosting live Fußball-Bundesliga

Fußball-Bundesliga

The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

 matches on the Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

-based pay television channel Sky Deutschland.

Marriage

Thurn und Taxis married morganatically to Beata Béry, daughter of Laszlo Béry and his wife Countess Paula Apponyi de Nagy-Appony, on 4 June 1977 in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

, Bavaria, Germany.

Titles and styles

• 22 June 1950 – present: His Serene Highness Prince Friedrich of Thurn and Taxis

Ancestry

External links