Who was Amalija Knavs married to? All about her husband and children as Melania Trump’s mother dies aged 78

On Tuesday, January 9, former First Lady Melania Trump announced that her mother, Amalija Knavs, had passed away. Melania Trump wrote that her mother was a "strong woman" who carried herself with "grace, warmth, and dignity." Amalija Knavs was 78 years old. Knavs' cause of death was not disclosed at the time of writing this article.

Slovenian-born Amalija, reportedly a former textile worker, was married to Melania's father, Viktor Knavs, a former chauffeur. Both Amalija and Viktor became United States citizens during Donald Trump's presidency, back in 2018. Amalija and Viktor also have an older daughter, named Ines Knauss.

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Amalija Knavs and Viktor Knavs met in 1966

Melania Trump had been notably absent during her husband Donald's re-election campaign and even his New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago. Trump answered people's concerns at the event when he revealed that Melania's mother was "very ill." A Fox News article quoted a source as saying:

"Melania has always been very devoted to her entire family. It should be no surprise that she spent this Christmas with her ailing mother."

On Tuesday night, the former first lady shared the news that her 78-year-old mother, Amalija Knavs, had passed away. The exact reason for her death was not revealed to the public at the moment. However, Melania released a touching tribute to her late mother. She wrote in a statement published on X:

"It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija. Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity. She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy."

According to Town and Country magazine, Amalija Knavs was a former children’s clothing factory pattern-maker. She was born Amalija Ulcnik to Anton Ulcnik and Amalija Ulcnik in Austria in 1945, but was raised in Slovenia back when it was still a part of Yugoslavia. According to The New York Times, her father was a red-onion farmer and cobbler, while her mother was a homemaker and seamstress.

Amalija's future husband, Viktor Knavs, whom she met in 1966, worked as a chauffeur for a town mayor in Slovenia. The magazine detailed that Viktor later became a state-owned car company traveling salesman. Viktor, who is now 79 years of age, already had a son from a previous relationship, Melania's half-brother, Denis Cigelnjak.

Not much is known about Denis except for multiple reports claiming that he lives in rural Slovenia and that he has never met Melania or his father. The couple's first daughter, Ines Knavs, was born in 1968, and later their second child, Melania Trump, was born in the Slovenian town of Sevnica as Melanija Knavs in 1970. According to a GQ article, Viktor and Amalija Knavs lived quite affluently.

Style magazine stated that Amalija, who used to have an exceptional collection of outfits and maintained immaculate hair, would sew clothes for her and her daughters. The family was also able to go on holidays in European countries like Italy, France, and Germany.

While it is well known that Melania became a popular model and later the United States First Lady, very little is known about her sister, Ines. Both siblings later changed their last names to Knauss. It is reported by multiple outlets that Ines was a fashion designer.

Style magazine said in an article from 2020 that Ines lived as an artist in New York. Melania reportedly shares a close bond with her sibling, whose artwork she sometimes posts on social media. Ines was also the maid-of-honor at Melania's wedding. Despite maintaining incredible privacy, Ines still has public social media accounts and frequently shares old pictures of herself and her family on Instagram.

Viktor Knavs was reportedly a member of the Communist Party in Sevnica, which roughly translated to the family being atheists. However, it was revealed in the book Melania Trump – The Inside Story: The Potential First Lady by Bojan Požar that her parents had a church service during their marriage and that Melania and her older sister, Ines, were baptized at the St. Lawrence Church in her mother's village, Raka.

Viktor and Amalija Knav became official United States citizens in 2018 through the sponsorship of Melania Trump, prior to which they used to reside in the country with the help of a green card. According to a People magazine source, Amalija shared a great relationship with Melania and her grandson, Barron Trump. The publication quoted the source as saying:

"There have been times when Barron has been with his grandparents more than with Melania, and a lot more than with Donald."

As per People, Viktor and Amalija Knavs were living at Mar-a-Lago for the last couple of years.

The official cause of Amalija Knavs' death has not been released. Details about her funeral service were not released.