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"It
is a privilege for me to be able to do that," said Johannes
Allgaeuer, 26, after quaffing a cold one with Prince Hans-Adam
II at a garden party outside his castle, perched above the
capital Vaduz.
He noted that it was hardly as unusual as, say, an American
meeting up with Donald Trump: "We are one big family here. We
see a lot of one another. You run into one other a lot."
What made Thursday's state holiday so special was that it marked
the 300th birthday of Liechtenstein, which nestles in the Alps
between Switzerland and Austria and is the world's
sixth-smallest country, with a population of around 38,000.
Some Liechtensteiners had a problem with the ruling dynasty when
Hans-Adam, whose wealthy family owns LGT Bank, threatened in
2003 to abdicate if his subjects did not grant him more
constitutional powers in a spat over judicial nominees. He won
the vote easily.
Now, most citizens solidly back the monarchy, said Manfred
Frick, 39, dressed up in a brass band's uniform.
"Politicians come and go, but the princely dynasty is here
forever," he said.
Prince Alois, the 51-year-old acting head of state and heir to
the throne, struck the same tone in a speech to thousands of
flag-waving compatriots assembled in an Alpine meadow.
"Our country is among the safest places in the world. The rule
of law is firmly established. There is hardly any other country
where the individual has as much say in politics," he said. "We
enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world," he
added, recalling the land was a poor backwater three centuries
ago.
German is the official language, though residents mainly speak
an Alpine dialect of it among themselves, rather than the formal
version. The currency is the Swiss franc. Four out of five
residents are Roman Catholic.
Along with Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, it is part of the
European Free Trade Association of countries that belong to the
European single market without being part of the EU.
The biggest employer is Hilti, a company that makes power tools.
The economy is also boosted by financial services, and becoming
a hub for crypto-currencies.
Alois, a graduate of Britain's Sandhurst military academy, is
the son of Hans-Adam and grandson of Franz Josef II, who moved
the family from Vienna in 1938 to lands an ancestor had bought
to gain a seat on the Holy Roman Empire's council of princes.
The prince's veto power makes the monarchy one of the few in
Europe with political authority, although Liechtensteiners have
the right to hold a referendum to revoke their confidence in the
prince should at least 1,500 citizens support the idea.
Thursday's official celebration caps a year of festivities that
include a contest to pick an anniversary song. The winning entry
was "This is Where I Belong".
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