Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Dowager Princess Marianne
The Observer
|May 11, 2025
Photographer and doyenne of German and Austrian nobility
On a Sunday morning in August 1985, during a holiday on the Wolfgangsee near Salzburg, Margaret Thatcher was introduced over coffee to a woman called Manni, who invited her for lunch.
The prime minister politely declined, explaining her busy schedule. “That's a pity,” Manni said. “I'm sure you would have enjoyed talking to Sean Connery.”
That grabbed Mrs Thatcher's attention. “You mean James Bond?” she asked. A conversation followed with the British ambassador. “I can come for one drink,’ the prime minister said. Soon after, Manni recalled, “Sean was introduced to his biggest fan,’ as the Thatchers were photographed by their host relaxing in the garden and chatting about devolution with the Scottish actor.
Manni was also known as Marianne, Dowager Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and quadruple-great-granddaughter on her mother’s side of Empress Maria Theresa, ruler of the Habsburg monarchy. Or the “Mamarazza”, to use the nickname Princess Caroline of Monaco gave her in recognition of her status as the best-connected celebrity photographer in Europe.
This story is from the May 11, 2025 edition of The Observer.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Observer
The Observer
Allegations against predatory tutors suggest an 'endemic' culture of abuse at conservatoires
As two new claims of historic sexual misconduct at Guildhall are investigated, there are calls for a full inquiry into mistakes made 30 years ago, writes Vanessa Thorpe
4 mins
December 28, 2025
The Observer
The Bradford jeweller who turned dirty money into a trail of gold
Four men have been sentenced over a £266m money laundering scheme ... now police can't find three of them.
7 mins
December 28, 2025
The Observer
Ex-husband among six on drugging and rape charges
A former rapper is among six men accused of more than 60 offences against Joanne Young, who was allegedly drugged by her ex-husband and raped or sexually assaulted by him and others over 13 years.
2 mins
December 28, 2025
The Observer
Pondering poor decisions on my flight to the already lost Ashes
“What are you doing here, mate?” an ex-colleague inquired incredulously, as though we were meeting in a Siberian prison camp rather than an Australian press box.
2 mins
December 28, 2025
The Observer
Labour averts revolt by MPs as tractor protests drive climbdown on farm tax
The government has narrowly averted a major showdown with its own MPs, including a clutch of threatened resignations in the next few weeks, after watering down its plans to impose inheritance tax on smaller farms.
2 mins
December 28, 2025
The Observer
Funding for extensions to allow foster parents to give more children a home
A pioneering scheme is helping to pay for building work so families can offer more places to those in care
4 mins
December 28, 2025
The Observer
Unaffordable
Nigel Farage’s plans are expensive. Keir Starmer needs to say so, and have the policies to back it up
3 mins
December 28, 2025
The Observer
The media hedges its bets on the profits of doom
We don’t need our newsrooms to predict the future — just make sense of the here and now, writes Phil Tinline
3 mins
December 28, 2025
The Observer
“He billed himself as President Maga. But he loves to be a global tough guy
Donald Trump celebrated Christmas Day by launching Tomahawk cruise missiles against Islamic State jihadists in a remote corner of Nigeria, who were, he said, “viciously killing” Christians.
2 mins
December 28, 2025
The Observer
Buy a £5 flat white or save for a house deposit? The rise of 'treatonomics'
Faced with the cost of living crisis, many indulge in 'inchstone' rather than adult-milestone purchases
2 mins
December 28, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size