The 35th Birthday of the Princess Napoléon

 

Today, Princess Olympia Napoléon celebrates her thirty-fifth birthday!

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Born on 4 January 1988 at Munich, Countess Olympia Elene Marie of Arco-Zinneberg was the third daughter of Count Riprand of Arco-Zinneberg (1955-2021) and Archduchess Maria Beatrix of Austria (b.1954). Riprand and Maria Beatrix were married in 1980 and became the parents of six daughters: Anna Theresa (b.1981), Margherita (b.1983), Olympia (b.1988), Maximiliana (b.1990), Marie-Gabrielle (b.1992), and Giorgiana (b.1997). The family lived between Germany and the United States, where Olympia's father Riprand had business interests.

Olympia graduated from Yale University in 2011 with a B.A. in Political Science. The countess went on to Columbia University in the City of New York, where she emerged in 2015 with a M.A. in Art History. Olympia played on the hockey teams of both Yale and Columbia. While at Yale, she was featured in a university publication wherein she elaborated on her educational experiences: "I am from Austria. I’ve also lived in Germany and Connecticut. I went to boarding school in the United Kingdom and took my gap year in Shanghai, China. Since coming to Yale, I did the Yale-Peking University program during my spring semester sophomore year. Next fall I will spend the semester in Paris." It was during this Paris sejourn that the countess and the prince made one another's acquaintance.

Countess Olympia of Arco-Zinneberg with her father Count Riprand

In March 2019, it became publicly known that Prince Jean-Christophe Napoléon, son of Prince Charles Napoléon and Princess Béatrice of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, had become engaged to Countess Olympia of Arco-Zinneberg, daughter of Count Riprand of Arco-Zinneberg and Archduchess Maria Beatrix of Autria. Jean-Christophe and Olympia have been in a relationship for some years. The prince had proposed to the countess in January 2019 in Switzerland. Jean-Christophe's grandmother, the Dowager Princess Napoléon, resides in Switzerland at Prangins. Jean-Christophe and Olympia married on 19 October 2019 at the Cathedrale Saint-Louis des Invalides in Paris.

Princess Béatrice, Prince Jean-Christophe, Princess Alix, and Princess Olympia.

Princess Olympia Napoléon gave birth to a son, Prince Louis Charles Riprand Victor Jérôme Marie Napoleon, on 7 December 2022 at Paris. Prince Louis is the first child for Prince Jean-Christophe Napoléon and Princess Olympia. The arrival of Prince Louis secures the continuity of the Bonaparte dynasty for another generation.

Our best wishes to the Princess Napoléon on her birthday!

An Imperial Arrival: The Birth of Prince Alexander Georgievich Romanoff!

Grand Duke George and Princess Victoria. Photo (c) David Nivière. Courtesy of the Russian Imperial Chancellery.

Today, Prince Alexander Georgievich Romanoff was born in Moscow. He was named Alexander in honour of Prince St. Alexander Nevsky. The little prince is the first child of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and Princess Victoria Romanovna Romanoff, who wed in 2021. 

Alexander's grandmother, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, issued the following communiqué:

By the Grace of God

We

Grand Duchess Maria of Russia

Head of the Russian Imperial House

Make an Announcement to All

On October 21, 2022, Our daughter-in-law, Her Serene Highness Princess Victoria Romanovna, the spouse of Our son and heir His Imperial Highness The Tsesarevich and Grand Duke George of Russia, was delivered of a son, Our grandson, who has been given the name Alexander.

Welcoming this new addition to Our Family as a sign of God’s grace, I ask all Our countrymen to offer fervent prayers to the Almighty for the health and well-being of the newborn. In accordance with Our current Family Law and the Family Act of September 14/27, 2020, Our grandson will be called His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Georgievich.

Issued in Madrid, 21 October, in the Year 2022 since the Nativity of Christ, and in the thirty-first year of our succession to the rights and duties of Our August Ancestors - the Emperors of All the Russia.

H.I.H. THE GRAND DUCHESS MARIA OF RUSSIA

Prince Alexander Romanoff is a double great-great-great-great-grandson of Emperor Alexander II of Russia:

Emperor Alexander II of Russia -> Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia -> Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia -> Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia -> Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia -> Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia -> Prince Alexander Romanoff

Emperor Alexander II of Russia -> Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia -> Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha -> Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia -> Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia -> Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia -> Prince Alexander Romanoff

Prince Alexander Romanoff is a great-great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom:

Queen Victoria -> Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha -> Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha -> Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia -> Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia -> Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia -> Prince Alexander Romanoff

Prince Alexander Romanoff is a great-great-great-grandson of German Emperor Wilhelm II:

German Emperor Wilhelm II -> Prince Joachim of Prussia -> Prince Karl Franz Josef of Prussia -> Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia -> Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia -> Prince Alexander Romanoff

Our congratulations to the Imperial House of Russia on the birth of Prince Alexander!

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The Ancestry of Prince Alexander Romanoff

1. HSH Prince Alexander Georgievich Romanoff (b.Moscow 21 October 2022)

Parents

2. HIH Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia (b.Madrid 13 March 1981)

m.(civ) Moscow 24 September (rel) Saint Petersburg 1 October 2021

3. Rebecca Virginia Bettarini, took the name Victoria Romanovna upon conversion to Russian Orthodoxy, granted the style and title HSH Princess Romanoff upon marriage (b.Rome 18 May 1982)

Grandparents

4. HRH Prince Franz Wilhelm Victor Christoph Stephan of Prussia, took the name Michael Pavlovich upon conversion to Russian Orthodoxy, granted the style and title HIH Grand Duke of Russia upon marriage (b.Grünberg 3 September 1943)

m.(civ) Dinard 4 September (rel) Madrid 22 September 1976 (div 1985)

5. HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia (b.Madrid 23 December 1953)

6. Ambassador Roberto Amedeo Simeone Bettarini (b.Taranto 5 May 1947)

m.Kinshasa 13 August 1977

7. Carla Virginia Cacciatore (b.Rome 30 August 1945)

Great-Grandparents

8. HRH Prince Karl Franz Josef Wilhelm Friedrich Eduard Paul of Prussia (Potsdam 15 December 1916-Arica, Chile 23 January 1975)

m.(civ) Doorn 1 October (rel) Berlin 5 October 1940 (div 1946)

9. HSH Princess Henriette Hermine Wanda Ida Luise von Schönaich-Carolath (Berlin 25 November 1918-Neuendettelsau 16 March 1972)

10. HIH Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia (Porvoo, Finland 30 August 1917-Miami 21 April 1992)

m.(civ) Montreux 12 August (rel) Lausanne 13 August 1948

11. HRH Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Moukhransky (Tbilisi 23 September 1914-Madrid 23 May 2010)

12. Aldo Giulio Icilio Bettarini (Rome 14 April 1910-Rome 10 December 1976)

m.Rome 16 February 1939

13. Marcella Tomassini (Rome 27 June 1908-Rome 1977)

14. Giulio Cacciatore (Melito Porto Salvo, Reggio di Calabria 2 June 1916-Rome 14 October 1988)

m.Rome 10 November 1944

15. Elsa Spoletini (b.Rome 25 March 1924)

Great-Great-Grandparents

16. HRH Prince Joachim Franz Hubert of Prussia (Berlin 17 December 1890-Potsdam 18 July 1920)

m.Schloß Bellevue 11 March 1916 

17. HH Princess Marie Auguste Antoinette Friederike Alexandra Hilda Luise of Anhalt (Ballenstedt 10 June 1898-Essen 22 May 1983)

18. HSH Prince Johann Georg Ludwig Ferdinand August von Schönaich-Carolath (Saabor 11 September 1873-Wölfelsgrund 7 April 1920)

m.Greiz 7 January 1907

19. HSH Princess Hermine Reuss zu Greiz (Greiz 17 December 1887-Paulinenhof 7 August 1947)

20. HIH Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia (Tsarskoie-Selo 30 September 1876-Neuilly 12 October 1938)

m.Tegernsee 8 October 1905

21. HRH Princess Victoria Melita of Great Britain and Ireland, took the name Victoria Feodorovna upon conversion to Russian Orthodoxy (Malta 25 November 1876-Amorbach 2 March 1936)

22. HRH Prince George Alexandrovich Bagration-Moukhransky (St.Petersburg 16 July 1884-Madrid 29 September 1957)

m.Tbilisi Jul 1908 

23. Elena Zlotnicky (Tbilisi 29 March 1886-Madrid 25 April 1979)

24. Amedeo Angiolo Giuseppe Bettarini (Poggibonsi 21 October 1883-Rome 23 December 1947)

m.Rome 3 February 1910

25. Carolina de Luca (Rome 14 October 1892-)

26. Simeone Tomassini (1863-)

m.

27. Elvira Bartolini (1880-)

28. Alberto Cacciatore (Polistena, Reggio di Calabria 1874-Villa San Giovanni, Reggio di Calabria 5 November 1918) 

m.

29. Virginia Rossetti (San Procopio, Reggio di Calabria 1890-)

30. Giovanni Crisostomo Spoletini (Bellegra 4 May 1895-Rome 29 April 1988)

m.Bellegra 18 December 1919

31. Benedetta Regina Maria Ciani (Bellegra 21 July 1897-Rome 10 February 1979)

The 60th Birthday of Princess Blanche d'Orléans

Princess Blanche with her mother Princess Marie-Thérèse, Duchess of Montpensier. Photo (c) Getty Images / Pool Van der Putten/Croy.

Today, Princess Blanche d'Orléans celebrates her sixtieth birthday!

The Count and Countess of Clermont with their four eldest children, 1965. From left to right: Princess Marie, Princess Blanche, the Countess of Clermont holding Prince Jean, the Count of Clermont, and Prince François.

Born on 10 September 1962 at Ravensburg, Princess Blanche Elisabeth Rose Marie d'Orléans was the third child and second daughter of the then-Count and Countess of Clermont. Blanche's parents, Prince Henri d'Orléans (1933-2019; later Count of Paris) and Duchess Marie-Thérèse of Württemberg (b.1934; later Duchess of Montpensier), had married in 1957. Princess Blanche joined two older siblings, Princess Marie (b.1959; married Prince Gundakar of Liechtenstein) and Prince François (1961-2017), and was followed by two younger siblings, Prince Jean (b.1965; married Philomena de Tornos) and Prince Eudes (b.1968; married Marie-Liesse de Rohan-Chabot).

The Countess of Clermont and her children with their maternal grandmother Duchess Rosa of Württemberg, Christmas 1981.

The Duchess of Montpensier with her five children, 1984.

Both Blanche and her older brother François were born with mental and physical handicaps which only became apparent as the children grew up. Their mother had unknowingly developed toxoplasmosis during these two pregnancies. In 1977, Marie-Thérèse told Point de Vue: "François, whom you saw with us, and Blanche form the center of our family, through their exquisite kindness, the purity of their souls and the deep joy they engender in our hearts." In 1981, the Countess of Clermont commented when asked about these two special children: "You ask me for news of François and Blanche. It touches me and I thank you for it. Although their health forever prohibits them from exercising responsibility - I am their legal guardian - they are nonetheless the radiant center of our family life. Their gentleness and peace have certainly helped to deepen all of our lives. This does not prevent many practical problems from having to be solved. Thanks be to God, we have always succeeded." 

We wish the Princess a very happy birthday!

The Queen is Dead; Long Live the King.

The Wedding of Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Carina Axelsson

Prince Gustav and Princess Carina. Photo (c) Albert Nieboer.

Over the weekend, a much awaited princely wedding took place in Germany. On Friday, 3 June, Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Carina Axelsson were civilly married at Bad Berleburg. The prince and princess celebrated their religious wedding on Saturday, 4 June, at the Evangelical Church of Castle Berleburg. Among the guests for the religious union were Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg with her children, Princess Madeleine of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Countess of Solms-Laubach by marriage), Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark, Prince Stephan and Princess Maria of Lippe, Hereditary Prince Franz Albrecht and Hereditary Princess Cleopatra of Oettingen-Spielberg, Hereditary Prince Hubertus and Hereditary Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Fürstin Cecilia of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

Hereditary Prince Hubertus and Hereditary Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Fürstin Cecilia of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

Our congratulations to Prince Gustav and Princess Carina on their special day!

The Diamond Wedding Anniversary of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain

Juan Carlos and Sofía.

Today marks sixty years since the marriage of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark. The couple were twice on 14 May 1962: firstly in a Roman Catholic ceremony held at 10am in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, and secondly in a Greek Orthodox ceremony held at noon in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. The Gotha turned out in full force with the Greek and Spanish royal families to witness the union of the man and woman who would in 1975 become the King and Queen of Spain.

Princess Sophia arrives in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius on the arm of her father, King Pavlos of Greece, and followed by her eight bridesmaids.

The Count and Countess of Barcelona witness the marriage of their son and daughter-in-law.

The couple at the altar.

Sophia puts the wedding band on Juan Carlos's hand.

Juan Carlos places the wedding ring on Sophia's hand.

The Prince and Princess depart the Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius.

The Prince and Princess greet the crowds lining the streets of Athens on their way to the Metropolitan Cathedral.

Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sophia in the Metropolitan Cathedral. Behind them are Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark and Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, who married in Athens two years later.

The couple during the crowning ceremony. Behind them one sees the Duke of Calabria, King Paul of Greece, and Prince Christian of Hannover.

Juan Carlos and Sophia depart the Metropolitan Cathedral.

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (obscured), Queen Frederica of Greece on the arm of the Count of Barcelona, behind them is Queen Mother Helen of Romania, Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Queen Ingrid of Denmark (obscured), and King Olav of Norway.

The 60th Birthday of Prince Christoph of Bavaria

Princess Gudila and Prince Christoph of Bavaria.

Today Prince Christoph of Bavaria celebrates his sixtieth birthday!

Born on 5 May 1962 at Schloss Leutstetten, Prince Christoph Ludwig Maria of Bavaria is the fifth child and third son of Prince Rasso of Bavaria and Archduchess Theresa of Austria-Tuscany. Christoph has six siblings: Princess Maria-Theresia (b.1956; married Count Tamás Kornis de Göncz-Ruszka), Prince Franz-Josef (b.1957), Princess Elisabeth (b.1959; married Count Andreas von Kuefstein), Prince Wolfgang (b.1960; married 1st Countess Beatrice zu Lodron-Laterano und Castelromano; married 2nd Tatiana Eames), Princess Benedikta (b.1961; married Baron Rudolf von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen), and, lastly, Princess Gisela (b.1964; married Prince Alexander of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen). 

The prince married Countess Gudila von Plettenberg-Lenhausen (b.1962) in a civil ceremony at Munich on 18 August 1994 and in a religious wedding at Lenhausen on 20 August. Prince Christoph and Princess Gudila have three sons and one daughter: Prince Corbinian (b.1996), Prince Stanislaus (b.1997), Prince Marcello (b.1998) and Princess Odilia (b.2002). 

 

Prince Christoph of Bavaria is a certified farmer and forest warden. The prince is the Grand Prior of the Bavarian Order of Saint George as well as a Knight of the Bavarian Order of Saint Hubert.

 

Our best wishes to the Prince on his birthday!

An Engagement in the Princely House of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg

Hereditary Prince Ludwig zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg has recently become engaged to Helene von Pezold.

 

Born in 1994, Prince Ludwig Hubertus Alfred-Ernst Sebastian Carl Roman zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg is the third child and only son of Fürst Ludwig zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (b.1951) and Countess Elisabeth von Waldburg-Wolfegg-Waldsee (b.1962). Ludwig has two older sisters: Princess Sophie (married to Count Constantn Fugger von Babenhausen) and Princess Amelie (married to Benedikt Schmid von Schmidfelden).

 

Born in 1995, Helene von Pezold is the third of four daughters of Kilian von Pezold (b.1964) and Countess Christina zu Solms-Laubach (b.1962). Helene's sisters are Johanna, Sophia, and Pauline. 

 

Ludwig and Helene are third cousins once removed. Their common ancestors are Prince Alfred zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (1855-1925) and Countess Pauline von Reichenbach-Lessonitz (1858-1927).

 

Our congratulations to the happy couple on their engagement!

 

Family Gather in Madeira to Commemorate the Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria

The descendants of Blessed Karl of Austria, April 2022.

Last weekend, at least one hundred descendants of Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary gathered on the island of Madeira. The emperor died on Madeira on 1 April 1922. He was only thirty-four years-old. In 2004, Emperor Karl was beautified by Pope John Paul II.

The imperial family in the Cathedral of Funchal. Front row: Archduke Karl, Archduchess Anna Gabriele, Archduke Georg, and Archduchess Maria Beatrix. Photo (c) Duarte Gomes.

Archduke Karl and Archduke Georg with their aunt Archduchess Anna Gabriele. Photo (c) Duarte Gomes.

Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece. Photo (c) Duarte Gomes.

On 1 April 2022, a Mass was held at the Church of Our Lady of the Mount in Funchal. The church was packed with a large number of descendants of Emperor Karl and Empress Zita. Among those present were Archduke Karl, Head of the Imperial House and a grandson of the emperor, as well as Archduchess Anna Gabriele, a daughter-in-law of the late emperor, and Dom Duarte, Duke of Braganza and Head of the Royal House of Portugal. 

Father László Erffa, the Bishop of Funchal, Father Paul Habsburg, and Father Johannes Habsburg. Photo (c) Duarte Gomes.

In the homily for the Eucharist, the Bishop of Funchal, Dom Nuno Brás, stated: "Faithfulness to God and to the commitments that God had entrusted to him at the time of his coronation as Apostolic King of Hungary, always led and enlightened him [Karl] in the understanding of reality and in the search for paths that would lead to a happy life for all. As ruler of the Empire, looking for new ways to respond to new needs; he did so as a believer, living on the basis of faith” And that's what the Servant of God Zita recognised, when questioned by a journalist about how she and Karl found the strength to overcome the persecution and betrayal they were subjected to, she replied: 'Without faith, it would have been impossible.' In these days, once again marked by a war that invades our Europe, we must look to the example of this Holy Emperor. [An emperor who] sought to make peace; but also an Emperor who ‘breathed’ an inner peace that could only come from God."

On 15 March, Dom Nuno Brás reflected on the life and example of the Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria. In his writing, the Bishop of Funchal recalled to readers the three core tenants of the beliefs and faith of the emperor:

First, the primacy of God. In personal life, be it interior, in the secret of conscience, or public, in the attitudes and words that someone addresses to everyone; and, above all, the primacy of God in political life, in the organization of society and in the laws that regulate its way of life. Throughout his life, this was Karl's secret: God and his will, sought after, known and lived as far as our strength and abilities allow. Then the primacy of the person. The person is seen not as a means to an end, not as another insignificant number, but as someone dear and loved by God for himself, with a unique dignity that cannot be compared to the mere consideration of one in the midst of an anonymous mass. Finally, the primacy of peace. It may seem strange, but the fact is that at the beginning of the 20th century (and even today), many defended war as a means of human progress: from the partisans of the class struggle to the defenders of savage individualism that does not look at nothing or anyone to achieve your purposes. In front of these and against them, Karl, since he arrived at the head of the Empire, always tried seriously and with all his strength to find ways to peace in Europe and in the world.

Sources:

No centenário do seu falecimento: D. Nuno Brás afirma que Beato Carlos é “uma bênção para o mundo”

Blessed Karl of Austria: Blessed Karl at 100 years

Nós e o Beato Carlos de Áustria

Us and Blessed Karl of Austria

An Upcoming Wedding in the Princely House of Croÿ

Prince Emmanuel de Croÿ-Collalto and Olimpia Franzan are to marry in July 2022.

The Croÿ-Collato family in 2016.

Born in 1990 at Uccle, Belgium, Prince Emanuel Manfredo Juste de Croÿ was the first child and only son of Prince Guillaume de Croÿ (b.1950) and Countess Isabella von Collalto und San Salvatore (b.1960), who married in Venice in 1989. Emanuel's paternal grandparents are Prince Emmanuel de Croÿ (1908-1997) and Countess Nicole de Marnix de Sainte-Aldegonde (1919-2011). His maternal grandparents are Fürst Manfred von Collalto und San Salvatore (b.1932) and Maria de la Trinidad Castillo y Moreno (b.1937). Emanuel was followed by a younger sister Princess Violette (b.1995). He works in investment banking in London.

 

The Franzan family in 2015.
Photo (c) Patrick McMullan.

Olimpia Franzan is the daughter of Jacopo "Jacobo" Franzan (b.1961) and Laura Cristiana dei contei Cibrario (b.1964). Olimpia has an older brother, Roberto, and a younger sister, Malvina. Olimpia's maternal grandparents are Nobile Carlo dei conte Cibrario (b.1932) and Maria Donatella Leonetti dei contei di San Janni (b.1940). Through her mother, Olimpia Franzan is a descendant of numerous Italian noble families. She works in marketing in London.

 

Our best wishes to the happy couple!