Saturday, April 6, 2019
Royal Wedding in Oplenac, Serbia
Weddings in the Royal House of Orléans: A Filmography
Since 1931, when the couple who most royal watchers will always think of when they hear of the Count and Countess of Paris, the descendants of this couple, Prince Henri of Orléans and Princess Isabelle of Orléans and Braganza, have entered into notable matches with members of royal and noble families - with some exceptions. In this post, we shall highlight the marital alliances of the Count and Countess of Paris, as well as of their family, as supplemented by the medium of film.
We will begin with Henri and Isabelle. Prince Henri of Orléans, Count of Paris (1908-1999) was married at Palermo on 8 April 1931 to Princess Isabelle of Orléans and Braganza (1911-2003). The Count and Countess of Paris became the parents of eleven children: Isabelle (b.1932), Henri (1933-2019), Hélène (b.1934), François (1935-1960), Anne (b.1938), Diane (b.1940), twins Michel and Jacques (b.1941), Claude (b.1943), Chantal (b.1946), and Thibaut (1948-1983). Henri and Isabelle eventually lived apart, but they never divorced.
In January 1957, Princess Hélène of Orléans wed Count Count Evrard de Limburg Stirum (1927-2001). Hélène and Evrard had four children: Countess Catherine (b.1957; married from 1988-1994 to Ortis-Armando Galrão Exposito), Count Thierry (b.1959; married since 1990 to Katia della Faille de Leverghem), Count Louis Léopold (b.1962; married since 1996 to Belén López y Montero), and Count Bruno (b.1966; married since 1995 to Countess Christine de Lannoy).
In July 1957, Prince Henri of Orléans, Count of Clermont (eventual Count of Paris), married Duchess Marie-Thérèse of Württemberg (b.1934). The couple had five children: Princess Marie (b.1959), Prince François (1961-2017; eventual Count of Clermont), Princess Blanche (b.1962), Prince Jean (b.1962; eventual Duke of Vendôme and current Count of Paris), and Prince Eudes (b.1968; eventual Duke of Angoulême; married since 1999 to Marie-Liesse de Rohan-Chabot). Henri and Marie-Thérèse legally separated in 1977 and were granted a civil divorce in 1984. Upon the divorce, Marie-Thérèse was granted the personal title "Duchess of Montpensier" by her father-in-law.
In July 1960, Princess Diane of Orléans wed Duke Carl of Württemberg (b.1936). The couple have six children: Duke Friedrich (1961-2018; married from 1993 until his death to Princess Marie of Wied), Duchess Mathilde (b.1962; married since 1988 to Count [eventual Fürst] Erich von Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg), Duke Eberhard (b.1963; married since 2011 to Lucia Desiree Copf), Duke Philipp (b.1964; married since 1991 to Duchess Marie Caroline in Bavaria), Duke Michael (b.1965; married since 2006 to Julia Storz), and Duchess Fleur (b.1977; married since 2003 to Count Moritz of Goëß).
In May 1965, Princess Anne of Orléans wed Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Siclies, Infante of Spain (1938-2015). The couple had five children: Princess Cristina (b.1966; married since 1994 to Pedro Lopez-Quesada y Fernandez-Urrutia), Princess Maria (b.1967; married since 1996 to Archduke Simeon of Austria), Prince Pedro (b.1968; married since 2001 to doña Sofia Landaluce y Melgarejo), Princess Inès (b.1971; married since 2001 to Nobile Michele Carrelli Palombi dei Marchesi di Raiano), and Princess Victoria (b.1976; married since 2003 to Markos Nomikos).
For footage of their wedding, please visit this link:
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA5QSEU64ZOT2H7ZRAJI1O1ZGJ8-FRANCE-PRINCESS-ANNE-DE-FRANCE-DAUGHTER-OF-THE-COUNT-OF-PARIS
In August 1969, Prince Jacques of Orléans, Duke of Orléans, married Gersende de Sabran-Pontevès (b.1942). The couple have three children: Princess Diane (b.1970; married from 2004 until being widowed in 2014 to Viscount Alexis de Noailles), Prince Charles-Louis (b.1972; current Duke of Chartres; married since 1997 to Illéana Manos), and Prince Foulques (b.1974; current Duke of Aumale and Count of Eu).
In May 2009, Prince Jean of Orléans, Duke of Vendôme (now Count of Paris), was joined in a religious ceremony to doña Philomena de Tornos y Steinhart (b.1977). The couple had contracted a civil marriage at Paris in March 2009. The couple have five children: Prince Gaston (b.2009), Princess Antoinette (b.2012), Princess Louise-Marguerite (b.2014), Prince Joseph (b.2016), and Princess Jacinthe (b.2018).
In September 2009, Prince Henri of Orléans, Count of Paris, entered into a religious marriage with his civil wife, Princess Micäela of Orléans, Countess of Paris (b.1938). Henri and Micäela had been civilly married in 1984, shortly after the Henri's divorce from his first wife Marie-Thérèse. Henri and Marie-Thérèse were granted a religious annulment of their marriage in November 2008. This paved the way for Henri and Micäela to have their union recognised by the Roman Catholic church.
In June 2008, Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orléans (b.1973), eldest son of Prince Michel, Count d'Evreux, and his first wife Béatrice Pasquier de Franclieu, married Diana Alvares Pereira de Melo, Duchess of Cadaval (b.1978). The couple are the parents of one daughter, Princess Isabelle (b.2012).
Friday, April 5, 2019
Lord Frederick Windsor Celebrates His Fortieth Birthday
Today, Lord Frederick Windsor celebrates his fortieth year of life!
Lord Frederick Michael George David Louis Windsor was born on 6 April 1979 at St Mary's Hospital in London. Lord Frederick is the eldest child and only son of Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael (née Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz). The son of an Anglican father and a Roman Catholic mother, Frederick was raised in the Anglican faith; he has thus retained his place in the line of succession to the British throne.
Lord Frederick "Freddie" Windsor attended Eton College, and Magdalen College, Oxford. After the conclusion of his studies, Frederick worked as a fashion model for a campaign by Burberry. He is now a banker and Vice President at JP Morgan.
On 14 February 2009, Valentine's Day, the engagement of Lord Frederick to actress Sophie Winkleman was announced. The couple were married at Hampton Court on 12 September 2009. Frederick and Sophie are the parents of two children: Maud (b.2013) and Isabella (b.2016).
Two years after his birth, Frederick welcomed the arrival of his younger sister and only sibling: Lady Gabriella Marina Alexandra Ophelia Windsor was born on 23 April 1981.
Thursday, April 4, 2019
A Fabulous Royal Marriage: Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta and Princess Claude d'Orléans
The engagement between Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, and Princess Claude d'Orléans was announced in September 1963. Prince Amedeo of Savoy (b.1943) was the only child of Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta, and Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark. Princess Claude (b.1943) was the ninth child and fifth daughter of Prince Henri, Count of Paris, and Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza.
Amedeo and Claude were married on 22 July 1964 at Sintra, Portugal, in a beautiful ceremony attended by a myriad of their relatives and friends.
The Duke and Duchess of Aosta are the parents of three children, one son and two daughters. Princess Bianca of Savoy-Aosta was born in 1966, Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta arrived in 1967, and Princess Mafalda of Savoy-Aosta was born in 1969.
The union of Amedeo and Claude deteriorated, and their marriage became unsustainable. The couple separated on 20 July 1976, they then obtained a civil divorce on 26 April 1982, and, finally, an annulment from the Holy See was granted on 8 January 1987. Both Prince Amedeo and Princess Claude have since remarried.
The Princess of Venice Celebrates Her Fiftieth Birthday
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Clotilde Marie Pascale Courau yesterday celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of her birth. Clotilde was born on 3 April 1969 as the daughter of Jean-Claude Courau (b.1942) and Catherine du Pontavice des Renardières (b.1948), daughter of Count Pierre Francoise Marie Antoine du Pontavice des Renardières (b.1926) and Marie Lélia Gabriel (b.1926).
In 1985, at the age of sixteen, Clotilde dropped out of school and decided to become an actress. In the years since the, she has appeared in over fifty films. Clotilde Courau was recognised in 2007 by the French Ministry of Culture when she became a Dame of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
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Clotilde Courau's engagement to Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice, was announced on 10 July 2003. On 25 September 2003, the couple were married vat the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome. The bride wore a gown designed by the fashion house Valentino. Emanuele Filiberto (b.1972) is the only child of Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, and his wife Marina Doria; Emanuele Filiberto is also the only male-line grandson of King Umberto II of Italy (1904-1983) and Queen Marie-José (1906-2001; née Belgium).
Emanuele Filiberto and Clotilde of Savoy have two children. Vittoria Chiara Cristina Adelaide Maria of Savoy, the eldest daughter, was born on 28 December 2003 at Geneva. Vittoria was followed three years later by Luisa Giovanna Bianca Agata Gavina Maria who was born on 16 August 2006, also at Geneva.
Emanuele Filiberto posted a touching tribute to his wife on his Instagram page to mark her birthday:
"I love you terribly. If a flower blossomed every time I thought of you, every desert would be full of them. (Khalil Gibran) Happy Birthday my love."
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
A recent interview with Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta
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On 1 April 2019, Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta gave an interview to Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan.
Following is a brief excerpt...
Aimone di Savoia: "My life as a Savoy, as a relative of the Tsars in Putin's Russia"
During a private visit to Turin, the first capital of Italy, we catch up with the prince who is the husband of Princess Olga of Greece. Prince Aimone states: "The Italian monarchy? It will not come back. But history must always be read with a sense of perspective."
At the end of the visit, Aimone's daughter Isabella "collapsed." In the rooms of Royal Palace in Turin, the third child of Aimone of Savoy-Aosta, aged six, asks her father for help. And she finds it in the arms of Aimone. "I wanted to take them to Turin, the first capital of Italy under the Savoys: Umberto, who is ten years-old, asked me to draw a family tree of the Savoys, and I promised him that we will do so in the summer, when we are in Apulia," he explains to Corriere.
Aimone, who is fifty-one and the son of Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta, is the most bashful of the Savoys. "I was small and Dad forced me to study our family tree, many times." Married to Olga of Greece, Aimone recalls, "we met at the wedding of the Infanta Elena, daughter of King Juan Carlos, and when King Felipe VI, my cousin, comes to Moscow, we try to see each other."For the full interview with Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta, please visit this link: Aimone di Savoia: «La mia vita di Savoia, parente degli zar nella Russia di Putin»
On This Day In History: The Birth of Princess Louise-Marie d'Orléans, First Queen of the Belgians
Her Serene Highness Mademoiselle Louise-Marie Thérèse Charlotte Isabelle d'Orléans was born on 3 April 1812 at Palmero as the eldest daughter and second child of Louise Philippe, Duke of Orléans, and his wife Princess Maria Amalia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. In 1830, Louise-Marie's parents became the King and Queen of the French when the Orléans branch of the French royal fouse ascended to the throne following the fall of their cousin King Charles X of France, who hailed from the senior Bourbon line. This was a bittersweet development for Queen Marie-Amélie as her aunt was the late Queen Marie Antoinette of France, who fell victim to the guillotine during the French Revolution.
When Louis Philippe became king, the title of his eighteen year-old daughter was upgraded to that of Her Royal Highness Princess Louise-Marie d'Orléans. The princess was raised along with her elder brother Ferdinand, Duke of Orléans, as well as with eight younger brothers and sisters: Princess Marie, Louis, Duke of Nemours, Princess Françoise (who died aged two), Princess Clémentine, François, Prince of Joinville, Charles, Duke of Penthièvre (who died aged eight), Henri, Duke of Aumale, and Antoine, Duke of Montpensier. All the surviving children of Louis Philippe and Marie-Amélie of the French contracted glittering marital alliances.
Princess Louise-Marie was the first of her siblings to marry. On 9 August 1832, the princess was wed to King Léopold I of the Belgians (1790-1865; né Saxe-Coburg and Gotha). Léopold had been elected as king of the Belgians the year prior to his second marriage. His first wife, Princess Charlotte of Great Britain, Ireland and Hannover, was the only child of the eventual King George IV and his wife Duchess Caroline of Braunschweig. Léopold and Charlotte married in 1816 in what was a mutually happy coupling for the pair; however, their joy was short-lived as Charlotte died in 1817 on the same day that she was delivered of a stillborn son. The death of Charlotte triggered a succession crisis in the Hanoverians of Great Britain, and led to the late princess' numerous elderly uncles rushing into unions with eligible (and younger) princesses in order to produce an heir to secure the future of the dynasty.
By virtue of her marriage, Louise-Marie became the first Queen of the Belgians. She and King Léopold quickly set about establishing a family. Their first child, a son and heir, was born on 24 July 1833. He was named Louis Philippe Léopold Victor Ernest after his maternal grandfather, his father, and his cousin Queen Victoria. At his birth, Louis Philippe automatically became Crown Prince of Belgium. Sadly, the infant boy passed away due to an inflammation of his mucous membranes on 16 May 1834, two months before he would have celebrated his first birthday.
The second child of King Léopold and Queen Louise-Marie entered the world on 9 April 1835. Owing to the death of his older brother the previous year, Prince Léopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor was first in the line of succession after his father, who he succeeded upon the death of Léopold I in 1865. King Léopold II married Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria in 1853. As the couple's only son, another Léopold, died at the age of nine in 1869, Léopold II and Marie Henriette do not count the current Royal House of Belgium amongst their descendants. The King and Queen went on to have three daughters, the Princesses Louise (1858-1924), Stéphanie (1864-1945), and Clémentine (1872-1955). Princess Louise married her cousin Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in a union which ended in divorce after the birth of two children. Princess Stéphanie married the ill-fated Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, with whom she had a daughter, before Rudolf committed suicide with his mistress in 1889 at Mayerling. Only the youngest daughter of the king, Clémentine, found a "happy ever after" with her choice of husband. The princess had fallen in love with Prince Victor Napoléon during her father's reign. However, Léopold II forbid the union on the grounds that it would offend the French Republic. Clémentine's devotion to her Victor stood the test of time, and after her father died in 1909, the princess secured the approval of her cousin, King Albert I of the Belgians, for her marital plans. Princess Clémentine of Belgium and Prince Victor Napoléon married in 1910 and became the parents of two children, Marie-Clotilde and Louis.
Léopold and Louise-Marie's third child and third son, Philippe, was born on 24 March 1837. Titled the Count of Flanders, Prince Philippe married Princess Marie of Hohenzollern in 1867. Philippe and Marie had five children: Prince Baudouin (1869-1891), Princess Henriette (1870-1948), the short-lived Princess Joséphine (1870-1871), the long-lived Princess Joséphine (1872-1958), and Prince Albert (1875-1934). The Count of Flanders died in 1905 before his elder brother. Therefore, when Léopold II left his earthly frame in 1909, he was succeeded by his nephew, Albert. King Albert I of the Belgians had married Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria in 1900. Their descendants include the modern Belgian royal family and Luxembourgish grand ducal family.
The only daughter and final child of King Léopold I and his wife was born on 7 Jun 1840. Princess Maria Charlotte Amélie Auguste Victoire Clémentine Léopoldine of Belgium was destined for a tragic future. In 1857, Charlotte married Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph: the couple were never able to have children of their own. Maximilian and Charlotte reigned as the last Emperor and Empress of Mexico between 1864 and 1867, the year in which Maximilian was executed by the troops of Benito Juarez. Already suffering from declining mental health, and having been in Europe since 1876 seeking aid for her husband, Empress Charlotte rather lost her mind when she was informed of her husband's brutal end. She lived out her days at Bouchout Castle in Meise, Belgium. After a bout of pneumonia, the Dowager Empress of Mexico died at the great age of eighty-six. Charlotte was the last surviving child of King Léopold I and Queen Louise-Marie of the Belgians.
Queen Louise-Marie of the Belgians never had the opportunity to meet any of her grandchildren. The queen died at the age of thirty-eight on 11 October 1850 at Ostend. She rests beside her husband in Royal Crypt of the Church of Our Lady of Laeken.
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| Queen Louise-Marie of the Belgians (1812-1850) |
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