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 Golden Wedding of Princess Chantal d'Orléans and François-Xavier de Sambucy de Sorgue

 

Princess Chantal on her wedding day with her parents, the Count and Countess of Paris.

 

In 1971, Princess Chantal d'Orléans (b.1946), the youngest daughter of the Count and Countess of Paris, became engaged to François-Xavier de Sambucy de Sorgue (b.1943), a member of a noble family originally from Bologna, Italy. The Sambucy de Sorgues established themselves in Rouergue in the XIV century. The family also had contact with the Orléans as François-Xavier's great-uncle, Father Gaston de Sambucy de Sorgue, was the priest who officiated over the burial ceremony, in the Royal Chapel at St Louis de Dreux, for the Duchess d'Orléans, King Louis-Philippe's mother. François-Xavier and Chantal were married at the Royal Chapel at Dreux on 28 July 1972. She wore a splendid wedding gown designed by renowned couturier Balmain, as well as a diadem by Mellerio, a gift from her in-laws. 

 

Chantal and François-Xavier with Alexandre and Kildine in 1999.

 

The couple have three children: Axel (b.1976), Alexandre (b.1978), and Kildine (b.1979).

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!

The 30th Birthday of Princess Sophie Napoléon!

Princess Sophie and companion attend the wedding of her brother Prince Jean-Christophe, 2019.

Today, Princess Sophie Napoléon celebrates her thirtieth birthday!

Prince Charles with his daughter Princess Sophie. Photo (c) Getty Images / Benoit Gysembergh.

Princess Jeanne Françoise, Prince Charles, and their daughter Princess Sophie. Photo (c) Getty Images / Benoit Gysembergh.

Born on 18 April 1992 at Paris, Princess Sophie Cathérine Napoléon is the first daughter of Prince Charles Napoléon (b.1950) and his second wife Jeanne Françoise Valliccionni (b.1958), who married in 1996. Sophie has two older siblings from her father's first marriage to Princess Béatrice of Bourbon-Two Sicilies: Princess Caroline (b.1980; married Eric Quérénet-Onfroy de Breville) and Prince Jean-Christophe (b.1986; married Countess Olympia of Arco-Zinneberg). Sophie has one younger sister, Princess Anh (b.in Vietnam 1998), whom the family adopted when Anh was a baby. 

Our best wishes to the Princess on her birthday!

The 60th Birthday of Duchess Caroline of Oldenburg

Duchess Caroline of Oldenburg in 2013.

Today, Duchess Caroline of Oldenburg celebrates her sixtieth birthday.

Born on 10 April 1962 at Kiel, Countess Caroline zu Rantzau was the youngest child and second daughter of Count Christian zu Rantzau (1924-2002) and Héloise von Lettow-Vorbeck (1923-2018), who wed in 1954. Caroline's paternal uncle Count Kuno zu Rantzau and maternal aunt Ursula von Lettow-Vorbeck had married in 1953.

In 1987, Caroline married Duke Christian of Oldenburg (b.1955), the eldest son of Duke Anton Günther of Oldenburg (1923-2014) and Princess Ameli zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (1923-2016). Duke Christian and Duchess Caroline of Oldenburg have four children: Duke Alexander (b.1990), Duke Philipp (b.1991), Duke Anton (b.1993), and Duchess Katharina (b.1997). 

Many happy returns to the Duchess of Oldenburg on her birthday!

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!

The 90th Birthday of Dowager Fürstin Wilhelmine von Khevenhüller-Metsch

Wilhemine.

Today, Dowager Fürstin Wilhelmine von Khevenhüller-Metsch celebrates her ninetieth birthday!

Wilhelmine's parents: Lazarus and Franziska.

Born on 16 March 1932 at Naklo, Countess Marie Wilhelmina Josefina Theresia Franziska Georgia Henckel von Donnersmarck was the third child and second daughter of Count Lazarus "Lazy" Henckel von Donnersmarck (1902-1991) and Countess Franziska von Eltz (1905-1997), who wed in 1927. Wilhemine had four siblings: Count Carl Josef (1928-2008; married 1stly to Princess Marie Adelaide Pss of Luxemburg; married 2ndly to Claire Regina Barclay-Hoess), Countess Elisabeth (b.1929; married Count Ernst von Waldstein-Wartenberg), Count Heinrich (1935-2005), and Count Winfried (b.1938; married Christine von Arnim). 

Wilhemine and Maximilian on their wedding day.

Photo (c) Keystone Press Agency/Keystone USA via ZUMAPRESS.com.

On 19 January 1956 at Munich, Countess Wilhelmine Henckel von Donnersmarck married Count (later Fürst) Maximilian "Max" von Khevenhüller-Metsch (1919-2010). The couple had met the previous year. They honeymooned in Paris before settling in Madrid, were Max lived. Max and Wilhelmine had six children: Fürst Johannes (1956-2020; married Donna Camilla Borghese dei Principi di Nettuno), Count Bartholomäus (b.1958; married Cristina Sanchez de Movellán y Garcia Ogara), Count Karl (b.1959; married Lelia Gailly de Taurines), Count Georg (b.1960; married Countess Stephanie zu Castell-Castell), and Countess Melanie (b.1967; married Count Hubertus von Waldburg zu Wolfegg und Waldersee), and Countess Isabel (b.1972; married Count Florian von Hartig).

Our best wishes to the Dowager Fürstin on her birthday!

Fifty Years Since the Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cádiz

The Duke and Duchess of Cádiz.

The couple during their religious wedding. The groom's mother and the bride's grandfather were their witnesses.

Carmen and Alfonso.

On 8 March 1972, Don Alfonso de Borbón y Dampierre, Duke of Cádiz, and Doña María del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco were married at the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid. The groom was the eldest son of Infante Jaime of Spain, Duke of Segovia, and Emanuela de Dampierre. The bride was the eldest child of Don Cristóbal Martínez-Bordiú y Ortega, 10th Marquis of Villaverde, and Doña María del Carmen Franco y Polo, 1st Duchess of Franco. The engagement of Don Alfonso and Doña Carmen was announced in December 1971.

Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sofía of Spain with their children.

Princess Désirée of Sweden.

The Duchess of Alba.

Infante Jaime of Spain and the Begum Aga Khan with Francisco Franco.

Among the blue-blooded guests were Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sofía of Spain with their three children, Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco, Prince Bertil of Sweden, Princess Christina of Sweden, Princess Désirée of Sweden, the Begum Aga Khan, and the Duchess of Alba. Other attendees included Imelda Marcos, First Lady of the Philippines, and Juan Perón, the former President of Argentina.

The Duke and Duchess of Cádiz had two children: Don Francisco de Asís de Borbón y Martinez-Bordiu (1972-1984) and Don Luis Alfonso de Borbón y Martinez-Bordiu (b.1974). On 5 February 1984, Alfonso and his sons Francisco and Luis Alfonso were involved in a motor vehicle accident near Pamplona which left the Duke of Cádiz and his sons with severe injuries; Francisco, only eleven years-old, succumbed to his injuries two days after the accident. Don Alfonso and Doña Carmen separated in 1979; they were civilly divorced in 1982 after a decade of marriage. In 1986, the couple was granted an annulment by the Vatican.

The 70th Birthday of Prince Andreas of Liechtenstein

Prince Andreas of Liechtenstein in London, 1998.

Photo © Desmond O’Neill Features.

 

Today, Prince Andreas of Liechtenstein celebrates his seventieth birthday!

 

Born on 25 February 1952 at Vienna, Prince Andreas Duarte Emanuel Ulrich Benedikt Josef Maria Karl Rafael Ignatius Mathias Paulus of Liechtenstein was the second child and son of Prince Karl Alfred of Liechtenstein and Archduchess Agnes of Austria. Andreas has six siblings: Prince Dominik (1950-2009), Prince Gregor (b.1954), Princess Alexandra (1955-1993), Princess Maria (b.1960), Princess Katharina (b.1964), and Princess Birgitta (b.1967). 

 

On 29 September 1978 at Madrid, Prince Andreas married Silvia Prieto Figueroa (b.1952). The couple do not have children.

 

Our best wishes to the Prince on his birthday!

The 70th Birthday of Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso

Principe Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso.

Today, Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso, Duke of Castel Duino, celebrates his seventieth birthday!

Carlo Alessandro's father Raimundo in the late 1930s.

Princess Eugenie of Greece and Denmark with her husband Prince Raimundo della Torre e Tasso, 1953.
Photo (c) Getty Images.

Born on 10 February 1952 at Neuilly-sur-Seine, Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso was the only child of Prince Raimundo della Torre e Tasso (1907-1986) and Princess Eugenie of Greece and Denmark (1910-1989). Raimundo and Eugenie married in 1949 and divorced in 1965. This was the second marriage for Princess Eugenie, who from 1938 until 1946 was married to Prince Dominic Radziwill. From his mother's first union, Prince Carlo Alessandro had two half-siblings: Princess Tatiana Radziwill (b.1939; married Jean Henri Fruchaud) and Prince Jerzy Radziwill (1942-2001; married Françoise Lageat).

Prince Alexander von Thurn und Taxis.

 

Prince George of Greece and Princess Marie Bonaparte.

The paternal grandparents of Carlo Alessandro are Prince Alexander von Thurn und Taxis and his first wife Princess Marie de Ligne. The maternal grandparents of the prince are Prince George of Greece and Denmark and Princess Marie Bonaparte. Through his mother Eugenie, Prince Carlo Alessandro is a second cousin of the Prince of Wales. 

Carlo Alessandro and Véronique.

On 10 February 1976 at Saint Tropez, Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso married Véronique Lantz (b.1951). Prince Carlo Alessandro and Princess Véronique have three children: Prince Dimitri (b.1977; married Elinor de Pret Roose de Calesberg), Prince Maximilian (b.1979), and Princess Constanza (b.1989). Prince Carlo Alessandro and Princess Véronique live at the family's ancestral home, the Castello di Duino.

Princess Véronique and Prince Carlo Alessandro, 2017.

Our best wishes to the Prince on his birthday!

The Diamond Wedding Anniversary of King Simeon II and Queen Margarita of Bulgaria

Queen Margarita and King Simeon II on their religious wedding day.

Today, Their Majesties King Simeon II and Queen Margarita of Bulgaria celebrate sixty years of marriage!

Simeon and Margarita discuss their engagement, 1961.

The engagement ring.

The engagement of the couple was announced on 10 August 1961 by the Simeon's mother Giovanna: "Her Majesty the Queen Mother of Bulgaria is pleased to announce the engagement of her son Simeon, King of the Bulgarians, with Señorita Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela." That day at noon, the King and his fiancée held a press conference at the royal residence on the Avenida del Valle. The couple disclosed that Simeon had met Margarita some years before at a party in Madrid; however, it was about a year and a half before their engagement that their relationship had turned from a friendship into a romance. Margarita was given a ring with a large ruby set by diamonds by her fiancé. Queen Mother Giovanna gave her future daughter-in-law a platinum brooch set with three emeralds surrounded by diamonds. 

Margarita and Simeon after their civil wedding.

On Saturday, 20 January 1962, King Simeon II of Bulgaria and doña Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela were civilly married at the town hall in Lausanne, Switzerland. Colonel Georges Guentchjeff was the witness for King Simeon; don Jose Luis Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela was the witness for his sister. It was later revealed by the king's sister that the couple had also held an intimate Roman Catholic wedding in Madrid beforehand. King Simeon was naturally of the Bulgarian Orthodox faith; while Queen Margarita was of the Roman Catholic faith, which she retained after their union.

The newly married King and Queen of Bulgaria.
Queen Mother Giovanna and Princess Marie Louise are in the background.

A day later, on Sunday, 21 January, the couple celebrated their religious marriage at the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Megalomartyr Barbara in Vevey, Switzerland. The ceremony was conducted by Metropolit Andrey of New York, Head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Exile, Bishop Antony, Head of the Orthodox Church in Switzerland, and Father Igor Troyanov of Saint Barbara's Church. The nuptials of the king and queen was attended by 400 guests. Aside from King Simeon and Queen Margarita, the royal attendees present were the following: Queen Mother Giovanna of Bulgaria, Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria and Prince Karl Vladimir zu Leiningen, Queen Mother Geraldine of Albania, Archduke Andreas Salvator of Austria, Prince Ludwig of Baden, Prince Irakly Bagration-Mukhransky, Prince and Princess Viggo, Count and Countess of Rosenborg, King Farouk of Egypt and his daughter Princess Fawzia, Princess Zahra Khanzadi Sultana of Egypt and her daughter Princess Sabiha Fazila Khanum Sultana, Prince Michael of Greece, Landgrave Philipp of Hesse and his son Hereditary Prince Moritz, Fürst Emich zu Leiningen, Duke Christian Ludwig and Duchess Barbara of Mecklenburg, Princess Marie Clotilde Napoléon, the Duke of Parma, Prince Louis Ferdinand and Princess Kira of Prussia with their son Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia, and Prince Tomislav and Princess Margarita of Yugoslavia. Other noble guests from Spain and Europe included: Prince Dimitri Romanoff, the Marchioness of Winchester, the Duque and Duquesa de Almenara Alta, the Marquesa de Zurgena, Gräfin Viktoria zu Solms-Rödelheim und Assenheim and her son Erbgraf Markwalt zu Solms-Rödelheim und Assenheim, Conte Calvi di Bergolo, the Condesa de Alba de Liste, the Vizconde de Tuy, the Duquesa de Andria, and Conte Carlo Colonna.

Queen Margarita.

In February 1962, Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria, who was living in Oakville, Canada, with her first husband, granted an interview to Stasia Evasuk of The Ottawa Journal about the royal wedding. The princess shared her recollections: "The wedding went off smoothly. I can't tell you where Simeon and his bride are honeymooning. They'll live in Madrid where my mother has her official residence since the Communists are still in power in Bulgaria. I've known the bride for years. I met her in Spain where I lived for seven years with my brother and mother before my marriage. She has no close relatives. Everyone in her family was killed by anti-Franco forces in the Spanish civil war except her and her brother. They were saved by a nanny. The night before the wedding there was a reception for 400 guests at the Lausanne Palace Hotel. I enjoyed seeing old friends I hadn't seen for a long time. [On the wedding day,] my mother wore a deep purple silk dress with a matching velvet coat and I wore a pink and brocaded gold dress with matching silk coat. The bride wore a long white silk gown embroidered with pearls. She looked simply beautiful." Queen Margarita of Bulgaria wore the Bulgarian Fleur-de-Lis Tiara.

The King and Queen with their children and grandchildren, 2007.
Photo (c) HM King Simeon.

King Simeon and Quen Margarita have five children: Crown Prince Kardam, Prince of Tirnovo (1962-2015; married Miriam Ungria y López); Prince Kyrill, Prince of Preslav (b.1964; married Rosario Nadal y Fuster-Puigdorfila); Prince Kubrat, Prince of Panagjuriste (b.1965; married Carla-Maria Royo-Villanova y Urrestarazu); Prince Konstantin-Assen, Prince of Vidin (b.1967; married Maria Garcia de la Rasilla y Gortazar); and Princess Kalina (b.1972; married Antonio "Kitin" Muñoz Valcárcel). The King and Queen of the Bulgarians have eleven grandchildren. The royal couple live at Vrana Palace.

 

 

Our best wishes to Their Majesties on the occasion of their Diamond Wedding Anniversary!