Otto von Habsburg was born on November 20, 1912, in Austria. He was the last Crown Prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the son of Emperor Charles I. After the empire's collapse following World War I, he became a prominent advocate for European unity and democracy. Throughout his life, Otto was involved in politics and served as a member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1999. He was a strong supporter of the European Union and worked to promote peace and cooperation among European nations until his death on July 4, 2011.