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ROYAL TRAGEDY

Austrian Princess Maria Galitzine, 31, dies suddenly from heart failure leaving behind chef husband and two-year-old

PRINCESS Maria Galitzine has died suddenly from heart failure leaving behind her husband and son, 2.

The 31-year-old – a descendant of Emperor Karl of Austria – was living in Houston, Texas, with her chef partner Rishi Singh when she passed away.

 Princess Maria Galitzine leaves behind her husband Rishi Singh
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Princess Maria Galitzine leaves behind her husband Rishi SinghCredit: Facebook
 The 31-year-old died in Houston, Texas, where she lived with her husband and son
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The 31-year-old died in Houston, Texas, where she lived with her husband and sonCredit: Facebook

She suffered a fatal cardiac aneurysm – a bulge in a blood vessel in the heart that can rupture – on May 4, just six days before her 32nd birthday.

The tragic news was confirmed in an obituary published in The Houston Chronicle on Wednesday.

It read: “Our Maria passed away in the Houston morning of Monday, May 4, 2020, from a sudden cardiac aneurysm.

“She was born in 1988 to Prince and Princess Piotr Galitzine in the city of Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.”

Maria was the daughter of Prince Piotr Galitzine, a Russian aristocrat, and Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria – the daughter of the Archduke Rudolf of Austria.

He was the youngest son of Emperor Karl I of Austria and Empress Zita of Bourbon-Parma.

The couple were the last Emperor and Empress of Austria, and were exiled after World War 1.

TRAGIC PASSING

Maria went on to live in Russia with her family, where she went to the German School of Moscow until she graduated.

She later moved to Belgium, where she attended the College of Art and Design.

The princess went on to live and work in Brussels, Chicago and Houston, specialising in interior design and furnishing.

She married Rishi Singh – executive chef at Hotel Derek in Houston – in 2017.

They later welcomed their son Maxim, who is described as "the apple of her eye" in her obituary.

Maria was one of six siblings, with three sisters and two brothers - Princess Xenia, Princess Tatiana, Princess Alexandra, Prince Dimitri and Prince Ionn Teimouraz.

Speaking to the Houston Chronicle just after her wedding in February 2018, Tatiana said their parents never publicised their royal status but they always knew what it meant to be royal.

“My life is completely normal unless we are invited to royal weddings. My mail sometimes says 'Princess Tatiana'.”

What is an aneurysm?

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a swelling of the main blood vessel that leads away from the heart.

Usually about 2cm wide the vessel can expand to more than 5.5cm, which doctors class as a large abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms do not normally pose a serious threat to health, but rare large aneurysms can be very serious.

If a large aneurysm ruptures it can cause huge internal bleeding and is usually fatal.

About eight in 10 people with a rupture will die before they reach hospital or not survive surgery.

 Maria died from a cardiac aneurysm – a bulge in a blood vessel in the heart
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Maria died from a cardiac aneurysm – a bulge in a blood vessel in the heartCredit: Facebook
 The mum was the great-granddaughter of the last emperor of Austria, Karl I
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The mum was the great-granddaughter of the last emperor of Austria, Karl ICredit: Facebook
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