On Thursday, January 8, 2026, the traditional New Year’s Reception took place at Vaduz Castle in Vaduz. While the diplomatic and consular corps were received in the morning, Prince Hans-Adam II and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein welcomed high-ranking guests from Liechtenstein in the afternoon. Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein was unable to attend at short notice due to the flu.
Among the invited guests were members of Parliament, the Government, and the clergy, municipal leaders, presidents of the courts, holders of princely titles, recipients of princely Liechtenstein orders of merit, senior civil servants, and representatives of associations, commissions, political parties, and public life. For the occasion, Princess Sophie wore a floral-print shirred midi dress by ME+EM.
The girl in red is superb. At first I thought it was Tina Weirather (skier) but unsure. Anyone know who it is?
ردحذفNuscha Wieczorek, Deputy Ambassador, the Mission of Liechtenstein to the EU
حذفThank you Helen. What an interesting lady!
حذفBelle silhouette de la princesse Sophie dans ce style de robe ; j’ai toujours aimé sa chevelure !
ردحذفIt is true that the setting is very austere; I know little of Liechtenstein’s history but I find the austerity fascinating and for me it hearkens back to eras in the Europe of centuries past when life was harsh in many ways and power was not easy to hold onto.
حذفThat they are the most wealthy nobles in Europe doesnot show from this sobre room.
ردحذفNo fan of the dress.
I don't know what you'd expected. Vaduz Castle basically dates back to the 12th/13th century, and that, of course, shows. It is not the gilded baroque splendour displayed in palaces built much later, like in the 17th/18th century. One can be extremely wealthy and NOT live in an abundance of gold, damask, silk, whatever.
حذفDSC your are right, I was just surprised
حذف@13:19 we in Switzerland are neighbours to Liechtenstein, and although independent, share many characteristics. Most people don’t show off about wealth. “Understated” is long seen as classy. Better to have fewer things of higher quality. Small is beautiful. Enough is enough. The environment and biodiversity are important to most people. Most people will live their whole lives in small rented apartments, or if lucky, a house that is just big enough. We seek peace and order ahead of personal greed, for the most part. Democracy is very very important to us. While we do look to individual success, it is in no way as marked as eg in the US. So large displays of individual wealth are seen as vulgar rather than aspirational. I love and am proud of this mentality. And you can see the history of this mentality in our older buildings.
حذفImo Princess Sophie’s dress is gorgeous — I love ME+EM.
ردحذفThe dress if perfect for her, in colour and style. It gives her a very nice silhouette. The lady in the eclectic yellow and blue outfit with the oversized rings and wreath around her neck is a hoot. The clothes are actual in proportion, hard to pull,off on what appears to be a short person.
ردحذفI guess she is from the Ukranian Embassy, hence the colours of the Ukranian flag.
حذفYes I see Ukranian now, well done
حذفThe design of that room is lovely. The knotty floorboards, the alcoves around the windows, the hexagonal window panes, the shelves at the base of the windows, the paneling, the wallpaper...this appeals to my taste more than the design of the other, more formal, palace reception rooms we see on this blog. The princess looks good, too...she is dressed-up, but appears approachable. The dress is feminine, flattering, and a perfect length.
ردحذفWell said, Anonymous @ 16:29 👍🏻
حذفCondivido.
حذفEd è proprio per questa precisa descrizione che lo preferisco alle grandi sale fredde di certi palazzi reali.
Ce n'est certainement pas du papier-peint mais plutôt des murs peints (des fresques).
حذفPss Sophies dress is very nice color and fit. Nice to see Prince Adam again where Prince Alois is? or the younger Generation.
ردحذفcss
Hereditary Prince Alois had to excuse himself from the reception because he'd caught the flu.
حذفThe dress suits her beautifully, but it doesn't appeal to me at all. On the other hand, the lady in the red ensemble, this looks stunning.
ردحذفPretty dress. The large scale of the wallpaper made me curious whether they allow public tours, in order to see it and the wide plank floors in person, but alas, they do not. I have to disagree with the austere comment. The wood seems to have a matte finish, rather than glossy. Here in New England in the US, people expect things to endure, things aren't discarded just because they're old. @Swiss Anon 20:15, we would get along fine. Christine
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