Prince Constantin in front of the Liechtenstein castle in Vaduz, Sunday Aug. 15, 2004. AP PHOTO/KEYSTONE/ARNO BALZARINI

Prince Constantin, the youngest son of the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein Hans-Adam II, died suddenly this week, the Princely House said in a statement Wednesday. He was 51.

"The Princely House regrets to announce that Prince Constantin of Liechtenstein passed away unexpectedly on December 5, 2023," the statement said.

Constantin was seventh in line to the throne. The statement provided no cause of death.

Constantin's eldest brother, Hereditary Prince Alois, is destined to succeed Hans-Adam II as the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, a tiny principality nestled between Austria and Switzerland with nearly 40,000 inhabitants.

Constantin leaves behind his wife, Princess Marie of Liechtenstein, and his children Prince Moritz, Princess Georgina and Prince Benedikt, it added.

According to the statement, he also served as chairman of the supervisory board of the Liechtenstein Group, the largest royal family-owned private banking and asset management group in the world.

According to local newspaper Vaterland, the state parliament held a minute's silence and Apostolic Administrator Benno Elbs paid his respects to the royal family after Constantin's death.

"On behalf of the Archdiocese of Vaduz, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to SD Prince Hans-Adam II, the wife of the deceased, Princess Marie, and their children Prince Moritz, Princess Georgina, and Prince Benedikt," Elbs said in a statement.

Elbs said that churches in Liechtenstein rang their bells to honor the prince, Vaterland reported.

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