Karl August, 10th Prince of Thurn and Taxis (1898-1982) was head of the House of Thurn und Taxis from 1971 until his death. Son of Albert, 8th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, and his wife, Archduchess Margarethe Klementine of Austria, Karl August married Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal in 1921. The couple had four children, including Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn und Taxis, who eventually married renowned art patron Countess Gloria von Schonbürg-Glauchau, later known as Gloria von Thurn und Taxis. Karl August was a staunch opponent of Nazims and was imprisoned for his political views in 1944. After becoming the head of the princely house in 1971, he became heavily involved in the modernization of the Thurn und Taxis agricultural assets as well as the preservation of the family’s cultural heritage.

ZsaZsa Gabor (1917-2016) was born Gábor Sári into a well-to-do middle-class family in Budapest, Hungary. Already a beauty pageant contestant at age 16, she began her acting career in Austria in 1934 but in 1941 she left Europe and immigrated to the United States, where her family followed her in 1944. Famous for her iconic beauty, Gabor became a screen-actress in the early 1950s. In the following decades, she appeared in over 70 movies and was a star of the Hollywood social scene. Gabor's film credits include Moulin Rouge, Lovely to Look At, and We're Not Married!, among others. In addition to her acting talent, she was equally, if not more, known for her lavish lifestyle as the ultimate socialite and for her many marriages: she married nine times and could count hotel magnate Conrad Hilton and actor George Sanders among her husbands. From 1973 until her death Gabor lived in a richly-appointed Hollywood Regency-style mansion in Bel Air where this desk was used by her.