Crown Prince, The (2 Disc Set)

Rudolf - The true story of a royal rebel and his tragic love

Archduke Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia (21 August 1858 - 30 January 1889) was the son and heir of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. His death, apparently through suicide, along with that of his mistress, Baroness Mary Vetsera, at his Mayerling hunting lodge in 1889 made international headlines, fueled international conspiracy rumours and ultimately may have sealed the long-term fate of the Habsburg monarchy.

Unhappy in his arranged marriage, Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf (Max von Thun) takes the young and beautiful Baroness Mary Vetsera (Vittoria Puccini) as his mistress. When both his decidedly liberal political views and his romantic liaison come under intense and disapproving scrutiny from his father, Rudolf is led down a tragic path of historic self-destruction.