Prince and people are pitted head-to-head in tiny Liechtenstein today when the subjects of Hans Adam II go to the polls to decide whether to give the 300-year-old royal house more power.
Cat and pig remains left on doorsteps of the Prince's critics have added a macabre twist to the proceedings,
while the Prince himself has vowed to leave his tiny capital, Vaduz, for Vienna if his proposals are not upheld.
A decade-long row over the principality's constitution will culminate with the result of the referendum that has polarised opinion among the 33,000 inhabitants of Europe's fourth smallest nation.
Prince Hans Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein is adamant that his suggested changes to Liechtenstein's 1921 constitution will merely legitimise his position as ruler.
However, critics argue that granting him the right to veto legislation, nominate judges and sack the Government would stack the deck too much in his favour and threaten to damage the principality's image abroad.
