When Blair is talking to Serena about her excitement to be a princess and Louis parents, Blair makes this comment, "I'm sure his parents have their hearts set on an empire-expanding union with a hapless Habsburg, but luckily they're in Botswana." She's making mentioning to the House of Habsburg (also known as the House of Austria), which is one of the most prominent and important dynasties in history. Infamous members of the family are:
A prominent residence of the family was Schönbrunn Palace, in Vienna, Austria.
Adaptions of their lives and reign have been adapted into the TV shows, The Empress (2022) and Sisi (2021).
- Franz Joseph I of Austria (who was Emperor of Austria from 1848 until 1916)
- His brother, Maximilian I of Mexico (who Emperor of the Second Mexican Empire from 1864 until his execution by the Mexican Republic in 1867)
- Franz Joseph's wife, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (who was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1854 until her assassination in 1898)
- Franz Joseph and Maximilian's nephew, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (he was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary and his assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I)
A prominent residence of the family was Schönbrunn Palace, in Vienna, Austria.
Adaptions of their lives and reign have been adapted into the TV shows, The Empress (2022) and Sisi (2021).