The “prince” in prince and Diane von Furstenberg is Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, Diane von Furstenberg’s first husband and a member of the German princely House of Fürstenberg. They married in 1969, had two children, separated in the early 1970s, and legally divorced in 1983, but remained closely connected until Egon’s death in 2004.
Their relationship is more than a society-marriage story. Diane entered New York as the young wife of a highly connected European prince, but during the marriage she deliberately built an identity and business of her own. Her rise as the creator of the famous wrap dress eventually made the name von Furstenberg far more closely associated with her fashion career than with aristocracy.
Who Was the Prince Married to Diane von Furstenberg?
Prince Eduard Egon von und zu Fürstenberg, usually known simply as Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, was born into the Fürstenberg family, a historic German princely dynasty. His father was Prince Tassilo zu Fürstenberg, while his mother, Clara Agnelli, belonged to Italy’s prominent Agnelli family, associated with the Fiat automobile empire.
Egon was not a reigning monarch. Contemporary profiles nevertheless routinely referred to him as Prince Egon because of his Fürstenberg family background and inherited title.
He later became involved in fashion himself. After working in banking and retail, including as a buyer for Macy’s, he developed clothing collections and expanded his business into menswear, womenswear, accessories and home products.
Diane, meanwhile, was born Diane Simone Michelle Halfin in Brussels, Belgium, in 1946. She studied in Europe and eventually attended the University of Geneva, where she encountered Egon.
How Prince Egon and Diane von Furstenberg Met
Diane and Egon met while they were young students in Switzerland. Diane has recalled that she knew Egon during her university years in Geneva before their lives temporarily took them in separate directions.
She later worked in Paris and Italy, including spending time with textile manufacturer Angelo Ferretti. That experience exposed her to fabric production, printing, cutting and garment development. It became an important foundation for the fashion career she would soon pursue in New York. The Fashion & Lace Museum in Brussels identifies Ferretti’s operation as an important part of her early education in textiles and design.
Egon was spending time in the United States. Diane visited him in New York and was attracted not only to him but also to the opportunities she saw in the city.
In a later interview, she summarized the sequence simply: they met at school, fell in love, spent periods apart, became engaged, learned that she was pregnant and married sooner than they had initially expected.
The 1969 Wedding of Prince Egon and Diane von Furstenberg
Diane Halfin and Prince Egon von Fürstenberg married on July 16, 1969, in Montfort-l’Amaury, France. British Vogue records the civil ceremony at the town hall, followed by an elaborate reception attended by hundreds of guests.
Diane was pregnant with their first child at the time.
Her wedding outfit was unconventional for a traditional aristocratic marriage. She worked with Marc Bohan of Christian Dior on a white cotton dress with open-work embroidery, colorful petticoats and a multicolored belt rather than choosing a conventional formal bridal gown.
The marriage also crossed significant cultural boundaries. Diane was Jewish and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. Egon came from an old German Catholic aristocratic family. Diane has said publicly that parts of the German side of Egon’s family were uncomfortable with his marrying a Jewish woman.
That history is important because Diane’s family background, particularly her mother’s survival of Auschwitz, became central to the way she later spoke about freedom, independence and refusing to live as a victim.
Their Children: Alexander and Tatiana von Furstenberg
Prince Egon and Diane had two children, a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Tatiana.
Diane has described becoming pregnant with Alexander as one of the forces that pushed her to establish a professional identity quickly. Instead of allowing marriage and motherhood to delay her ambitions, she began preparing clothes and developing a business while pregnant. Tatiana arrived approximately a year after Alexander.
| Family member | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Prince Egon von Fürstenberg | Diane’s first husband |
| Diane von Furstenberg | Fashion designer and founder of DVF |
| Alexander von Furstenberg | Their son |
| Tatiana von Furstenberg | Their daughter |
| Prince Tassilo zu Fürstenberg | Egon’s father |
| Clara Agnelli | Egon’s mother and member of the Agnelli family |
The children remained an important link between Diane and Egon long after their romantic relationship ended. Egon’s 2004 obituary named Diane, Alexandre, Tatiana and his second wife Lynn among the family members mourning him.
Also Read: Bernard Arnault and Diane von Furstenberg
How Marriage to a Prince Affected Diane’s Career
Becoming a princess gave Diane immediate visibility in elite European and New York social circles, but the evidence does not support reducing her later success to her husband’s title.
Diane has repeatedly explained that marriage actually strengthened her determination to have an identity of her own. While expecting her first child, she was already developing clothing samples and preparing to enter the American fashion market.
After moving to New York, Diane and Egon became highly visible members of the city’s social scene. Their circle included influential figures from art, fashion and nightlife. The New Yorker describes the couple’s busy social life while noting that Diane spent her days trying to establish her dress business.
An important early connection was Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. Diane showed her designs in New York and gradually developed the business that would transform her from a socially prominent princess into a commercially important designer.
Her eventual signature was the wrap dress.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art describes von Furstenberg’s 1970s wrap dress as a major development in the American sportswear tradition, noting her use of bold, stretchy fabrics and colors. The Costume Institute holds multiple examples of her early work, including a wrap-style dress dated to around 1974.
The dress became closely associated with women’s professional and social independence. More importantly for Diane personally, it gave her something the princely title could not provide: financial and professional independence.
Why Did Prince Egon and Diane von Furstenberg Separate?
The marriage was short-lived as a conventional partnership.
Sources vary slightly on whether Diane and Egon separated in 1972 or 1973, which explains why online biographies sometimes give conflicting dates. What is clear is that they were living separate lives by the early 1970s and that their legal divorce was not completed until 1983.
Diane has discussed several pressures on the relationship over the years.
Both lived unusually independent personal lives, and Diane later described Egon as highly promiscuous. She has also acknowledged that her own rapidly growing success affected the relationship. Their life as a glamorous young society couple ultimately proved very different from a conventional marriage.
It would be misleading, however, to describe their separation simply as an acrimonious breakup.
They maintained an unusually close relationship afterward.
Did Diane von Furstenberg Remain Friends With Prince Egon?
Yes. Diane and Egon continued to regard each other as family long after separating.
In an interview with CNN, Diane said that although they separated quickly, they remained “the best of friends.” She credited Egon with giving her two children, believing in her early on and giving her the surname she continued to use professionally.
Egon expressed similar feelings.
A 2004 Los Angeles Times obituary reported that he and Diane remained friendly and quoted him saying they spoke almost every day because of their children and grandchildren. Egon even attended celebrations connected with Diane’s later marriage to Barry Diller.
Diane has also said that Egon was one of the first people to believe strongly in her abilities. In a 2024 Fresh Air interview discussing the documentary Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, she emphasized that he remained emotionally important to her despite the divorce.
What Happened to Prince Egon After the Divorce?
Egon developed his own fashion career after the couple separated.
He created clothing collections, wrote books about men’s style and interiors, and operated fashion businesses primarily in Europe. His professional interests eventually expanded beyond clothing to accessories and home furnishings.
In 1983, the same year his divorce from Diane became final, Egon married Lynn Marshall.
Prince Egon von Fürstenberg died in Rome on June 11, 2004, in his late 50s. Contemporary reporting confirmed that he had recently become seriously ill, although accounts of the precise medical cause have not always been consistent. His published family notice said he died surrounded by family.
For that reason, specific unsourced claims online about his cause of death should be treated cautiously.
Who Did Diane von Furstenberg Marry After Prince Egon?
Diane married American media executive Barry Diller in 2001.
Diller built a major career in television, film and digital media, including leadership roles at Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox and the creation of IAC. His current official author biography identifies Diane von Furstenberg as his wife.
Diane nevertheless kept von Furstenberg as the name associated with her public identity and fashion business.
By then, it was no longer simply the surname she had acquired through marriage. It had become an internationally recognizable fashion brand built around her own work.
Prince and Diane von Furstenberg’s Lasting Fashion Legacy
The most important legacy of Prince Egon and Diane von Furstenberg is not that she once became a princess. It is the unusual way their marriage intersected with the creation of a major fashion career.
Egon introduced Diane to a world of extraordinary privilege and social access, and Diane has openly credited him with believing in her. Yet she was equally determined not to let that world define her.
Her career ultimately outgrew the society story surrounding their marriage.
The CFDA identifies Diane as the founder of her namesake company and creator of the iconic wrap dress. She later served for years as a leading figure within the organization and expanded her influence into philanthropy through initiatives such as the DVF Awards.
Her influence remains active. In September 2026, Diane hosted the 17th annual DVF Awards in Venice, continuing the program’s focus on recognizing women for leadership and humanitarian work.
The story therefore reverses the traditional fairy-tale formula. Diane von Furstenberg did marry a prince, but the marriage became the beginning rather than the destination of her public life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the prince married to Diane von Furstenberg?
He was Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, formally Eduard Egon von und zu Fürstenberg, a member of the German Fürstenberg family and the son of Prince Tassilo zu Fürstenberg and Clara Agnelli.
When did Prince Egon and Diane von Furstenberg marry?
They married on July 16, 1969, in Montfort-l’Amaury, France. Diane was pregnant with their first child at the time.
How many children did Diane von Furstenberg have with Prince Egon?
They had two children, Alexander von Furstenberg and Tatiana von Furstenberg.
When did Diane von Furstenberg divorce Prince Egon?
They separated in the early 1970s. Sources differ between approximately 1972 and 1973 for the separation, but their divorce became legally final in 1983.
Did Diane von Furstenberg keep her first husband’s name?
Yes. She continued to be professionally known as Diane von Furstenberg after the marriage ended. The surname became inseparable from the fashion company and public identity she built.
Who is Diane von Furstenberg married to now?
Diane von Furstenberg is married to media executive Barry Diller. They married in 2001, and current official biographical material continues to identify them as married.
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