Countess Diana Phipps Sternberg dies at 88 in Vienna

Countess Diana Phipps Sternberg, a member of the old Czech nobility, has died in Vienna at the age of 88. The Committee of Goodwill - Olga Havel Foundation, which she actively supported for many years, paid tribute to her memory, saying she had been the driving force behind many of its charity projects.

Diana Sternberg was 12 years old when her family fled from communist Czechoslovakia. She lived in various corners of the world and became a renowned interior designer. After returning to her homeland in 1990 she worked at the Office of the President under Václav Havel, where she chiefly focused on the interiors at Prague Castle and Lány Chateau, as well as founding the Committee of Goodwill with Olga Havlová.