Otto von Habsburg (right), heir to the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, carried one of the most storied names in European history until he died in 2011. After the empire’s collapse and the Habsburgs’ exile from Austria in 1919, Otto spent much of his life abroad.

He is pictured here with his siblings at Villa Uribarren in Lequeitio, a grand coastal residence in Spain’s Basque Country.

Overlooking the Bay of Biscay, the villa, with its sweeping terraces and elegant interior, was gifted to the family by loyal supporters after the death of his father, Emperor Charles I, Austria’s last monarch. It became a place of refuge during their years in exile.

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Rare photos of royal families behind closed doors