Francesca von Habsburg

Francesca von Habsburg-Lothringen (born 7 June 1958) is an art collector and the wife of Karl Habsburg-Lothringen, head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

She was born Francesca Anne Dolores Freiin Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva in Lausanne, the daughter of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and his third wife, fashion model Fiona Frances Elaine Campbell-Walter. She was educated at Le Rosey in Switzerland and at the age of eighteen attended Saint Martin's School of Art but left after two years. After leaving the college she worked as an actress, singer and model Her partying lifestyle in London in the 1980s earned her reputation as an It girl. For the ten years after she left Saint Martin's college she lived in England, New York and Los Angeles before moving to Lugano to become curator for her father's art collection.

During the war in Croatia Francesca visited the country to help protect Croatia's heritage and artworks and to help restore churches and paintings damaged during the fighting.

Von Habsburg regularly participates in biennales by commissioning new works of contemporary art through a foundation called Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary which she founded in 2002 in Vienna Austria. and has built up her own art collection with over four hundred pieces of contemporary video and digital art. Since 2012, TBA21 has a new exhibition space in Vienna's second district, more precisely in a public park called Augarten. The exhibition space was therefore renamed Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary–Augarten. It exhibits works from the collection in thematic exhibitions twice a year. The Foundation also organises exhibitions of its collection world wide.

Von Habsburg has criticised her stepmother, Carmen Cervera, for the latter's management of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid after the sale of John Constable's painting, "The Lock".

She appeared as Queen Marie-Henriette in the production Kronprinz Rudolf (2006), directed by Robert Dornhelm.

Francesca married the heir to the Habsburg dynasty, Archduke Karl, son of Dr. Otto von Habsburg, in Mariazell on 31 January 1993. They have three children.

• Archduchess Eleonore of Austria (born 28 February 1994)
• Archduke Ferdinand Zvonimir of Austria (born 21 June 1997)
• Archduchess Gloria of Austria (born 15 October 1999), whose godparents are Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis, and Hereditary Prince Heinrich of Sayn-Wittgenstein.

Francesca and Karl have been amicably separated since 2003.

Considering this separation, Karl's sister, Archduchess Gabriella, assumes, since their mother Regina's death in 2010, the rank of Grand Mistress of the Order of the Starry Cross that Francesca would normally have assumed otherwise.

She owns a residence in Port Antonio, Jamaica; where she is a keen supporter of the Reggae music industry.

National dynastic honour

• House of Habsburg: Dame of the Order of the Starry Cross

National honour

•  Austria: Commander of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, Gold