Princess Virginia (Ira) of Fürstenberg (German: Ira Prinzessin zu Fürstenberg) (born April 18 1940) is a European socialite, actress, jewelry designer, and a former public relations manager for the fashion designer Valentino Garavani.
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Background
The daughter of Prince Tassilo Egon Maria Karl George Leo of Fürstenberg and his first wife, Clara Agnelli, a Fiat heiress, she was born Virginia Carolina Theresa Pancrazia Galdina of Fürstenberg in Rome, Italy. Her maternal great-grandmother was an American heiress, Jane Campbell (Princess of San Faustino), and the elder of her two brothers was the fashion designer Egon von Fürstenberg. Her former sister-in-law is the fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg, and an uncle was Gianni Agnelli, the chairman of Fiat. She also has a younger brother, Prince Sebastian. Princess Ira reportedly was a close companion of Prince Rainier III of Monaco after the death of his wife, the former Grace Kelly. Like the late ruler of Monaco, her first cousin once removed, she is a great-grandchild of the Scottish-Bavarian aristocrat Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, the first wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco, though Ira is descended from Lady Mary's second marriage.
First marriage
Fürstenberg's first husband, whom she married at Venice, Italy, on September 17 1955, was Alfonso, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1924 - 2003), who founded the Marbella Club, the Spanish resort. At the time of the wedding, the bride was 15, the groom, 31. They were divorced in 1960, and the marriage was annulled in 1969. They had two children:
- Christoph Victorio Egon Humberto (a.k.a. Kiko, 8 November 1956 — 5 August 2006), died of massive organ failure a few days after being imprisoned in Klongprem Central Prison in Bangkok on charges of suspicion of forging a visa. His health had been weakened from a weight-loss regimen at a Thai wellness center.[1][2][3]
- Hubertus (born May 31 1959) is a musician and photographer who was on Mexico's Olympic skiing team in 1984, 1988, 1992, and 1994.[4]
Second marriage
Fürstenberg's second husband was Francisco "Baby" Pignatari (1916 - 1977), a Brazilian industrialist. They married in Reno, Nevada, on January 12 1961. They divorced in Las Vegas in January 1964. They had no children.
Film career
Known for her plush silhouette, sloe eyes, and gift for light comedy, Ira von Fürstenberg was a sumptuous star of European-made B-movies in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Her film appearances include Dolls for an August Moon (1970), The Fifth Cord (1971), the spy spoof Matchless (her first film, 1966, co-starring Patrick O'Neal), and J'ai tué Raspoutine (1967), and Dead Run (1967, co-starring Peter Lawford).
Sued by Hôtel Royal Monceau
In 2005 she was taken to court by the Hôtel Royal Monceau of Paris for failing to pay a €122,000 bill. Lawyers for the hotel accused her of concealing part of her possessions to avoid seizure by a bailiff acting on the hotel's behalf. Her lawyer, Emmanuel Trink, said she was unable to pay the hotel bill due to "financial difficulties".[5]
References
- Gloria Emerson, "Her Closets Brim With Fashion: Princess Virginia Ira von und zu Furstenberg", New York Times, 14 April 1966, page not listed.
