Ask a New Yorker: I just met an interesting gentleman here at
The Coffee Shop at Union Square. Who are you?
Max: Prince Mario- Max zu Schaumburg-Lippe.
Ask a New Yorker: You said Prince?
Max: I’m a prince from Germany. My ancestors go also through Austria through
my mom and Denmark through my father, The Royal House of Denmark. My father’s
mom is the Princess of Denmark and is the cousin of the Queen of Denmark.
Ask a New Yorker: We’ve interviewed all kinds of New Yorkers, but never
a Prince. Cool. Do you live in a castle with moat around it?
Max: Actually I grew up partly in a castle then we moved to Germany and we live
in a very old landmark. The house where I lived as kid is from the 14th century.
It has seen a lot and will be there when I’m gone. It will be there forever.
Ask a New Yorker: You’ve never been kissed by a frog?
Max: I’ve never been kissed by a frog but I love them whenever I see them.
They are so close to the princesses, when I find one I let them sit on my hand
and feed them with a little food. (laughter) Frogs like corn flakes.
Ask a New Yorker: What does a Prince do for a living?
Max: Nowadays a Prince has to work, lots of work because there are so many responsibilities,
meaning being there for others. There is the responsibility towards family.
And of course there’s the responsibility to succeed as people look at
what you do. So you can’t allow yourself to fail, you always need to focus
on your work. There is no bad work at all, that is totally my philosophy, and
I do everything from upscale things to cleaning my sidewalk. You have to be
focused on keeping yourself busy and getting things done.
Ask a New Yorker: How do you make money?
Max: My product lines are my babies. I do have a fragrance line currently with
nine fragrances that I developed together with a great Hawaiian guy named Kepa.
The company is Narcotique.com and is
in Brooklyn. It’s an amazing success. I launched it in the capital of
the world, New York City. It is one of the best selling products of European
Tele-shopping and it airs every week. I also have a fashion line which started
in Germany. It’s also present in Florida, where I recently held a fashion
show. The next enterprise: there’s going to be a vodka line, a spirit
line.
Ask a New Yorker: Tell me you don’t live on Prince Street in Soho?
Max: I don’t live on Prince Street but that’s like, the biggest
goal. When I’ve made it in the US I’m going to live on Prince Street.
Ask a New Yorker: Where do you live now in the city?
Max: I always stay on Broadway. I want to also have a tranquil spot. Coney Island
in the Far Rockaways would be cool. Just 45 minutes from Broadway. Far Rockaway
is the spot to be because it’s a great place to surf, the beach, and the
water. I come from an almost land locked country. I live in the middle of Germany
therefore I am so intrigued by the sea. I have to make this come true.
Ask a New Yorker: I love it, a prince in the Far Rockaways. Do you surf?
Max: I’m a surfer. I love everything regarding water. I’ll jump
in the water any day regardless if it’s cold or warm. When I see water
I’m in it.
Ask a New Yorker: What are some of your other hobbies?
Max: I like singing and I have always admired Broadway musicals. I started my
professional education; I studied at
Luigi, the famous dance teacher on the upper west side. There I danced with
Marisa Berenson, Liza Minnelli and Ben Vereen, who all go to his class. Then
I started singing which has become another profession. I recently starred in
Dracula in Austria on a castle stage outdoors. It was wonderful. I really enjoyed
it. One of my goals is to make headway on the musical stage here in the US.
I’ve done quite a lot of TV in Germany. Currently I have my own TV show
where I go back and forth to the studio in Berlin. The show is mostly about
royalty, news and gossip, all the topics that move every one of us. Don’t
you think?
Ask a New Yorker: I met Liza once when I was the host at Tens World Class Cabaret,
a strip club in the city. She came in very late and did a performance of stage
just for the dancers and employees at 3:00am. How is she doing these days?
Max: Liza is one of the wonderful and trustworthy people I ever met. She took
me in Europe on her tour and we’ve been to Paris. We dined at The Eiffel
Tower. We’ve been to Hamburg. She once had a bad knee so I put cream cheese
on her knee to cool it. So I have a lot of Liza stories. Only some I want to
share publicly, the others are off record. She is a wonderful and amazing person.
Ask a New Yorker: How would you describe your politics?
Max: As my Facebook profile says, “politically and religious views, tolerant”.
I accept every religion; I accept every political walk in life as long as it
doesn’t harm others. This is really my main philosophy. So everyone can
have his belief and his own way. I am not a member of any political party. So
I really want the best for people. If it’s a dangerous area there needs
to be a strict ruling that they get rid of the crime. So I think each area of
this country has to have its political direction. There is not a unique solution
for a whole country because it’s too diverse.
Ask a New Yorker: Last Question: Have you ever met Prince, the rock star from
Minneapolis?
Max: You will laugh because my mother just informed me that Prince is coming
to New York City. I’ll definitely be here in New York when he performs.
Ask a New Yorker: Thank you Prince Mario- Max zu Schaumburg-Lippe. It was a
pleasure meeting you. Happy New Year. Cheers!
