Irma Sztáray

Countess Irma Sztáray de Sztára et Nagymihály (10 July 1863 – 3 September 1940) was a Hungarian courtier and memoirist. She was the last lady-in-waiting of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, and the sole companion traveling with the empress when she was assassinated.

Early life
The Hungarian countess Irma was born as the daughter of Count Viktor Sztáray de Sztára et Nagymihály (hu) (1823–1879) and Countess Mária Török de Szendrõ (hu) (1835–1916).

Court lady
Sztáray got the position of lady in waiting at the Imperial court of Austria. She never married and had no children, as she dedicated her whole life to the Empress and the court. She accompanied Elisabeth during her last four years, from 1894 until 1898, on her journeys to Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, Algeria and Greece. Her memoirs Aus den letzten Jahren der Kaiserin Elisabeth, which she wrote many years after Empress Elisabeth's death, were published in German and are a valuable source which gives detailed insights into Sisi's final years.

For her services, Irma Sztáray received a medal of honour from Emperor Franz Joseph I right after Elisabeth's assassination.

Later years
Following Empress Elizabeth's death, Sztáray traveled to Italy with her mother to recover from the tragedy. After returning home, she joined the Red Cross and helped care for the wounded in World War I as a nurse. In 1907, she donated the black silk jacket that Empress Elizabeth was wearing on the day of her death to the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Museum at the Buda Castle in Hungary.

Sztáray lived in seclusion in her family's castle in Szobránc, Hungary (today Sobrance, Slovakia) until her death. She died on 3 September 1940, at the age of 77.

In popular culture
The 2023 German-Austrian-Swiss film Sisi & I, directed by Frauke Finsterwalder, tells the story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria from the point of view of Sztáray, who was portrayed by German actress Sandra Hüller.