An eccentric German princess who evolved from a 1980s punk style icon to a conservative Catholic known for hobnobbing with far-right figures said on Monday that she hosted Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and his wife at her castle during a July 2023 music festival.
Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis also told The New York Times that she viewed the justice as “a hero.”
“He is pro-life in a time where the majority follows the culture of death,” she wrote in a text exchange with The Times. She then typed a skull emoji, adding, “Christians believe in life. The Zeitgeist is nihilistic and believes in destruction.”
The 64-year-old princess said that Justice Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann, are her “friends” and that after her castle festivities, the three attended the opening of the Bayreuth Festival, the world’s premier venue for the performance of Wagner’s operas.
The details of the princess’s gift and the justice’s travels emerged after Justice Alito listed a $900 gift of concert tickets on his annual financial disclosure form, which was released late last week. The disclosure has prompted a new round of scrutiny of the justices, who have been in the spotlight after a series of revelations that some of them — most notably Justice Clarence Thomas — failed to report lavish gifts and travel from wealthy benefactors.
Justice Alito was the focus of a ProPublica report for failing to disclose a private jet flight paid for by a conservative billionaire who later had cases before the court. The jet trip was part of a luxury salmon-fishing vacation. Justice Alito, in an opinion column in The Wall Street Journal before the article was published, maintained that he did not have a conflict in accepting the “hospitality” and that he was not obligated to disclose the trip.
Justice Alito has also been the focus of attention in recent months after The Times revealed that provocative flags flew outside the Alitos’ properties. Those included an upside-down American flag that Trump loyalists had adopted to challenge President Biden’s 2020 electoral win flying outside the justice’s residence in the weeks after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Last summer, an “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which had been carried by Jan. 6 rioters and is now a symbol for a more Christian-minded government, was on display at the justice’s beach house.
Princess Gloria, who was once nicknamed “Princess TNT” for her explosive personality, has in recent years courted controversy in both the United States and Europe as a central figure among traditionalist Roman Catholics opposed to Pope Francis. Her 500-room Bavarian castle in Regensburg, St. Emmeram Palace, home to an annual music festival, has also been floated by the longtime Trump ally Stephen K. Bannon as a potential “Gladiator School” for the theological and media training of traditionalist conservative Catholics hostile to Francis.
Princess Gloria did not respond to other questions posed to her, including how long she has known the justice and his wife, whether she paid for other parts of the Alitos’ travel, including transportation, and whether she has given the justice other gifts in the past.
Justice Alito did not respond to requests for comment.
More details have emerged about the justice’s trip to the princess’s castle, including an interview with him by Christian Eckl, the editor in chief of a newspaper in Regensburg, who recognized the justice from reporting in The Times about the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. (Justice Alito wrote the majority opinion in the case.)
In the 32-second video, Justice Alito, with a beard and wearing a dark pinstriped blazer, spoke to an off-camera interviewer. The justice said the castle, seen in the background, was “amazing” and that he was looking forward to going to the Bayreuth Festival to see Wagner’s operas.
“I will enjoy it,” Justice Alito said. “A friend of mine has waited his whole life to get tickets to go, and so it’s quite a privilege to be able to go.”
Justice Alito did not say in the video which friend he was referring to, and he did not disclose any additional names on his annual financial form.
Mr. Eckl, who also spoke with the princess about her gift to the justice, described the festival as a mixture of classical music, jazz and rock. He said Elton John had performed there in a previous year.
A schedule for the July 2023 festival in Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site built during the Roman Empire, featured an eclectic lineup, including a performance of Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute,” a children’s musical about “Germany’s most famous and cheeky little witch,” a Michael Jackson tribute show and an act called the “Earth, Wind & Fire Experience.”
Mr. Eckl also described controversies around the festival because the princess had invited “many right-wing guests.”
Julie Tate contributed research.
