I think we need to be careful to make the distinction between royal families, like those of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, etc (as well as their non-ruling counterparts), and noble families such as the Thurn und Taxis. Because the head of the house is the Fuerst, this makes the family a Fuerstenhaus (roughly equivalent to a princely family). Yes, they were fabulously wealthy, would have qualified as part of the Uradel (old nobility), and had landholdings in several parts of Europe, but they did not rank the same as royal families. In the Holy Roman Empire (from whence the T&T gained their monopoly), they would have ranked below the electors and many dukes. Ranking below them would be more minor princes, all comital titles, and barons.
I'm afriad that I have to disagree with some of the things that hrhcp has alluded to on the previous page. Although I commend Fuerstin Gloria's support of the arts, there is clearly a reason why her over-the-top jet-set lifestyle attracted so much attention. Even by royal standards, it was a bit excessive and shameless (part of me really loves that). I also will not make any attempt to defend the behaviour of her husband, the Fuerst Johannes, but I will say that they both shared equally in the hedonistic lifestyle. I think that Grafin Gloria gained a lot in her marriage to the aging Fuerst, and I can understand why many people would have interpreted her as a gold digger.
I personally believe that there is a sort of fall-out when royal and noble families lose their legal status as such (the "Fuerst" von Thurn und Taxis only excercises the role as Head of the House, not any sort of ruling Fuerst). Long accustomed to lavish lifestyles accompanied by duties to the state, I think that many royals and nobles sunk into very unbalanced lifestyles once they were unable to perform their socio-political duties. By unbalanced, I am referring to the fact that party princes like Johannes and Gloria in the 1980s lived in such a way that it was as if they forgot the source of their fabulous wealth--the state (and ultimately its citizens). This, in my opinion, is one of the greatest psychological problems caused by the abolition of monarchy and the noble system.
